Did an engine wash on my K2XX daily this week — same truck from the catch can and the misfire coil videos. The bay wasn’t a horror show, it had just seen better days: road film on the cowl, grey plastics, dull harnesses, and a driver side head that got handled during the coil job.
Two products, about a five minute wash, and a couple of waiting periods. Full video:
The short version
Light mist of GUNK Engine Brite around the cowl edges first, always spraying inward so nothing carries onto paint. Then the electric fans, throttle body and intake, back wall, upper cowl, intake manifold, the plastic head covers, driver side head, brake booster, battery top. A little goes a long way — one can covered the whole bay.
Soak 10 to 15 minutes like the can says, then rinse with minimal water. I used the lowest setting on my pressure washer; a garden hose works fine too. Another 15 minutes to drip dry, then fire it up and run it about 15 minutes so a couple of heat cycles dry the bay out. Main risk is a no start after too much water, so go light on the water and be sure to do this at home!
Once it’s dry, Black Magic tire foam over everything black — wiper cowl and vinyl cowling, intake harnesses, all the harnesses at the back, battery cover, intake, radiator cowling, fan shroud. Wipe the drips in with a rag.
What I stayed away from
- Fuse block and ECM connector — nothing. No degreaser, no pressure washer. Those got a light damp rag and some tire foam later. Moisture in there can give you a no-start.
- Coils, coil wiring, and anything not weather packed. The can itself says don’t spray it on electronic parts.
- Paint. That’s the main concern with any degreaser, so spray inward every time.
- Distributors. If you’re on a GMT400 or anything with a with wiring that isn’t weather packed, bag the wiring up and don’t spray any water there!
One more: do this at home, not at the car wash. If your rig doesn’t start afterward you’re stuck in a bay. At home you’ve got time to let it dry out. Pick a night you don’t need the truck and can let it dry out overnight.
Products
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, FullSizeChevy may earn from qualifying purchases made through the links in this post, at no additional cost to you.
- GUNK Engine Brite — Gunk EB1 Engine Brite Original Heavy Duty Engine Degreaser - 15 oz. by Gunk : Amazon.ca: Automotive
- Black Magic 36201 Tire Foam Cleaner, 510 g — Black Magic 36201 Tire Foam Cleaner #1, 510g, Tire & Wheel Care - Amazon Canada — matte finish, revives black plastic, doesn’t attract dust, lasts about a week or two for me. It’s sold as a tire and trim foam, so read the label and make your own call.
- 303 Products Aerospace Protectant Spray, 437 mL — 303 Products Aerospace Protectant Spray, UV Protection, Repels Dust, Dirt, & Staining, Matte Finish, Restores Like-New Appearance, Outdoor Cleaning Supplies 437mL (130340), Leather Care - Amazon Canada — UV protection and a matte finish for appropriate plastic, vinyl and rubber surfaces. My close second, it just doesn’t seem to last as long.
Full write-up
The complete step by step, the before and after, the mistakes to avoid and the FAQ are on the blog:
Your turn
This isn’t a professional detail and I’m not a professional detailer — it’s a garage job that makes a tired bay look a lot better for two cans and an evening.
So what do you run? If you’ve got something better than these two for under the hood, or on tires, post it here. What degreaser do you trust around modern connectors, and does anybody bother masking the fuse box and intake or do you just work around them like I do?