washing engine

[seanf3000]

Tried bulletproofs technique last sunday. Man that took a while.....but using the paintbrush looked to me like the safest bet with the coilpacks. Also pick up bout 4 or 5 cuts.....ouch!!!!!

[JJ16]

hmmm well i went and wash my engine like yesterday or so..and i was runnin i can't remember if hard..and dey washed my engine..is ah sr20 so i hope i din damage my head or anyting..if u warp your head how cud u know..?? hope thaz nah a dumb question

also..i read all this i guh leave my engine bay unwashed yes..cause uh see how dis sounding so far.. it eh sounding to friendly on stuff nah..so

[Maserati]

good read

[Pointman-IA]

take the car and get the engine detailed by Bholas in Gasparillo

[krazeevic]

Good Info here. Never had any problems so far with the pressure washers, but better safe than sorry.

[dillon]

I have been washing four different engines with diesel for approximately seven years...To date there has not been any damage to rubbers or sensors or anything else.......I also wash my moms car as well as two others...........for around the same seven year period.....engines involved are b14, ae100, baleno with coil packs, sr20de and gti swift g13b.
The reason that water gets into connectors is because most of us when we pull out our connectors for whatever reason, fail to clean around them prior to removal. Debris gets onto the rubber seals located inside the connectors, hence affecting their ability to seal effectively. Once your engine is properly sealed, gasket on distributor is good, then you good to go.....I have never had the need to cover the alternator. Of course if you have a carburated engine, you will need to cover the intake of the carburator.
Just my two cents.....

[crazybalhead]

^^ The key point here is that no water spray of any kind was used in my engine, and for added protection the sensors were covered.

I learnt a major lesson with my first engine wash at a well-known car wash place, with a pressure washer. A day later, the ECU started throwing CELs, which is a cause for panic with ANY engine, especially an Evo. Checked the code with Robert Chan's diagnostic tool, and it was the TPS and a couple of other sensor faults. After they were cleared, only the TPS fault re-occurred. A thorough spraying with CRC fixed that issue.

Since then (and based on his advice), I only apply water to my engine with a small paintbrush.

Right, ah man answer my questions right there.

[Nyo1988]

spray under the whole hood with WD 40 let soak then wipe off all stains and old grease. then spray again and let set for a little while under th hood would be like new again. its no ham to anything just be careful of how and what you spray it on. take care when spraying any electrical components, avoid if necessary.
I use this method on my VW due to the amt of sensors under there.

Soap and water works for any othe vehicles lower price range with less sensors. cover the alternator, distributor things like that. mix and use a cloth to rub on the soap water to the surface to clean do not dash the soap or water after use a running hose to wash off the soap [bold]do not use high pressure[/bold] and repeat if necessary hope this works for you.
I used this on a civic and a corolla.

[ryansouthman]

Simple green , laughlin & degannes 120 a gallon, needs to be diluted.

[^^!SPAWN!^^]

[TurboDrive]

OK Guys I washed my engine bay over the weekend I used the Prestone engine degreaser. It retails for $20.00 a pop at Garvin's Performance Shop on Long Circular Road. It is the foaming type. According to the directions you spray it on leave it for 10 mins. and then wash it off. Of course use your common sense and don't spray it on your coil packs etc. I followed the instructions and it worked like a charm. I used a hose and carefully washed it off (NOT spray it off). For other areas I used a wet cloth to wipe away the excess dirt and let it dry off for it self. After that I said "Please God. Let it start." And He answered my prayer .

[Anton]

The trick in washing any engine is to do it when the engine is stone cold. When the engine is hot, water as well as steam penetrates areas that would normally be unaccessible when cold.

[ryansouthman]

^^^^^^^yes you get condensation in the enclosed areas, eg inside plugs chamber, distributor

[TurboDrive]

Yup. Thats how I did it. Stone cold.

[D_bodyguard]

Simple green does rell wok

[venum]

the place that i wash our teh three cars does it with the engine on

while engine is off they spray pressurized degreaser and allow to sit for a few min

then they start teh car and pressure wash off teh degreaser - light presure, almost a mist

been doing it for years not a problem

[Chipz]

MG Man, I used simple green sometime back, really works great

[eitech]

Gosh i hate to see a dirty engine...the technique to wash ur engine is simple. First i take a brush and take off any light dust. Then i cover the relay boxes and alternator..I spray some degreaser (castrol super clean) on affected areas. Then after bout 15mins, i pull out the hose..dis is my fav part. The key to using water is not to spray directly on sensors/ connectors..Use a more heavy mist. After, i use a cloth to dab up any water. Lastly, i may use some wd40 or a protectant to give it a nice shine(black hoses..etc looks really good after this ) The result is:



I've been able to maintain this conditon for a few yrs now..Note, i found that using a protectant after makes future washes alot easier..well, dats my xperience at least

[teekshan]

lookin good.

[masterofmindzchris]

first off, thanks for all the info.
secondly, there is no greasy spots on the engine, its just 'dirty water' stains, and lots of dust and very very small stones.(these collect in the space between the 2 banks os cylinders)
i'm not in a position to cover all the sensors in my engine bay, by doing that i'm covering almost everything.
the engine has coil packs, i know these are not supposed to get wet, by washing the engine (even with just runing water) the packs will get wet

my only guess is to remove the plastic engine cover and whatever stuff that blocks up space, and just blow out the engine with compressed air, as for the stains, it wont be easy, but i think i'll wipe it off with a wet cloth or sumthing.

Man I thought it was diesel? In the service station I go too, they use diesel... and breeze...

take my word for it, never let ppl spay your vehicle with diesel. it softens up the rubbers on your vehicle, and eventually they burst. cuz of doing this just once, i had to change 4 engine mounts, stabliser bar rubbers, stabliser likages, a cradel, two booth rubbers, plus sum other rubbers i cant remember. in total it costs over $7000 to replace those things. so dont do this.

all that drama with diesel and u eh buss sum cuss....i dus do an engine wash/underwash every 3 mths and diesel don't corrode any part of meh car. AFAIK, thats d best ting to remove stains on the vehicle body....

like u dus drive a bullcart o wah? and diesel gone up in the bullhole!

[classycars]

You have contemporary foreign car. The reason is simple: you can damage or spoilt the engine bay stuffing (mainly electronic) by chance. That?s why the self-service concerning the engine washing isn?t welcome. The same concerns incompetent or unequipped car washing plant.
Most cars and suv these days carry the spark plugs well into the cylinder head, in such case water from washing gets into that cavity and can lead to lots of problems , since this is the only area of the car that carries high voltage . most of the other electrical components and sensors in the engine bay works with 12volts and under, this can still be cause for concern .
I have always kept my engine bay clean, some would say showroom condition. My first bit of advise is to never let you engine become so dirty so that you will have to use too much water and chemicals to get it back to the way you would like.
Here is how i have been doing it step by step:
1. Locate the coilpack, spark plugs , Injector Rail and Alternator, once you have done so have them covered the best you can with plastic bags.
2. Locate and remove the lower engine shield.
3. If you have access to compressed air (compressor) using a small clean paint brush to remove dust and heavy dirt, be sure to start from the top working your way down, you can use a painters scraper taking care not to snag any electrical wires of hoses.
4. Most engine cleaners that are sold in today's market contains Ammonia that can cause corrosion especially on aluminium parts, since most electrical connections are aluminium based this is also cause for concern, this is why i use kerosine in moderate amounts only on heavily greesed areas,
then dishwashing liquid (mixed with water) .
5. While washing always keep and air-hose close by , do not allow moisture and liquids to settle for too long .
6. Do not start engine after washing, should in the event that moisture found its way into your electrical system , it will cause short and in some cases cause the cars CPU (brainbox....lol) to go into failsafe mode , its a good idea if you can roll the car out into the sunlight with the hood open , for the ladies please be sure to get help with this.....lol
7. Be sure to remove all plastic bags befor starting you engine , allow engine to idle on its own for a few mins , should the engine starts with a rough idle then moisture has invaded the electrical system, in such case you should turn off the engine and locate the problem , in most cases this problem comes from the sparkplugs and cables and or the coilpack .
8. Protecting your engine/ shine, do not use product with silicone or silicone based , should such products get into your electrical connections it acts as an insulator, be mindfull of even some of the engine shine products, avoid also the belts for it can cause slipping.
so there you have it guys , thats basically my method of cleaning the modern engine , i have been cleaning since the days all you had to do was cover the distrubutor and carb.....lol
Time has evolved and so have I , all it takes is some common sense and a little patients , but in the end a clean engine is something to be proud of , it works better too. Take care guys and ladies with the hope that i was able to help in some small way...

[V2NR 3.0]

I have used simple green, purple blaster and whatever there else is on the market. Im telling you - the BEST old school cleaner is good old "pitch oil". I wash my brand new van engine and b-14 with it and never had problems. I use a high pressure washer, I dont cover down anything besides my distributor and never had problems.

Full blast water pressure too - You guys getting to iffy about a simple engine wash.

When im done some WD40 to displace any water residue, bounce starter and i gone again !

[MG Man]

kerosene or any petroleum based product harms rubber components
plus it smells...........simple green washes clean, no oily residue, plus does not smell, and can be safely washed down the drain

[V2NR 3.0]

^ From an environmental point i agree with you

[altec]

if you still deside to wash with pressure, do it with a cold engine... less vapor to condense ie no heat to create vapor.

[mashjumbie]

for the car men that really wanna care for there engine there is the ac delco engine shampoo it seems to work well!!!but never honestly try it on very dirty engine but it trusted by others on their boat engine!! can get it in couva or san fernando ac delco.but again purple blaster is a really good 1.Also purple blaster is biodegradable and i was my hands many times with it with no worries!!jus sayin!!