I checked under the hood, it is dirty!

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hyde

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Why? What's all the dirt.. Oil, grease, sand, salt, whatever you are looking for is there, I don't even go out wheeling..

Please check these pictures, It is driving me crazy. Got any suggestions on how to clean these? Can I just spray some all-purpose cleaner? What do I have to watch out for? I don't want to fry any wires.

(blarg)
 

tjkj2002

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Dawn dish soap and a garden hose(you're relly not going to hurt anything with garden hose pressure,I use the high pressure car washer all the time) and scrub with a soft bristle brush where you can.Make sure KJ is cooled down,if worried avoid the alternator as best as you can.
 

AZKJ

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Man, that is one neglected engine bay. You need to visit a self service car wash and go for it (be sure to stuff a rag in the air intake to keep the water out). You also need to disconnect your battery terminals and clean them with a wire brush and baking soda.

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MoladoGuy

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(blarg)

Sick. Okay its not totally bad. I have the same issue and plan on tackling it this week. I did do the warm water/baking soda/brush thing on the battery and it makes a world of difference. My lights don't dim all the time now that the battery terminals are clean. J/K.
 

hyde

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Shut up Marlon.
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I didn't know I could just spray on the engine!? If I did that on our old caravan, I don't think it would ever move again..

So what now, I just spray on the engine with low pressure, and cover the alternator? All those cables and stuff are OK? Some of them look pretty loose to me.
 

Corwyyn

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Huseyin, you've stumbled upon one of the great truths of the world - dirt happens :p

Do what AZKJ said, just take it to your local self-wash place, There's usually a setting for 'engine degreaser' or 'pre-soak' that you can use. I do it most every time I go to the wash and my engine bay is pretty clean for a vehicle with 73K on the clock:

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And I have to say those little pads under the battery connections really seem to work. When I swapped the battery out about six months ago I had a lot of build-up on the terminals, cleaned with the baking soda and water mix and put those pads on, haven't had to clean them since.
 

hyde

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You also need to disconnect your battery terminals and clean them with a wire brush and baking soda.

AZ, I am getting a new battery soon, so that's why I don't care about the battery just now. But of course it wouldn't hurt to fix that a bit.

Kevin, I have never seen a self wash place in NY. Nowhere near. I also wouldn't feel comfortable letting them wash my engine bay at that car-wash place. Never know what they will soak or force out of place with their pressure. And the city water is hard as rock, I am afraid it can corrode or wash the greases out of the belt rollers, etc.
 

tjkj2002

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I am afraid it can corrode or wash the greases out of the belt rollers, etc
Been there,done that.My buddies always said I would ruin my KJ by washing it to much and it happened.I washed all the grease out of one of the idler pullies,started making all sorts of nasty sounds(replaced under warrenty).I wash under there pretty good,spend about a good 10 min just under the hood a high pressure car wash alone(every sunday,rain or shine).I would skip the engine degreaser and just use regular dawn dish soap or the soap setting at a car wash to prevent washing the grease out of the pullies and such.
 

Corwyyn

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Man, they don't allow you NY guys to do much of anything yourself, do they? :p

As for the battery terminals, it's not just the posts on the battery but the ends of the cables that you need to be concerned about. Too much build-up around the cable connectors can lead to the copper strands in the cable itself corroding and breaking, then you'll have to replace the cables as well. So even if you're getting a new battery soon it won't hurt to clean the terminals.
 

hyde

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Band it happened.I washed all the grease out of one of the idler pullies,started making all sorts of nasty sounds(replaced under warrenty)

Oh man, :eek: I am never washing in there.. :D I better get a damp cloth or something and start cleaning by hand....

Kevin, yeah I hear you. Do you know if the batter can just be removed out of its place? I don't want things touching and sparking while I work there.
 

Dave

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Man, they don't allow you NY guys to do much of anything yourself, do they? :p

hehe.....we have the self service car washes all over the place upstate. They just do not have any down there for some reason....

Hyedipin, soap and water from a garden hose and you will be fine. It's not enough pressure to hurt anything.

Dave
 

Corwyyn

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Kevin, yeah I hear you. Do you know if the batter can just be removed out of its place? I don't want things touching and sparking while I work there.
If you're worried about the battery while you're cleaning the engine compartment it shouldn't be a problem leaving it in place, but if you're really concerned just disconnect the negative cable and you won't have any problems. If you really need to take it out to feel comfortable just disconnect the cables (negative first) and pull it out, it weighs about 35lbs or so...
 

hyde

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Oh damn, gotta set all my sound setting again, radio memory, etc..!!
Oh wait, I think I could buy the memory retainer with 9v battery..
 

offrovering

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mine was worse than that one in the original post. everyone out west or south doesnt know what it is like to have 7 months of the year in complete crap weather (midwest/northeast) - it gets dirty quickly and you cant stop from getting dirty, snow, slush, mud, dirty water, salt, etc.

i got some advice from someone on here and gave it a shot (simple green and water hose wash down) it is cleaner but could use some more. problem is, with 83K on the clock, some things do not need to be moved, eg. wires that have set in place and may crack. if you get sparking just be sure to dry it off fairly quickly.

i hosed mine down and let it sit for say 10 mins, then took it on a short drive, long enough to get the engine temp up so it would help evaporate the water in parts that shouldnt get water.

personally, i wont do it much, id rather have a dirty engine that works than a shiny engine that wont turn over. if you dont keep it clean from the get go, there comes a point of no return, unfortunately (blarg)

if i took pics of mine, the whole thing, inside and out, half of you would probably freak out but the thing has been through hell and back and still runs with little maintenance 'knock on wood'
 

hyde

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Yeah, post some.. pics2.gif , at least make me feel good.
 

tjkj2002

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I don't know what you all are worried about,you are not going to get any sparks unless you lay some metal across the 2 battery terminals,heck you can even touch both terminals with your hands and you will feel nothing.You can even wash it while running with no problems.Just avoid getting the alternator to wet while running or you could short it out but it won't spark on you.No distributor to get wet and have a no start condition in our KJ's,just don't fill the air box full of water and you will be fine.
 

hyde

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Whenever I work on my battery I wear heavy-duty gloves.. No matter how many times I see someone else touching the posts with bare hands. What's wrong with me.
 

JeepJeepster

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Spray off engine, spray on degreaser/all purpose cleaner, let it sit, scrub areas that you can with a brush.. Spray it off.. dry.. put a protectant on it..
 

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