Clean Engine Without Water

80-year-old woman. I recently did this, using "tire foam" and followed recommended procedure from one of these podcasts on a newly acquired 2000 Buick Lesabre because it came from not so desirable winter climate. Well it didn't get all the grease off but there was 21 years of crap on the engine. The engine did run a little rough because the blower I had was from a canister vacuum cleaner and am sure some water must have gotten somewhere it shouldn't. Am overhauling my new acquisition and replaced a battery, driving lights module, cruise control and trying to fix a few rust problems. Also trying to decided what to do about scratches and paint. That auto body class I took at 35 will come in handy. Got a '41 Chevy at 15 and cars were easier to work on in 1955. Worked on all my cars and loved doing it. Now I'm having a second childhood working on cars again. Sooo much fun!

I do this same thing. I spray the engine once, wait five minutes and spray the engine again. Then I use my leaf blower on high to blow away the excess foam and then wipe off any residue with a microfiber towel. Great video and thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the video...I have been using purple power degreaser,, scrubbing with a brush,, rinsing with my pressure washer,, drying with an air compressor, and applying gunk engine dressing for about 4 years on multiple vehicles with no problems and great results. I always cover my alternator and avoid power washing electrical boxes and connectors. Modern engines are very water resistant, but I was taught to be extra careful with spraying alternators.. Nice video, and well done, but I'm saving my tire foam for.....my tires!

I did this to a few cars on my car lot, shined like new! Make sure you don't drive on a gravel road, after 3 months you might want to take it back off. Use the strongest acid you can buy and pressure wash it off.

Tried this on my 99 Mustang GT and it worked great!  I did use my air compressor to blow if off before and after as opposed to a leaf blower so that seemed to really help.

Used this on my 62 Reg VW Passat TDI,,,,Absolutely BRILLIANT I Left it over night next morning to soak in didn’t need to touch the awkward places with Anybrushes Suddenly had the look of a new engine with No effort ,,Oh My engine had 130,000 miles ,,I used a full can ,,No issues with my electrics

I've been using Tire Foam under the hood and wheel well area for years. Never used any leaf blower so don't know what that's about. Never had any problems and it's super easy and looks great. Have also used it on "sticky" steering wheels by spraying it on a towel and going around the wheel with it.

Just leave the guy alone he's trying to do a good thing

2023, still an effective cleaning method for the daily driver. I like using compressed air vs leaf blower but not everybody has a compressor. Suggest laying a towel along the rear hood opening to keep the spray off of the windshield.

I bought a small steam cleaner for $50 off of the classifieds. I sprayed a high concentration of Simple Green and used the steam cleaner to rinse it off..... It worked great!

That worked great on my van engine and thanks for the tip.

I am so grateful you shared what you learned. I have a '92 nissan set for over a yr. It has dust and dust webs on the engine. I was amazed at the use of the leaf blower. Thanks for sharing.

Really good for people who keep their cars a long time! The waterproof plugs and connectors ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR the high pressures from pressure washers or car washes - they're meant to protect from splashes or rain water ONLY. There are many cars with electrical problems from corrosion inside these plugs from water forced inside by pressure washing with water. Good video - Good idea!!!

I understand your fear of using water on your engine bay but as long as you cover your connectors on alternator, battery and fuse box with a simple trash bag you're fine. Your car and engine is designed to be waterproof in certain weather conditions. Water gets into it while running all the time. Never use a pressure washer but a shower setting garden hose and engine degreaser and you will be all fine followed by brushing tight points and leaf blower. If you wanna be super safe, you can disconnect your battery and wash it all the way down. Make sure to use baking soda on your battery if you do and wipe it. It will clean its iode caps and make its conductability better 👍🏻

I used to clean my '94 Camry's engine bay with Armor All. I didn't spray the entire thing, just certain areas then wipe it off with a towel. Looked brand new.

Thank you for filming your experiment and publishing the result. I like the idea of using the tire foam on rubber parts. The blower is always a good idea to get the water and loose dirt away. A little hot water steamer (not a water jet) would help, but your idea was to clean without water, thats ok. Would recommend chrisfix'es vids for some additional ideas. But i share your route of using as little water as you can for cleaning the engine.

Very nice! Something for the squeamish to use if they don't like the "cleaning with water" route. Gonna have to try that soon. Thanks man!

The 1998 Explorer Sport (2 door/4.0 Liter SOHV) is very delicate to clean. The Tire Foam Cleaner works excellent. Please note* to remove the battery and cover the Alternator & any electrical components on Your 23 year old 4x4. using a 'leaf blower is excellent. After Cleaning (1)Inspect & or replace any old or decaying hoses. Insure Your External & Internal (under glove box) Air Filters are replaced. (2) Place the battery into the battery bay. Finally remove the covering of the electrical components (3) start it up. Your efforts will be rewarded from this excellent video and to all who contributed & expanded with this idea. The 1998 Explorer Sport (2door) is very sustainable when You receive these helpful ideas by these brilliant, dynamic individual folks "under the shade tree".

Tire Foam is a Wetting Agent to make the Tires look Wet!I wash my Engine with a Pressure Washer as I have for the last 55 years and have Never had a problem using Water! The idea is not to Bath the Electrical Components in Water, Hit them with a passing Spray and move on. It also helps to make sure you Run the Engine to Heat it up. Try a little Gunk also!

I think this is helpful. I have a Ford Freestar, it's highly sensitive to water within the engine bay. So, I clean it off yearly with a mild degreaser and air. It works ok, but I am going to give this a try. Because we all know cleaner engines simply run better.