so i took off all of my plastic covers, going to do something to them, i just dont know what. engine bay is hella dirty and my question is, who power washes their engine bay and is it safe on this car?

ive always been told not to do this with carb'd cars, but ive also had one of my cars almost hydro lock while in an auto car wash( had an EVO hood, water got in there, yes im a dummy, i didnt cover it lol) so, is it safe to do, anything i should avoid?

 

power wash the hell out of it!

just be careful of electronics...ie: battery, alternator, fuse box.
thats it.

have fun!

 

Another guy on here recently pressure washed his and couldn't get his car started after. I would suggest not doing it.

 

^if you have common sense, you wont damage a thing.

OBVIOUSLY, DONT SPRAY THE HIGH PRESSURE STREAM STRAIGHT AT THE COIL PACKS.

 

Have you done it? Normally I just use a hose on light pressure then use an old sponge to scrub things down then rinse off.

 

I've never used a pressure washer on my car.
but i've seen people do it on other vehicles.



I use simple green...or any kind of degreaser. Spray it down with TONS of degreaser. then brush it to agitate all the griminess off. then use a reg. hose to wash it

 

i use degreaser and a pressure washer, i just dont squeeze the trigger, the initial stream is enough pressure to clean everything.

 

I would like to here from somebody that has done it because even if you are careful once that water hits the engine at high pressure it is going to go everywhere. I like the idea of using simple green or degreaser

 

Ive done it twice... and 2/2 times ive had my CEL go off.
You won't know that you hit anything electrical unless you drive the car, well at least that's how it was for me. Turning on the engine and having it idle is pointless.

I remember this one being an issue
https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-problems-fixes-117/codes-p0132-p1361-p1366-801975/

BUT after figuring out the codes and the locations of the connectors, I just sprayed em with contact cleaner, reset the car and BOOM ur G2G

GLHF, a clean engine bay is always a good thing, and worth the small trouble

 

I worked as a car detailer for a short time, and my boss instructed us to use a pressure washer on the engine bay, and just avoid the alternator. I did it on a few Rogues that were already relatively clean, no problem.

But this came from a guy who "proved" he could wash a car in less than 30 seconds, then wax it. Take it with a grain of salt.

 

I clean the engine bay about 2 times a year for the past 10 years and never had any issues. I never use a pressure washer though. I just use a good degreaser and rinse.

 

i think we needed DIY Video on this

Any volunteer with good video camera

 

I got my dads 13HP Honda Pressure washer but no way in hell im gonna do it LOL, only pressure washed my wheels thats it.

 

No pressure washer necessary. Just need some good degreaser or All Purpose cleaner, a/some brushes, beer, time, and a water hose. No pressure washer necessary as the chances of possibly getting something that shouldn't get wet, wet.

Optional are air compressor or leaf blower, and of course more beer.

 

There are mixed opinions on this. Many mechanics would advise against it, and yet several people say there is no harm.

I think you'll be fine if you do the hand work manually, then just wash down. I would highly advise against using high pressure to actually clean the engine bay.

Just degrease by hand and wash.

 

I've done it before, just dont spend a lot of time in one place, keep it moving

 

I'd feel more comfortable using a pressure washer over an open hose, I feel like the open hose could drown something easier...

 

I've done both.... and all I needed to do both times was spray some connectors with contact cleaner and it was perfectly running

 

This is how i clean my engine (even with a cai)

 

Lol, I remember that video !! I've done it a couple of times!

 

Kris you're a nut.

 

 

some water ski's and a pull rope and your set :-)

 

I've been an automotive electrical technician for many years now. Mechanically speaking, the worse thing that could happen (if you have an CAI) is sucking water into the intake...which isn't even all that bad given its not in large amounts. Now before going any further into an electrical perspective, I'd like to first mention that there is absolutely very little danger in pressure washing an engine. There are a few startegies I've adopted in my years that I always go by when doing this. First of all, keep the engine running! Most electronics will remain fine as long as the motor is spinning. Now, although I say this, it's also important to note that this should he done preferably if the engine has been running 10-15 minutes or less to avoid excessive heat. This is to avoid "shocking" the engine if the water being used is much cooler than the engine itself. It's been known to crack a head from the drastic temperature drop...I myself have never seen it. And as mentioned, avoid directly spraying any ignition components (coils, distributor, wires, certain sensors, etc...) and any other electrical components that have exposed connectors, wires are just known sensitive pieces (fuse blocks). Other then these steps, not much else to say except don't spray too closely. Try and maintain a minimum of 3 ft or so from the tip of the sprayer to its point of contact if possible. I myself first use the engine/tire cleaner and allow that a few minutes to dwell and take an effect. Then, I will use the "wax" setting to rinse the engine because this is normally used with heated water by most self service car washes. Again, this is preferable dut to the least amount of heat difference. After rinsing with the wax, allow the engine to run for 5-10 minutes to dry the engine as much as possible and turn the AC on while doing this. The added heat from the condenser, radiator, engine and fans will rapidly dry the engine. Once the engine has dried, I typically take ONE MORE STEP...WD40. Yes, WD40 makes for an awesome way to shine an engine and keep it shiny. Skip this step, however, if you DO NOT live in the city and drive in dusty conditions as WD40 is a "collect-all" dirt magnet! Anyhow, when applying, avoid spraying this on exhaust headers/manifolds because it's an oil and oils are combustible! Oh yeah, and turn the AC back off and wait for the condenser/engine cooling fans to stop before spraying the WD40...otherwise you'll have a mess on your windshield that's he'll getting off! Haha. It's very important to NEVER kill the engine during this entire process. And lastly, on some occasions, the MIL light may be on afterwards and could be running poorly and/or misfiring. This is the step where shutting the engine off to investigate could cause it not to restart until the water dries up...trust me! I normally get on an OPEN road or highway and drive for a another 15-20 minutes (shorter if no MIL/drivability issues) to allow both the wind and heat to completely dry everything out and by then everything should be fine.

The long instructions might sound like a science but I do this on nearly every car I service to clean off any oil/dirt residue hat accumulated during the service and also to impress the customer of taking the time/effort to really clean the work area! Hope this helps everyone and good luck!

 

sweet paragraphs

 

I see we use the same methods.

I like spending time on my TL, Mabel's been good to me so I take time to do things right.