Power Wash Engine Bay?

[HammerHead]

My engine bay is filthy dirty, anyone power wash their engine / engine compartment? I know ill need to remove the battery, cover fuse box, put an old rag in the throttle body, but I'm a little worried about all the electronics and wiring. Anyone try this or have any other advice?

 

[bhonshell37]

My engine bay is filthy dirty, anyone power wash their engine / engine compartment? I know ill need to remove the battery, cover fuse box, put an old rag in the throttle body, but I'm a little worried about all the electronics and wiring. Anyone try this or have any other advice?

Take the time to cover all the electronics you are concerned about. Start with the garden hose and if not clean enough then go to the pressure washer. What brand degreaser are you using?

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[HammerHead]

Take the time to cover all the electronics you are concerned about. Start with the garden hose and if not clean enough then go to the pressure washer. What brand degreaser are you using?

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Not sure what brand degreaser it is, but its a heavy degreaser. I'm only going to need that in a few areas, mostly its dirt and pollen from over the years.

 

[bhonshell37]

I would go the hose route first and plenty of towels and some detailing brushes like for wheel cleaning

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[clh1220]

I can't imagine cleaning it with water, with all the electronics . I never hardly raise the hood on these newer vehicles. Maybe if I had a major oil leak.

 

[BigRed4x4]

Not much to gain by cleaning your engine bay but you could definitely cause some damage to the electronics.

Unless I had oil covering everything from a leak I wouldn't risk it just to make it look pretty.

 

[69GWC]

I dont even think twice, I keep my engine bay clean just like the outside, wash all my vehicles motors.

everything has sealed connectors, ever follow a semi in a rain storm.? lol

 

[TarPaper]

Do it...

Cover the intake...spray the stuff all over and wash the engine bay...I keep the motor running while I hose it down...

 

[WilliamS]

I run a Ford store, we clean engine bays on every car. We use a strong solvent, then blast it clean. Out of the 9 years and thousands upon thousands of cars we have had 2 where the water did have an effect.

I clean mine every few months just to keep it new looking under there.

 

[Pull Ya]

I know this sounds a little weird, but I would prefer a more surgical approach to cleaning your engine rather than just spraying the **** out of it with a pressure washer. You can probably "blast" the oil, dirt and grime away, but I think if you use a degreaser or something like Simple Green and spray it first and then let it soak for awhile then "rinse" off the dirt, oil and grime off, being careful of the fuse box, alternator and around the throttle body. Also don't forget the underside of the hood. If you use a strong degreaser make sure it won't damage the paint. If you do this about once every six months you'll find this process a lot easier. After you rinse with water you can blow the excessive water off with a air compressor or a leaf blower.
Jay

 

[Hipps2000]

I know this sounds a little weird, but I would prefer a more surgical approach to cleaning your engine rather than just spraying the **** out of it with a pressure washer. You can probably "blast" the oil, dirt and grime away, but I think if you use a degreaser or something like Simple Green and spray it first and then let it soak for awhile then "rinse" off the dirt, oil and grime off, being careful of the fuse box, alternator and around the throttle body. Also don't forget the underside of the hood. If you use a strong degreaser make sure it won't damage the paint. If you do this about once every six months you'll find this process a lot easier. After you rinse with water if you can blow the excessive water off with a air compressor or a leaf blower.
Jay

This is how I do mine every 3-4 months you could eat off mine.

 

[Pull Ya]

It's contagious

 

[anthony2558]

I use Gunk. Works great. Engine cool to the touch, spray it on, let it sit, hose it off. After it's all off, start it up and let her run for about 5 mins, all done. One thing, try not to use the stuff next to a storm drain, or something that runs out to a lake, stream, river. It's not really eco friendly. For a nice shine, I go back and spray on some foaming tire shine, or interior detailer. Just be sure to use a cloth to take up any access, and to spread it out evenly.

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[Pull Ya]

Sonus Trim & Motor Kote
Jay

 

[Ferro]

I have always taking my car or truck to the car wash and spray down the entire motor compartment. I have yet to ever have a problem with electronics or anything at all. And mechanics love it easy to find oil leaks and easier to work on.

 

[Cmsharp]

Ive always wet the motor down, spray simple green for a few minutes, wipe off whatever i can reach, then rinse. Pretty easy imo.

 

[HammerHead]

Those are some really purdy motors guys, thanks for all the replies. I'll probably try it this weekend. I seen a mix of vehicles running vs. vehicles not running. I just assumed a cold motor would be better but a warm motor would dry faster? Just a thought.

 

[H1Chester]

Adams multipurpose cleaner in the green bottle. adamspolishes.com

They have great how-to videos with their products.

 

[Pull Ya]

One of the major problems I have with the pressure washer is ---the pressure. Mine has 3000psi and I have no way to adjust it. It's either all or nothing. I think you can strip paint with that much pressure so I prefer something that is a little less drastic than blasting all the crap off the engine. If you have something that is adjustable that may work just fine. Lots of good products, read about them and choose the best one for your situation.
Jay

 

[Jimmy07]

I just spray everything down with undiluted purple power and let it soak. Then I'll wash it off with hot water on a cold engine. If you do it when the engine is hot, it tends to leave water spots on all the metal parts from the water evaporating so quickly.
As far as covering things and removing stuff...I don't even bother. Think about...we drive in the rain and drive through puddles. I just hold the sprayer back far enough where it's not blasting anything, and kinda spray over the sensitive stuff indirectly.
I wash my engine bay once a week, that way grease, oil, and grime never even has a chance to build up.