skittles

hey guys. planning on cleaning my engine M271 when i get my answer here. havent cleaned it in almost 2 years so theres a big amount of dust. all i really want to know is what exactly do i have to cover? i dont pressure wash. ive been looking at other threads but they all just say sensors/electronics, too vague. theres like a dozen sensors and electronics. i thought of maybe just unplug the battery, not cover anything and spray engine brite everywhere. is that safe? do i have to let it dry? or just put back battery after? thanx guys!

TemjinX2

why not just take a towel and some alcohol and just clean it by hand. i know it sounds simple but it makes a pretty huge difference.

AzCamel

wet towel.. or what i do is

Engine degreeser (simple Green works great) use glvoes, a towel to get the heavy spots, then rinse off with low pressure water. then use Engine detailer and drive around for a few minutes, park your car and admire the shiney dealer like engine.

LILBENZ230

That's what I do. I clean it by hand. Too risky to spray anything in that direction, I wouldn't be comfortable with it.

dirtdiggler

I just detailed this 2003 CL500 with 74k ODO. Engine just needed wipedown with diluted degreaser and water wash. I also degreased and waxed the painted surfaces. I sprayed CD2 engine detailer which you can purchase at any autozone. Also use a soft bristle brush to get to the inbetweens. Spray the CD2 on and let sit for few minutes then take a microfiber cloth and buff to a satin finish. be careful though, plenty of sharp objects in there. You can see the difference the CD2 made by the driver side air intake next to the headlight.




dirt diggler

skittles

thanks for the reply's guys but im still wondering what should be covered? did you cover anything at all?

dirtdiggler

cover the alternator, distributor and fuse box. But since I only used a damp cloth, brush and a dry cloth to wipe off, that was all needed.
since your engine is just dusty, just the above should work. no need to steam clean unless there is heavy build up. you neve want to pressure wash an engine due to bearing damages and shorting and engine code.

skittles

the dust has accumulated and is very thick already. ok heres what i plan on doing. spray degreaser everywhere. let it sit for 10 mins then wash WITH NO PRESSURE just let the water glide till the degreaser is off. do i still have to cover it up? sorry coz aside from wanting a clean engine i want to see if there are any leaks anywhere.

AzCamel

use common sense!! if there are spots you think water can get into and damage then cover it up.

dirtdiggler

If its thick dust - a soft bristle paint brush w/a long handle to loosen the dust and a shop vac should be what you need. less is more.

Also if you using a degreaser, test it somewhere that can be noticed. you may want weaken the mix to not attack and sensitve materials. Some degreaser may attack or discolor the MB logos. try the least agressive first. be also careful on the decals, some are not water happy.

Glyn M Ruck

The dealers in South Africa use a proprietary MB aerosol spray & a damp cloth to clean engines. Pouring water over the modern electronic engine is looking for trouble. There are so many places that water can do damage. I advise against it

saer1one

hand clean will do the job, might be a bit messy with alot of towels used but you wont have to worry about electronics.. no point in getting it as clean as you would like since its going to get dirty again, so all the in between spots that your thinking about cleaning wont make your engine look bad.. another thing, i wouldnt suggest you top it off with any type of engine brite. its a magnet for dust and dirt..

maverik259

ya using nothing thats gonna make it shine more than originally did (aka oil based products) its just gonna suck up everything and anything around it! dont use a hose, your gonna mess up and hit something you dont want to hit...just use damp cloths/towels, and you can periodically use a hose to clean them off a bit so your not rubbing dirt back onto the engine bay!

Utahkompressor

M271 is pretty easy to clean.

What I did is took engine cover, cam cover, airfiter cover off.....then take them to wash on the sink with soft scotch-brite and laundry detergent.......dry it with paper towel, then apply some plastic-protecting solution on it(I use armor all).....put it back on and clean the rest with wet rag.

I usually do that twice a year......but I wipe the dust off with peper towel every week.....my engine is shiny all the time!

BlackLiquorish8

i've always used simple green and covered the alt, or w/e necessary. than just hose off with a light miss stream to wash off the gunk, dirt and dust off. simple wipe down is good if your engine is clean to begin with. unless you powerwash, steam or use a strong stream you wont really mess it up. we get a lot of salt on the road in ny so wiping down really dont take the salt on the painted surfaces.... hence light mist will do the job than just let the engine warm up and shut the hood and it'll evaporate. if you want apply light vinyl shine, but than it attracts dust....

benze-ply

found the thread posted last year by splinter. saw his clean engine at a meet and he posted the following thread on how he cleaned under the hood

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ng-engine.html

the threads should be fused.