Things You'll Need:
- Engine degreaser
- Water
- Rags
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Step 1
Protect electrical elements. Cover the distributor, if you have one, with plastic. The distributor usually has wires coming off it and going to the spark plugs. Some cars do not have wires because they have a coil sitting on top of each spark plug. You will want to cover those, if you have that type of ignition. If this gets wet, you will not be able to start your car for quite a while. You may even short the computer. If the PCM or ECM is in the engine compartment, you will need to cover that, also.
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Step 2
Cover the sensors. You may not be able to find them all, but many of the sensors are not bothered by a little water (a flood of water, yes, but not a little). You should definitely cover your MAP or MAF sensors. You will have one or the other, and they are located on or in the air intake.
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Step 3
Take your car to an acceptable place to do this. This work should not be done in your yard. The grease and the degreaser are harmful to the environment and will kill your grass.
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Step 4
Spray the walls of the engine compartment and the bottom of the block with engine degreaser. Let this set according to the instructions on the can. Carefully rinse off with the hose. Do not splash water on the top of the engine.
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Step 5
Using the degreaser, spray some on a rag and start going over the top parts of your engine. You might have to scrub vigorously, depending on the amount of grease, but the top of the engine is normally just grimed up with dust and dirt, and should easily come clean. Using a clean rag, wet it down and squeeze out the excess water. Wipe up the degreaser from the previous step. If you still have a lot of grease on your engine, go over the steps again. You may have to scrub particularly stubborn grease spots. You may use an abrasive sponge, but be careful—you will scratch your engine. Do not use abrasives on chrome.
