Cold engine, Simple Green and old paint brush to get out the crud in the
nooks and crannies. I let it sit on stubborn places, spray some more and
brush some more. Then with low pressure, cold water from the hose I rinse
it off into the lawn (which seems to love it too). The black hoses may get
some white scaling - I use a little Armor All on them, the composite valve
cover and anything else that looks dull...

"richard hornsby" > wrote in message
...
>
> > If anyone out there thats not a mechanic is reading this please take
> > note. CLEAN off the areas that you are going to have serviced on your
> > car! Who ever works on your car should be more appreciative and the
> > quality of the repair should more than suit you.
>
> So I go to Autozone and buy a spray can of engine degreaser, now what?
> Are there things I shouldn't spray it on? After I spray on the
> degreaser, can I use a garden hose or the hand-sprayer thing at the
> carwash under the hood to wash off the excess dirt and grime? I've seen
> at carwashes where they have "Degreaser" and a little icon of an engine
> next to it ... are you really supposed to open up your hood and spray?
>
> I want to keep my engine clean for the sake of keeping it clean, but I
> also am afraid to damage anything or get water into the engine somehow.
>
> -rj
> 98SL2