Engine maintenance is one of the most important types of automotive care you can provide to your vehicle. Your engine is the workhorse of your car, truck, or SUV, and keeping it clean allows it to operate at its best. If you’re curious about the benefits of cleaning an engine and how to do so, this guide can help you.
Should You Clean Your Engine?
Cleaning your engine is an important part of automotive maintenance. A clean engine runs more efficiently and experiences reduced damage during operation. A clean engine can also help to lower your costs in the short-term through fuel efficiency and in the long-term by avoiding engine damage.
How to Clean the Inside of Your Engine
The most important consideration when cleaning your engine is looking at its insides, as this allows it to operate cleanly and effectively. Here’s what you need to do in order to clean the inside of your engine:
- Check your coolant. The first consideration when cleaning your engine is preventing debris from gathering in the first place, which starts with checking the fluids running through it. When you check your coolant levels, also note the appearance of the coolant in your reservoir. If it appears cloudy or dirty, it is beneficial to change your coolant out with clean coolant to prevent it from injecting debris into your engine.
- Get your oil changed. Another important fluid to monitor is your engine’s oil. When you receive an oil change, it’s common to provide a mileage reading when you need to get it changed next. It’s important to remain up-to-date with your oil changes in order to keep the oil in your engine cleaned to prevent it from causing clogs or damage to the engine.
- Use a fuel additive. A fuel additive provides a simple way to clean out your engine. Simply top off your tank, then add the additive to your fuel reservoir according to the instructions on the bottle. The additive works to break down harmful deposits within your engine in order to help it run more cleanly and efficiently.
- Get a tune-up. The best way to care for your engine is to take it in to see a service professional for a tune-up. By staying on time with your routine automotive maintenance, you allow professionals to examine your vehicle for any potential signs of trouble. They can alert you to any concerns about your engine and provide it with professional-level care to keep it running cleanly.
How to Clean the Outside of Your Engine
Although a lower priority than the inside of your engine, cleaning up its outside can still make it more presentable and help to minimize its exposure to potential damage. Follow these steps when cleaning your engine:
- Let it cool off. If you have recently been driving your engine, it’s important to let it cool off before doing any work on it. Engines can reach temperatures hot enough to severely burn you, so turning off your vehicle and allowing it to rest–with the hood up if possible to speed up the process–allows you to work on it safely.
- Clear away debris. When cleaning your engine, it’s helpful to begin with removal of any easy-to-clear debris. If there are any leaves or other small items that have gotten under your hood, or loose dirt on the engine, brush the debris away gently so that only stuck-on dirt and debris remain.
- Check your seals. Before using water underneath your hood, it’s important to make sure that you protect any exposed wiring. Most modern vehicles that are vulnerable to water come with sealed components. However, it’s beneficial to examine your engine to look for any areas where there are damaged seals and water can get into electrical wiring. It’s important to do this in order to avoid short-circuiting the electrical system of your engine.
- Run the car. In order to remove stuck-on debris from your engine, it’s beneficial to warm it up first. This can help to loosen any buildup on your engine and make it easier to remove. Running the engine for 10 to 15 minutes after it has cooled down should provide you with enough warmth to loosen buildup without making the engine dangerously hot to the touch.
- Degrease the engine. Once your engine is warm, turn off your vehicle and begin applying a degreaser. Start from the bottom of the engine and work your way up, applying it to any areas where grease or debris accumulated on your engine. The degreaser loosens build-up and makes it easier to clean your engine.
- Brush the trouble spots. Although degreaser is an effective tool when cleaning your engine, some areas of stuck-on grime may require additional attention. Scrubbing the grease spots with a cleaning brush allows you to break up any stubborn spots prior to rinsing.
- Rinse it off. After you have completed degreasing and brushing, all that’s left is to rinse off your engine to clear away the debris that you loosened. You don’t need to powerwash your engine, as the brush and degreasing agent work better to clean off the dirty areas. Set your hose to a gentle flow and rinse your engine from the top down to clear away the build-up.
- Dry it down. Once you have finished rinsing your engine, you can leave it to dry for several minutes. If the engine is still warm from running, drying it will help to evaporate some of the remaining liquid. After allowing any light surface accumulation to dry, wipe the engine down with a dry towel or rag to speed up the drying process for any areas where more water accumulated.
The best way to ensure you get a high-quality cleaning for your engine is to bring your vehicle to a service center and request a professional cleaning. With experienced professionals cleaning your engine, you know it is well-protected and receives a high quality clean every time.
Get Your Engine Serviced in Grand Forks with Rydell Auto Group
Rydell Auto Group is proud not just to be Grand Forks’ premier automotive dealership group, but also a premier automotive service provider. If your engine needs cleaning, our service team can help. Call us up or contact us online to schedule your appointment for an engine cleaning today. We will get your engine looking and running as good as new!
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