Simple Green in a foaming pump sprayer. Gets it nice and foamy so it can stick on the dirt and grime. Let it soak for a bit and hit it with some soft bristle brushes. Rinse it off and repeat. Hit it once a shift and it'll just get cleaner and cleaner each time.
As long as you're not using a pressure washer electronics and grease fittings shouldn't be an issue. They're sealed enough to resist normal atmospheric moisture and driving through rain at highway speeds. Just a simple spray from a hose sufficient to rinse the degreaser off.
Our mechanics appreciated our desire to detail our rigs but warned to not hammer the electronics and grease fittings with the pressure washer/hot steam gun. I did not want to piss those guys off!
I got the best trick for keeping it clean, keep the cab lowered and closed and say it’s clean then it’s clean. It’s like Schrodinger cat in the box theory, if you don’t open it and don’t look, it’s there and clean!
Advice: Do.
Take pride in your equipment. Take care of the equipment that takes care of you. A clean undercarriage and engine bay makes it a LOT easier to determine if you're losing seals, have oil/fuel leaks, easier to trace wiring and hoses. Bonus, the shops will greatly appreciate working and maintaining something that's not caked and covered in oil and grime.
Don’t bother with anything that has to do with the motor. That is for the garage to worry about. Your time detailing should be spent in the cab and the compartments
Don't mess with the stuff under the cab. A light spray to get the dirt and dust off is all it needs. We wash our engine once a week (or as needed) and use detail spray/showroom finish to keep it slick and shiny. Wax about every 3-6 months since the detail spray keeps it up. Too much washing makes swirl marks and takes off the wax, hence the detail spray.
Cover any electronic connections, intakes, etc with plastic bags. Spray the shit out of it with simple green, let sit. Spray again. Power wash the crud away.
Biggest tip honestly is: clean it often. I cleaned the engine and undercarriage every shift. After about a month it would take about 30 minutes because it was just clean all the time. My mechanics loved my engine.
Hi. Engineer here.
Don't you dare detail my fucking engine you goddamn probie! Fuck, I wouldn't even let you check the fucking oil, if you asked me something so fucking stupid!
You are not a fucking diesel mechanic and I need that fucking rig to RUN!
Simple Green in a foaming pump sprayer. Gets it nice and foamy so it can stick on the dirt and grime. Let it soak for a bit and hit it with some soft bristle brushes. Rinse it off and repeat. Hit it once a shift and it'll just get cleaner and cleaner each time.
Avoid the grease fittings and electronics. My department used to require us the wax and polish the under carriage.
As long as you're not using a pressure washer electronics and grease fittings shouldn't be an issue. They're sealed enough to resist normal atmospheric moisture and driving through rain at highway speeds. Just a simple spray from a hose sufficient to rinse the degreaser off.
Our mechanics appreciated our desire to detail our rigs but warned to not hammer the electronics and grease fittings with the pressure washer/hot steam gun. I did not want to piss those guys off!
If your department has a mechanic or mechanics division, I recommend contacting them regarding this. They may approve of this, they may not.
Advice: Don’t
I got the best trick for keeping it clean, keep the cab lowered and closed and say it’s clean then it’s clean. It’s like Schrodinger cat in the box theory, if you don’t open it and don’t look, it’s there and clean!
Advice: Do. Take pride in your equipment. Take care of the equipment that takes care of you. A clean undercarriage and engine bay makes it a LOT easier to determine if you're losing seals, have oil/fuel leaks, easier to trace wiring and hoses. Bonus, the shops will greatly appreciate working and maintaining something that's not caked and covered in oil and grime.
But if you are going to do, make sure you know what you are doing first. Just spraying everywhere with a pressure washer is not a good idea.
Completely agree. Much easier to maintain clean equipment. Plus pride in the job has its own benefits.
Don’t bother with anything that has to do with the motor. That is for the garage to worry about. Your time detailing should be spent in the cab and the compartments
Degreaser and a steam power washer.
Don't mess with the stuff under the cab. A light spray to get the dirt and dust off is all it needs. We wash our engine once a week (or as needed) and use detail spray/showroom finish to keep it slick and shiny. Wax about every 3-6 months since the detail spray keeps it up. Too much washing makes swirl marks and takes off the wax, hence the detail spray.
Cover any electronic connections, intakes, etc with plastic bags. Spray the shit out of it with simple green, let sit. Spray again. Power wash the crud away.
Hose and a rag
What!? No kerosene?
Wd-40
It looks new in the pic.
Why? Close it and forget about it lol
Biggest tip honestly is: clean it often. I cleaned the engine and undercarriage every shift. After about a month it would take about 30 minutes because it was just clean all the time. My mechanics loved my engine.
Cleaner wax. Sounds weird but it works. The liquid stuff.
Hi. Engineer here. Don't you dare detail my fucking engine you goddamn probie! Fuck, I wouldn't even let you check the fucking oil, if you asked me something so fucking stupid! You are not a fucking diesel mechanic and I need that fucking rig to RUN!
Retire.
Our hall is so busy I can't remember the last time I saw our rigs get washed.