How many of you guys clean the engine? I hate opening the hood and looking at the grime but given all the electronics I'm a little reluctant to just hose down the engine compartment.

 

Literally hose it down?

I usually take a damp cloth and go around and clean up the dirty spots.

 

Yea..damp cloth...then I armorall all plastic and rubber in sight..and anything that is silver, i polish.

 

Do not use amorall use WD40 amorall can damage the hoses.

Regards,
E55 POWER

 

While i can see your concern, i used armorall on my 87 300E with no ill effects for 6 years, up intil i sold it in 2001. I have also used it in my GS400, again with no ill effects, for 6 years.

 

I know, this is just what I've heard so I just do not use it, also the WD40 is good for the metal parts.
I first clean it with the Amorall multipurpose cleaner and water, then I dry, and then a spray WD40.

Regards,
E55 POWER

 

Muahaha. I actually hose it down full force.

No wonder my car hasn't started in the last few years.. j/k

I hose it down after I cover up all electrical stuff.

 

lol... been walking to work lately, huh?

 

Get a spray bottle of simple green... works absolute wonders on plastics and dull metals.

-m

 

Hmm, cover the Air intake, alternator, battery (if it's in the compartment) and what else? Spark plugs?

 

You might want to be careful with SImple Green. It is not recommended (by Simple Green) for use on aircraft because it has been shown to advance corrosion of aluminum parts. Since the E-class has lots of aluminum, I'd stay away. The main concern is that simple green stays on parts or crvices and is not washed away. Below an excert from their web site.

Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green on aluminum?
Simple Green products have been successfully and safely used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: Aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green or Crystal Simple Green can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times of All-Purpose Simple Green and Crystal Simple Green with unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green/Crystal Simple Green residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.

 

I hose down my engine without regard for wiring, plumbing or woodwork ... okay forget the woodwork but I've never had a problem that I could relate to keeping the engine clean.