Cleaning front of block

skrillagod · 10-15-2020, 12:05 AM

Hey guys, i've searched around and haven't gotten a solid answer.

Bad oil leak, front of block caked with oil. Fixing ofhg and vcg here soon after the oil pan gasket but i wanted to get it clean first.

How do i go about this? Do i have to disconnect anything or can i just spray it down with brake cleaner or whatever.

Gray_Panther · 10-15-2020, 10:12 AM

All purpose cleaner (APC) like dawn dish soap. Some brushes and water.

Use a plastic bag to cover up electrical stuff like alternator and other connections

skrillagod · 10-15-2020, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

All purpose cleaner (APC) like dawn dish soap. Some brushes and water.

Should i be disconnecting anything or can i get by without?

Gray_Panther · 10-15-2020, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skrillagod

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

All purpose cleaner (APC) like dawn dish soap. Some brushes and water.

Should i be disconnecting anything or can i get by without?

Disconnect battery is what I do when washing the engine bay. Highly recommend using power washer, or set your hose gun to something that will restrict the amount of free flowing water. Like a jet stream or a horizontal stream of that story.

Converted1 · 10-15-2020, 07:18 PM

Scrape as much away with screwdrivers and wipe with rags. Take your time and don’t be in a rush. Mine wasn’t that bad when i did it but I still took hours to clean. Better than contaminating a new belt.

N54Yankee · 10-17-2020, 11:12 AM

Like converted says, scrape away as much as you can first, nobody wants a lot of oily runoff getting into the ground.
I’ve always used Gunk engine degreaser in these chores. Works very well.

Skotcoop · 10-21-2020, 04:09 AM

I sprayed the crap out of mine with brake cleaner, but I also changed my belt and OFH gaskets at the same time after cleaning. Haven't had issues.

WDE82 · 10-22-2020, 11:55 AM

You can spray that with water. It gets soaked when it's raining anyway. Everything under the hood is basically waterproof.

MightyMouseTech · 10-22-2020, 11:58 AM

We pressure wash these engines every day. The BMW Engine Degreaser is really good stuff. Just try not to spray directly at the alternator too much, and do it with the engine cover on. And as I found out, don't get the degreaser in your eye, mother f'er that hurts.

10-15-2020, 12:05 AM	#1
skrillagod New Member 0 Rep 12 Posts Drives: 135i Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: Wisconsin iTrader: (0)	Cleaning front of block Hey guys, i've searched around and haven't gotten a solid answer. Bad oil leak, front of block caked with oil. Fixing ofhg and vcg here soon after the oil pan gasket but i wanted to get it clean first. How do i go about this? Do i have to disconnect anything or can i just spray it down with brake cleaner or whatever. Attached Images
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10-15-2020, 10:12 AM	#2
Gray_Panther Brigadier General 1555 Rep 3,234 Posts Drives: 128i Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Upstate NY iTrader: (0)	All purpose cleaner (APC) like dawn dish soap. Some brushes and water. Use a plastic bag to cover up electrical stuff like alternator and other connections __________________ 2012 BMW 128i 6MT Deep Sea Blue Metallic
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10-15-2020, 07:18 PM	#5
Converted1 Wolfsburg to Munich 75 Rep 294 Posts Drives: 2009 135i Convertible M-Sport Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Westchester Co. NY iTrader: (1)	Scrape as much away with screwdrivers and wipe with rags. Take your time and don’t be in a rush. Mine wasn’t that bad when i did it but I still took hours to clean. Better than contaminating a new belt.
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10-17-2020, 11:12 AM	#6
N54Yankee Lieutenant Colonel 2707 Rep 1,916 Posts Drives: N54 135\|Cobb\|M3 control arms Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	Like converted says, scrape away as much as you can first, nobody wants a lot of oily runoff getting into the ground. I’ve always used Gunk engine degreaser in these chores. Works very well. __________________ __________________ "The Constitution was never construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press, or the rights of conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms.” Samuel Adams
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10-21-2020, 04:09 AM	#7
Skotcoop First Lieutenant 269 Rep 335 Posts Drives: G01 Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Everett iTrader: (0)	I sprayed the crap out of mine with brake cleaner, but I also changed my belt and OFH gaskets at the same time after cleaning. Haven't had issues. __________________ 2010 135i M-sport SOLD 2019 X3 M40i Glacier silver w/cognac
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10-22-2020, 11:55 AM	#8
WDE82 Major 815 Rep 1,199 Posts Drives: 2018 440iGC F36 Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Torrance, CA iTrader: (0)	You can spray that with water. It gets soaked when it's raining anyway. Everything under the hood is basically waterproof. __________________
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10-22-2020, 11:58 AM	#9
MightyMouseTech Major General 4338 Rep 6,196 Posts Drives: 13 135i 6MT LeMans Blue MSport Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Ottawa, Canada iTrader: (0)	We pressure wash these engines every day. The BMW Engine Degreaser is really good stuff. Just try not to spray directly at the alternator too much, and do it with the engine cover on. And as I found out, don't get the degreaser in your eye, mother f'er that hurts.
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