Here are the products we used. Solder Seal's Gunk line of automotive degreasers and cleaners have been the staple of the market since the beginning. Each has their own intended purpose so that you can receive the best cleaning for your specific application. We had a horrible transmission fluid leak that found it's way onto the crank pulley, which flung fluid all over underneath the hood. These would prove to work as well as we had hoped.
Late model cars take a certain care to clean the engine bay. There are electronics you have to avoid as well as potential hazards that must be taken into account. Using too much aggression while hosing off the motor may cause a wire to come loose, and maybe even find its way into something it shouldn't. There have been horror stories from people who get overzealous with the garden hose, and end up having to spend lots of money to correct their own personal doings. As is the case with any engine, the air intake system should be completely and entirely avoided when it comes to water. There are special products that can be used to clean your filter, mass air meter, as well as the throttle body. So we suggest covering the intake system, or being particularly careful when approaching the area.
Lucky for the LS1 F-body guys, the intake system is only open from one area, so it can be sealed from water easily. In this story we lifted the lid and removed the filter to set aside. We then replaced that with a few clean, lent-free shop towels and closed the lid. This would help us when it came time to hose down the intake area, since aftermarket lids are notorious for a poor seal.
The products we used were from Solder Seal Gunk, and their line of assorted purpose cleaning products. Their heavy engine degreaser did a great job of removing the caked on transmission fluid and grease that was found under the hood, as well as the other dirt and grime. For the hood we used their Purple Cleaner Degreaser, and it did real well at removing the various greases found under the hood, most of which had baked on from the heat of the sun and engine compartment. All of these products are safe on late-model vehicles, as well as their electronics. Don't let that fool you though; special care still must be taken as a precautionary measure to be on the safe side. You can pick up a bottle or can at your local auto parts store, now let's get to cleaning!
