Took car to the local off-road park and got muddy water everywhere in the engine bay

[khalid74120021]

Hey everyone,

took my car to the local off-road park for some playing around in the mud and got muddy water all up in my engine bay. It isn't mud, just muddy water that has dried.

Does anyone have experience with the best way to clean the muddy water from the engine bay and to prevent long term damage, rust, etc? Picture


Also, i took the car to a local car wash and used the pressure washer to remove mud from the wheel areas and noticed that for the rear inside wheel liner area, it removed some of that black rubbery material, see picture

Does anyone know what this material is and if I can put more on?

Link to more pictures of that day

EDIT:
Thanks everyone for your help. I want to clean it so as to prevent any damage from the muddy water and if I ever take it to a dealership for warranty purposes, I don't want them to deny coverage because of this.

Also, my apologies for getting everyone's hopes up but I recently moved to Folsom in NorCal and hadn't changed my location from Huntington Beach.

Check this site to see if there is anything close to you guys in California

 

[Whippersnapper02]

Spray simple green and wash off.

The coating looks like undercoating they use in snow areas. Did you purchase new?

 

[headpaneer]

I second using Simple Green. I have been using a various forms of their automotive oriented formula, currently called Pro Series Max Automotive Cleaner and Degreaser, for literal decades.

For your wheel well, hit the area with a rubberized undercoating, such as the stuff Rustoleum has in a spray can.

My question to you. Where is this local off-road park? I live in HB, too.

 

[ScarfaceT4R]

I also would like to know where this is? I know about (& love) the San Gabriel Canyon OHV park - but this seems new to me.

*& that engine bay looks brand damn new to me. I would love if mine were that clean lol. You can prob get away with using a damp microfiber towl to wipe down those spots.

 

[mteolus]

Powerwash it off of course not putting the wand too close. I did that for many years on my 1992 Toyota Pickup which I sold with 410k. Mechanics always told me that was the cleanest engine they ever saw for a truck like mine. Spay water on it and let it soak a while before you powerwash to make it easier. I also used de-greaser to get any oil or other grime off.

 

[SidKo]

I used Purple Power. Sprayed, sit for about 2 minutes, and rinse. No pressure washer, just a garden hose with a medium width spray.

Wash only when the vehicle has cooled off. Spraying cleaning detergent on a hot metal may discolor.

 

[luderiffic]

Don't you need to cover any electrical parts or pieces? I can't believe you just spray a hose into your engine bay without some prep work right??

 

[Mantilgh]

Don't you need to cover any electrical parts or pieces? I can't believe you just spray a hose into your engine bay without some prep work right??

No not really. All electrical connections are sealed plugs. Engine compartments are not completely sealed are designed to be able to take a light amount of water


I detail vehicles on the side and I cover up exposed intakes and cover the alternator with a cheap plastic shopping bag, but I believe you can also get the alternator wet without causing much issues.

I wouldn’t use a pressure washer up close or anything, just a light spray setting with a garden hose after a little cleaner and some agitation.

I also use a leaf blower or compressed air to remove excess water. Then use a spray wax as I dry it with a towel.

I did go nuts at the car wash once about 20 years ago and sprayed my engine down in my Isuzu Amego at pretty much point blank range.

Something got too wet and didn’t run too well for a few minutes, but it cleared up pretty quick. I had the vehicle or probably another 15 years and never had any problems from it.

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[QwikKotaTx]

Don't you need to cover any electrical parts or pieces? I can't believe you just spray a hose into your engine bay without some prep work right??

To me a dirty engine is better than potentially damaging expensive electronics such as the ABS computer or PCM. I try to clean by hand when possible. I don't offroad though so it's just dust and grime.

 

[Antman]

Yeah, no pressure washer.

Mist the entire engine until it's wet, spray Simple green (keep it off your paint, fenders/bumper, etc)and use a brush and a microfiber towel to wipe it all down.

Then lightly mist all the simple green off and start it up, push the hood down so the heat stays in the engine bay. After most is dry you can turn off the engine and wipe down any spots you missed with something like Quick Detailer.

It'll look brand new- honestly it isn't bad at all now, lol.

 

[Mantilgh]

(keep it off your paint, fenders/bumper, etc)

That’s a good point. Some strong cleaners can etch your paint and even glass it you let it dry.

I like to mist the windshield, hood, and fenders before I start to help protect against overspray of the cleaner.


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[Orc]

I did that when I was 18 in my 2003 trd Tacoma. It never comes out as it's in every crack and crevice.

 

[STLDAVE]

Spray simple green and wash off.

The coating looks like undercoating they use in snow areas. Did you purchase new?

I wouldn't recommend using Simple Green in your engine compartment. What we in the aviation community discovered years ago is that Simple Green corrodes aluminum. Not a good thing in aircraft. There's lots of aluminum in the engine compartment, so probably not a good thing there either.

 

[Whippersnapper02]

I wouldn't recommend using Simple Green in your engine compartment. What we in the aviation community discovered years ago is that Simple Green corrodes aluminum. Not a good thing in aircraft. There's lots of aluminum in the engine compartment, so probably not a good thing there either.

Maybe the different grade of aluminum in the aircraft? I've been using Simple Green for years on different road vehicles and haven't had issues. I even spray it into the radiator and AC condenser.

 

[aelarson]

I detail my engine bay twice a year (Spring and Fall) and I wipe down a majority of the components with a damp microfiber every other month to keep everything tidy.

Newer vehicles are pretty well protected against water intrusion, so you shouldn't have to worry about ruining any electrical components, air cleaners, etc. You shouldn't have issues, but you do need to use some common sense when cleaning an engine bay. Bag exposed electrical if needed, and don't use a power washer. However, you can use the pressure coming out of a garden hose without any concern. With the 4Runner, I don't worry about bagging anything, everything is pretty well sealed off.

Steps for Engine Bay Cleaning:
1) Prep sensitive components with plastic bag covers if needed.
2) Rinse entire engine bay down with water.
3) Spray all purpose cleaner.
4) Use a mitt or brushes to agitate dirt.
5) Rinse engine bay.
6) Dry with compressed air or electric leaf blower, finish with towels.
7) Apply your favorite dressing to the plastics.


I would watch Larry from AMMO NYC, he is a crazy detailer that works on multi-million dollar cars with a lot of engine bay detailing experience.

 

[khalid74120021]

Spray simple green and wash off.

The coating looks like undercoating they use in snow areas. Did you purchase new?

Yes, I purchased the car new in from Carson Toyota in Southern California

 

[khalid74120021]

I second using Simple Green. I have been using a various forms of their automotive oriented formula, currently called Pro Series Max Automotive Cleaner and Degreaser, for literal decades.

For your wheel well, hit the area with a rubberized undercoating, such as the stuff Rustoleum has in a spray can.

My question to you. Where is this local off-road park? I live in HB, too.

awesome. thank you for your help.

My apologies, I just moved to Folsom in Northern California from HB. Sorry to get your hopes up for a local off-road park.

Check this site for any parks local to you

 

[Twilghtzone]

For your (otherwise clean) engine.

Wash the dirt out of the radiator/hoses/whatever. (Garden hose/sprayer.)
Use WD-40 and a rag to do the rest. If you want your rubber/plastics to last
and look new, use Pledge on 'em and wipe off.

Don't use armor-all... after a while it will turn your black hoses... er... grey.

Underneath ? Pressure wash.
If you want to do it er... 'nice' then WD-40 and rags.
Finish with Pledge and rags on the plastic/rubber stuff.

I'd avoid Simple Green. No reason to use it on a clean (non-oily) engine.
It will corrode aluminum... and it might take a while to do damage if it gets
into the electrical contacts.

Dirty/greasy engine ? Use a spray can of engine de-greaser,
then a rag and WD-40.

I have cleaned a lot of Japanese aluminum engines...
been running dirt bikes for 55 years.

 

[ScarfaceT4R]

awesome. thank you for your help.

My apologies, I just moved to Folsom in Northern California from HB. Sorry to get your hopes up for a local off-road park.

Check this site for any parks local to you

Doh!!

Thank you for the link though!! Looking for something local to bring my brother and his built Tacoma. I love San Gabriel Mountain OHV in SoCal but the lack of 4WD on my bro's Taco prevents him from being able to go play down there with us...

 

[BobsTrail]

If our T4s had an electric radiator fan, we could put in a switch to turn it off when doing a water crossing. Mine looked like that after my Azusa trip too.