New P5 Owner, Engine Bay cleaning tips needed! (she's bad).

Ok,

So I just bought a 2002 Protege 5, Red, 5 speed, and it's awesome. I love the look of these things, I love the steering wheel I love how quick it is when it wants to be. And yeah it's got some quirks (bucking and kicking if you dip below 2k rpm in 1st or 2nd gear, and the shift knob vibrates like it came out of a sex shop, cup holders are for CANS ONLY!#% etc) But it's my car now and I wanna take care of it. I want to take pride in this car.

the previous owners did great upkeep for the most part but cleaning it wasn't their favourite thing to do. As you can see by the pictures it is a hot mess. it's dirty, dusty, greasy and it's got other liquids I can't positively identify.

So for the reason I am making this. I don't want to go gung-ho all over the engine with the hose cause I heard that isn't a smart play. I read to cover sensors and the alternator and battery but this thing is FULL of wiring clips all over that I assume are sensors and things I don't want wet. So, I need some help in what to cover and what is ok, any pro tips to remove all this gunk and let her shine again etc.

If possible just using ms paint and circling the areas to be careful of like a football replay would be great!

Any and all help is appreciated, thanks in advance guys!

Wow, that is dirty.

I would take a pressure washer to the firewall and inner fenders. Tread lightly if you use it on the engine, and don't spray into the alternator or wiring. Use a really wide nozzle and keep a good distance between the wand and engine. They will take paint off if you're not careful.

The factory connectors are sealed pretty good, but 3000 psi from a pressure washer is very intrusive, sealed or not. The alternator is designed to handle some water, but again, the less you get in it, the better.

Soaking the engine bay in some sort of degreaser prior to washing will greatly aid in the removal of built up oil and grime.

Afterward, park it in the sun with the hood open to help dry things out. You can spray down the plastic parts with Armor All or something similar to give them a shine.

Wow, well having just cleaned an engine comp such as this one, what did it for me was: removing any brackets i could, cleaning them with a wire wheel and painting them with rust paint ( I can't abide with putting rusted parts back in.. ). What cleaned my intake manifold was a set of soft wire brushes on the end of a corded ( high torque ) drill. Did the same for valve cover. After that was engine cleaner ( in a spray can, at every parts store ) and a quick pressure wash of transmission and block. Steel high pressure hoses i buffed with a fine grit sanding strip.

Good luck I wouldn't sweat the hose to much, just don't drown your plugs.

Alright wicked boys, I think I got er then. I'll soak the grime with the cleaner and let it do it's thing, cover my plugs and alternator and battery too eh? (or does that matter?) then i'm gonna go house hose nothing too intense, or if it comes down to it, rip up the road to a rubber duck and pressure wash the big bits. then get down to the nitty gritty finer details with the brushes and many rags.

After pics to come. unless I do a s*** job.

Hey let me throw this one at you guys. So as I was cleaning it off I noticed some rust, should I keep the undercoating on there? it's pretty dry but still a little slick. I'm not looking to make a show car I just wanted to clean it up. but If the gunk (undercoating) is helping in some way maybe I should keep it on right? or no? lol.

Well, what i did was brush of the worst of it ( the old under coating ) and applied a generous spray of the same ( think canadian tire etc has several to choose from ). Can't recall the exact spray i used. Might be more important for us northern drivers. I know winters aren't friendly to my p5. Especially since my municipality switched from salt to a beet juice spray.