Hey guys, I need ideas on how to beautify the bay of my Fit and I really need your insights. Thanks

 

Actual performance mods look better than dress-up bits.

 

tuck the harness, paint the valve cover, tidy up things

 

I'd like to clean my engine bay. Especially my coolant tank; it's so dirty, I can't visually inspect the coolant level. Any suggestions before I start hosing it down? I'm worried about shorting the battery. I did see a guy on YouTube spray his battery with a hose with the engine running with no apparent ill effects.

 

MTLian - give Simple Green a try. I've cleaned my engine bay a few times with it. I spray everything down with diluted simple green and then hose it off with a heavy mist/light spray setting. I make an attempt to cover the electronics, and I make sure not to soak them. So far, no problems and everything is nice and clean in the engine bay.

Coolant tank should be easy to wipe down with just a rag...

 

A simple engine wash will do wonders.

I usually wash the underside of the hood first. That way, when the soap and water drip down from overhead, you can wash it off the engine bay afterward.

Lots of people give Armor All flak, but in my experience it's a good dressing - a cheap and effective way of making the engine bay's plastic parts shiny and clean. There are probably more exotic protectants for the job but Armor All works fine in my book.

 

oh cleaning? just remove the battery and cover electronics with plastic bags and tape

 

Is removing the battery really necessary? I'm not sure I want to go through the trouble; I think I'd do just as well covering it with a plastic bag.

Where exactly are the electronics (that I should avoid drenching) located?

 

Removing the battery takes all of two minutes.

 

If you're using electric grease or anti-corrosion stuff on the battery terminals and you don't directly spray them hard, it wont be a problem. You can chase the water off with WD-40 after if you think it needs it. But it wont.

 

Ok, ok! I'll remove the battery! So after I removed the battery, what electronics should I be careful to cover? I'll put some plastic over the battery connectors but is there anything else I should be careful not to spray? What about a fuse box. Are they all located in the dash, away from any potential water?

Obviously, I will be careful of the air intake but I don't see any water getting under the clipped on cover unless I really tried to wet it. Any other components I should be careful not to wet?

Sorry for being so ignorant, I don't have much mechanical experience.

 

You'll just have to be careful with the spark plugs - if those get too wet or waterlogged you won't be able to start the car. Trust me. It happened on our old AE101 when I was prepping it for sale We had to wait until it got hot enough for the water to evaporate before it could crank up.

In the Fit's case the spark plugs are covered by the faux "valve cover" and ignition coils so it's a little better protected, but you can't be too careful.

Otherwise I think you should be fine. The engine bay fuse box is relatively watertight as long as you don't deliberately flood its location with your garden hose.

 

I tried Simple Green Max (special formula for engines) and I must say I wasn't exactly blown away. I did as recommended; wet the surface, apply liberally, let stand for 10 mins... I even did 2 treatments without dissolution (aside from the prerinse water). I had to scrub away the grease as best I could with a rag and would have needed a brush to scrub around bolts and crevices. Still, it improved the cleanliness but I'd be tempted to try another product in the future. Maybe that expensive Autoglym stuff I keep wasting my money on