Engine bay cleaning and staying clean....?

[LadyJ]

It is my intention to change my boat before the new season and go inboard diesel from an outboard. I'm aware of my border line OCD where the boat is concerned and looking for tips on cleaning the engine area bilge and then keeping it that way. Any fellow clean freaks got tips for cleaning, painting and maintaining? Also any real No No's as I'm not aware of the vagaries of inboards?

 

[Neil_Y]

I used to use wax polish the grp to make it easier to wipe off dirt. Engine bay was white making it easier to spot leaks or belt wear. I cleaned the engine with carb cleaner solvent which has quite high pressure jet to get into the corners. Comes from having motorbikes where clean engines are the norm I think.

 

[Momac]

I like the engine bay to be clean.
I don't use any special products but find mild detergent for leaning the engine bay floor. My engine bay has a gel coat finished liner which makes it easy to clean. The engine bay cleaning took several passes to get it up to standard but maintaining it is perhaps half an hour job every couple of months. Some areas of the engine bay are hard to reach so they are not as clean as the photograph might suggest.
For the engine a small paintbrush and liquid wax polish may help. my main focus is the front of the engines as the remainder keeps fairly clean without my help.

 

[LadyJ]

I used to use wax polish the grp to make it easier to wipe off dirt. Engine bay was white making it easier to spot leaks or belt wear. I cleaned the engine with carb cleaner solvent which has quite high pressure jet to get into the corners. Comes from having motorbikes where clean engines are the norm I think.

Thanks, that's a good shout with the polish. Re the high pressure jet, are you suggesting that on the boat engines, suspect then running out through the bilge pump into a bucket?

 

[LadyJ]

I like the engine bay to be clean.
I don't use any special products but find mild detergent for leaning the engine bay floor. My engine bay has a gel coat finished liner which makes it easy to clean. The engine bay cleaning took several passes to get it up to standard but maintaining it is perhaps half an hour job every couple of months. Some areas of the engine bay are hard to reach so they are not as clean as the photograph might suggest.
For the engine a small paintbrush and liquid wax polish may help. my main focus is the front of the engines as the remainder keeps fairly clean without my help.

Spotless, very impressed. Did you have to paint the engine bay or just clean it (repeatedly) to get it like that?

 

[andy59]

I like the engine bay to be clean.
I don't use any special products but find mild detergent for leaning the engine bay floor. My engine bay has a gel coat finished liner which makes it easy to clean. The engine bay cleaning took several passes to get it up to standard but maintaining it is perhaps half an hour job every couple of months. Some areas of the engine bay are hard to reach so they are not as clean as the photograph might suggest.

For the engine a small paintbrush and liquid wax polish may help. my main focus is the front of the engines as the remainder keeps fairly clean without my help.

That is immaculate I'm guessing you have taken the belts of those KADs to keep it like that

 

[Momac]

Spotless, very impressed. Did you have to paint the engine bay or just clean it (repeatedly) to get it like that?

No paint has been involved. The floor has a gelcoat finish as the exterior of the boat .

 

[Momac]

That is immaculate I'm guessing you have taken the belts of those KADs to keep it like that

The belts are in place.
The picture was taken just after cleaning. Belt dust is not significant if the belts are in good condition.
.

.

 

[Keith-i]

I cleaned my engine bay with gunk then abraded it as best as possible and gave it a couple of coats of Danboline. This is in a 30 year old boat so nowhere near the standards photographed above but fairly easy to wipe clean and spot any leaks.

 

[[164147]]

No paint has been involved. The floor has a gelcoat finish as the exterior of the boat .

I'm surprised as gelcoat stains with oils. I'd paint it with bilge paint myself - I've just done mine with Hempel bilge & locker paint as it's 16 years old and a little tired.

 

[Momac]

I'm surprised as gelcoat stains with oils. I'd paint it with bilge paint myself - I've just done mine with Hempel bilge & locker paint as it's 16 years old and a little tired.

There is some very light staining where some fluid has been allowed to stand in the past . But no need for painting.
The gloss gelcoat finish makes cleaning an easy job .
My boat is 13 years old so the gelcoat is surviving very well.

 

[alt]

Rub down with Jizer (sp?)

Wash with fairy and water and scrub. Wash down and dry off.

When dry, waxoyl where necessary.

I'd have no issues eating dinner from my engine bay. Literally about to tackle mine