Keeping Engine Clean

[RV Guy]

I seem to be getting a lot of dirt coming into the engine compartment. The seals on top of the wheel wells that seal against the hood appear to be in good shape. Any tips on keeping the dirt out?
Thanks!

 

[jrzvette]

The engine compartment is not air tight no matter how well the wheel well guards seal against the hood. If you drive the car with any regularity oils and other fluids form vapors that settle on the engine and trap any air borne dirt. In reality there are only two ways to keep your engine spotless; don't use the car or clean it.

 

[Tuna]

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What he said. The C4 engine bay has way to many ways for dirt to get in besides just the wheel well seals.

 

[douglas foster]

father & son

try these from Mid America

 

[Boeingdriver]

C4 Engine Compartment Dirt.......

The suspension seals suggested by Father & Son are a consideration for the dust & dirt problem....I bought some from MAM too for this reason. But engine compartment temperature is a real problem on these cars and those open areas around the suspension A-arms allow heat to vent away from the engine compartment. I know, the underside of the engine compartment is mostly open but heat rises and the fender wells do a good job of pulling heat away from the exhaust manifolds and heads. If you're interested in this, go out to a small airport and look at the cowling arrangement on aircooled Cessna aircraft.

For what it's worth, I'm keeping those gaps open and just planning to stay current on my detailing under the hood. I get pretty good results with Simple Green and distilled water mixed 25/75. Good luck.