Washing Engine

eskimochaos

eskimochaos

Banned
Looking to clean the my engine today due to my recent mud puddle escapades. What's the best way to do it? What should I avoid with the hose?

I plan on getting some Simple Green and spraying everything down in the engine bay, letting it sit, then rinsing it on the shower setting on the hose.

Is there anything in particular that I should avoid? (the engine will be cool not after I drove around)

Thanks in advance!
 
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I avoid direct blasts at/near the master cylinder and the power steering reservoir. Everything else I blast away:D Those two caps are vented that's why I take care there...
:cheers:
 
I did this recently using the regular simple green, dilluted, (havent seen the one HB posted) on the 99. Hosed it down, sprayed on the SG and let it sit a little, brushed any stubborn areas and then hosed off. Looked pretty good afterward would look better if I dressed the hoses and plastic/rubber stuff but did not have time. I did not cover anything but did try to avoid spraying the hose hard on anything electrical looking. Afterward it started right up, so no worries.
 
I washed engine few times. No problems just cover up alternator with some plastic bag and that is it. Only do not use a lot of water and rinse quickly. I was amazed how quickly 4runned engine gets dirty, even when you run trough some rain or dirt. Big minus for Toyota, could have used more shields and covers to protect engine bay from dirt.
 
I been washing engine bay on a regular basis on all cars I owned using high pressure washer. Not once had any problems caused by this. Not sure why people affraid doing that
 
HB 4X4 said:
Err, where is the master cylinder?

Do you guys use the regular Simple Green cleaner or this one?
Click to expand...

I wash as J.A. described with great results. Disregard the red text, that's for another, unrelated post.
20034runnerv8.jpg~original

:cheers:
 
paraordnance said:
Not sure why people affraid doing that
Click to expand...


My first car, a '76 Fury, hated moisture. It wouldn't start even in heavy fog unless I blasted the distributer with wd40. Cars seem a little better these days:D
 
paraordnance said:
I been washing engine bay on a regular basis on all cars I owned using high pressure washer. Not once had any problems caused by this. Not sure why people affraid doing that
Click to expand...

Me too!! I Just go to the Quarter car wash ..Open the hood and Blast away ..Never had an issue with anything in over 20 years of doing this .:D
 
Simple Green needs to sit for a while before rinsing it off. I thought the stuff was a complete rip-off until I learned.
 
Be sure to clean your engine in a clean work area to wash it properly . . .


srvr
 
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I've been following my high school auto shop teacher's advice for 15 years now and have had great results and have never had a problem. He told us to buy a can of Gunk Engine De-greaser, use the whole can on your warm engine and engine bay, then power wash with soap if you're at a car wash, then rinse. Yes, I said "warm" engine. You're not going to crack a block, heads, manifold, or anything else unless you were to dump a jug of ice water on a hot engine. The warm engine actually helps to get it cleaner, similar to washing dishes in warm or hot water. He never told us to avoid anything like the alternator or distributor (for older cars that have distributors) and I've never had a problem starting my car right after washing it. I might not go to town on a distributor cap or some of the other components that others have mentioned here, but I wouldn't worry about them either.

I actually just washed my 4Runner engine this last weekend with great results following the above procedures. I went to Checker Auto, bought a can of Gunk, drove straight to the car wash, popped the hood, sprayed it completely down on my engine at normal operating temp, let it sit for a couple of minutes, power washed the heck out of it (and the rest of my 4R), hopped in and drove right off. Engine looks great now!

Also, no need to cover the alternator as others have suggested. I believe this is an old wise tail. The alternator creates electric current from a magnet spinning within a copper wire bundle. Water is not going to stop the magnetic field from generating electricity and the contact points on your distributor are no different than the ones on your battery. Maybe older, more finnicky cars are prone to moisture, but most newer, well-tuned cars can get soaked with no problems. I guess what I'm trying to say is spray away! :biggrin2:
 
G.I.G. said:
I've been following my high school auto shop teacher's advice for 15 years now and have had great results and have never had a problem. He told us to buy a can of Gunk Engine De-greaser, use the whole can on your warm engine and engine bay, then power wash with soap if you're at a car wash, then rinse. Yes, I said "warm" engine. You're not going to crack a block, heads, manifold, or anything else unless you were to dump a jug of ice water on a hot engine. The warm engine actually helps to get it cleaner, similar to washing dishes in warm or hot water. He never told us to avoid anything like the alternator or distributor (for older cars that have distributors) and I've never had a problem starting my car right after washing it. I might not go to town on a distributor cap or some of the other components that others have mentioned here, but I wouldn't worry about them either.

I actually just washed my 4Runner engine this last weekend with great results following the above procedures. I went to Checker Auto, bought a can of Gunk, drove straight to the car wash, popped the hood, sprayed it completely down on my engine at normal operating temp, let it sit for a couple of minutes, power washed the heck out of it (and the rest of my 4R), hopped in and drove right off. Engine looks great now!

Also, no need to cover the alternator as others have suggested. I believe this is an old wise tail. The alternator creates electric current from a magnet spinning within a copper wire bundle. Water is not going to stop the magnetic field from generating electricity and the contact points on your distributor are no different than the ones on your battery. Maybe older, more finnicky cars are prone to moisture, but most newer, well-tuned cars can get soaked with no problems. I guess what I'm trying to say is spray away! :biggrin2:
Click to expand...

I burned one aternator on 98 Honda Accord because of car wash, water got into it. Yes, I washed the engine without covering alternator before it is possible, but to be on the safe sitde it is easy and will not harm to cover alternator.
 
Is it ok to hose down your engine?

A friend of mine opens his hood and uses a regular garden hose and sprays down the entire compartment. Do you guys think this is safe?
Nothing has happened to him yet.
I think you would damage some electrical components or something.

Thoughts?
 
Many do. Sometimes you need to like after muddin'. Often the radiator will need a good washing out. A good hose, DIY car wash or pressure washer with a wide fan is good and very different than a pressure washer with a tight nozzle. The electrical connectors are designed to withstand getting wet as in wet from the garden hose. A hardcore pressure washer could cause issues IMHO.

Some considerations:
1) The brake reservoir has a vented cap. Avoid spraying water in a way that would splash, from the bottom, into the cap area. A light mist from the top-down is generally ok.
2) Same as #1 but for the power steering.
3) Avoid blasting the tops of the valve covers. You don't want to fill up the area around the spark plugs with water. Again a light-med "rain" should be fine. If you do get water down there and it runs like crap the worst case scenario is you have pull the plug coils as if you were going to change plugs. Let them dry off and blow some air into the sparkplug holes to blow the water out. NOTE: I didn't say remove plugs. You don't want to take the plugs out as the water would drain into the engine. Again, that's worse case stuff and very unlikely.
4) Always do it on a cold or cool engine. If you do hose a warm engine start with a fine mist, especially around the exhaust manifolds and heads. The goal is to avoid cooling the hot metal too quickly. It's all about the rate of temperature change.

Many (self included) will spray Simple Green, Purple power or similar under the hood to help clean things up. If you use any detergents like that rinse very thoroughly to avoid shortening the life of rubber components.

IMHO it's better to keep the engine clean. Many of the components are designed to dissipate heat through their housings. Belts, hoses etc last longer without a film of oil and road grime.

Good luck! Happy cleaning:D
 
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I spray it with the low pressure pre-wash cycle, then soap and rinse, fanning the end back and forth so not to put direct pressure on any component or part, then I even wax it to help treat the hoses, rubber, and plastic parts. I do this about once or twice a year, or if needed after wheeling like last month in the yucky red mud at Barnwell Mountain RA in Gilmer, Texas.
 
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