I want to clean my engine bay at the car wash with the pressure hose. Any precautions mentioned would be helpful.
Yeah, don't do it that way.
Instead, use an engine degreaser followed up with cool low pressure water from your garden hose. Some folks use quot;Scruby Bubblesquot; because it doesn't small as much.
Afterwards you'll need to remove the spark plug caps and blow out the caps and tunnels with high pressure air.
Finally, I like to wipe down everything that didn't come as clean as I'd like it to with with WD-40.
take a plastic bag and a towel for the top of the valve cover. I lay the towel down first then put plastic on top of that, don't get the plastic on the exhaust shield. Any water on the plug wires will likely result in a major misfire. Also take a can of WD-40 just in case. Try not to spray full force on any electrical connections.
+1 wd-40 is an awesome engine detailer
I prefer the quot;do it at homequot; method like jimbonnie. If you have garden hose you're less likely to gum up everything with that high pressure spray.
Get one of the wifes freezer bags. Slit it open on one side. Wrap it around your coil pack. Don't spray a strong force of water directly on it. Other than that, I don't protect anything when doing it at home and have good success. I do use a degreaser. I also found that pulling the plug wires and replacing them with corks works great for keeping water out of the plug holes. Don't have to worry about shorting out any bad plug wires that way either.
Either cover the head or make sure to get the water out of the spark plug holes. It will get in there, if left in there your plugs will short when you run the engine. In NB's this can ruin the catalytic convertor!
Just don't get crazy with water around the cam angle sensor, the alternator, coil packs or coil wires. If you can cover any of those that would be great. Otherwise just wash away. I like Simple Green in a 1 gallon bug/fertilizer sprayer outfit. Just pump it up, spray, let things sit for a couple of minutes and rinse.
i used some throttle body cleaner on some tougher greasy spots when I cleaned my bay. WD40 just seems to push rust around. acetone will try to kill painted surfaces however, so be careful.
I've been doing it to mine for twenty years, never paying particular attention to protecting anything. I don't direct high-pressure spray right into the alternator holes or anything, but take no great pains to avoid it. A couple of times, my spark plug cables have been such that a little water got in and had to be dried, but that's a problem in need of fixing if you intend to drive in rain anyway. It's possible to get some moisture past the HVAC intake (on the passenger side between the firewall amp; windshield), but that results in somewhat damp carpet at most.
}}}}
I followed recommendations on this site.
I mist the engine bay in water followed by dilute Simple Green. Leave for 5 minutes. I then rinse with a high pressure mist, followed by a high pressure air line to blow the water away. Then liberally spray the bay in quot;Armor Allquot; tire wall cleaner, metal, plastic, wires but keep it off the belts and pulleys. Drive for 15 minutes or so.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART-throughly dry the sparkplug wells and wires.
Only a few minor precautions. Don't use the high pressure spray directly on the vacuum lines or wiring connectors, so you will not break or tear them. Ensure the plug boots are seated snug. If you do manage to get a bit of water in the plug well, just take along a soda straw and blow it out.
Suppose if there is anything that can go wrong, am not aware of it after doing it this way a couple hundred times.
Yeah I can only add that using common sense with regard to vacuum hoses and electrical items the high pressure method is perfectly ok.
WD40 smells rank.
Tyre foam doesn,t hold up with the heat.
Silicon stuff like Bumper Shine will make strip-downs a drag.
I,d rather see clean hoses than quot;detailedquot; ones.
Obviously avoid spraying high pressure on the radiator vanes as this will bend them.
Any water near those plug lead entry holes is bad news as it will always find it,s way into the wells. One neat option is to pull the leads and use 4 rubber bungs in the holes -drying the valve cover completely before removing them. Bearing in mind that the best way to clean a valve cover is off the engine.
Wear goggles
I have to dis-agree with one suggestion. Simple Green is a good degreaser, I have used it on both an automobile engine bay and a simple lawn mower, and will never use it again for either.
My experience:
It is very corrosive on some metals, and the corrosion develops quickly.
On the lawn mower, the throttle cable froze up completely and I had to replace it.
I had corrosion problems under the hood of the car. It's been a long time, and I don't remember the exact details, but I vowed to never use it again under the hood.
Besides, I hate how it smells, but that's not the primary reason to avoid it under the hood.
Instead, use an engine bay degreaser available at all the auto parts houses. As others have said, protect the electrics, and expect to have some missing plugs unless you protect them from the water. Start the car immediately, and idle it until it reaches operating temps to dry up all the water. Don't wait until the next day.
JMHO Jerry.
Originally Posted by pete92
.... Obviously avoid spraying high pressure on the radiator vanes as this will bend them. ....
If we are talking about a coin operated car wash it should not hurt anything. It might if using your home pressure washer. My house washer will blast the stucco off the walls .. would not try that one. I used the car wash pressure spray to blast out the radiator in both directions. Will find a good amount of debris trapped in the fins probably causing many overheating situations.
If you do find some bent fins, then an auto parts store sells a little inexpensive comb designed to fix them. If wishing to clean the cam cover, no real reason to remove it. Scour it down with a Brillo type soap pad. After saying this, usually have someone try a scare tactic about not using a metal pad. LOL. They have never tried it. Can see some results of a metal soap pad on this page. Those are old pictures taken with a cheapo detachable net cam and bad light .. but should give a general idea.
+1 for the comb Jim.
The vanes are coated and bending them usually breaks up the coated surface leaving bare metal - which will rust very quickly after applying water from anything.
If the rad is covered with trapped debris then best remove the rad and carefully brush out the debris. An extra hour's work to do it properly ,and you can flush the rad properly at the same time -upside down like it should be.
Originally Posted by jerrykr
I have to dis-agree with one suggestion. Simple Green is a good degreaser, I have used it on both an automobile engine bay and a simple lawn mower, and will never use it again for either.
JMHO Jerry.
Every time the question of engine cleaning comes up somebody mentions using Simple Green. I used it too, on my first Miata's first engine cleaning, and I'll admit it did a pretty decent job, and I still keep some around the house for other tasks.
HOWEVER, after reading clearly on the label that it should not be used on bare aluminum, I never again used it on my engine or wheels. And- for the record, this is also true for most of the over-the-counter degreasers you can buy.
I'm not sure what the problem is exactly, nor why the US Military put up an advisory about its use on aircraft and other items, but there are other choices out there.
I've been using Greased Lightning Orange Blast for a couple of years after finding out how well it worked on vinyl upholstery and tops, but they too had a quot;no aluminumquot; advisory on their label. Happily they now make an automotive formula that is safe on aluminum. Though it can sometimes be hard to find, Walmart sells it in the automotive aisles, and has been a pretty dependable source for it.
So I just though I'd put this out there for anyone who hasn't found that out yet.
LOVE simple green.
depending on the gunk involved;
a- simple green full strength or diluted with water, at home with a rag and hose.
b- car wash pressure sprayer with their engine cleaner. plugs and coil covered, car left idleing, and no full pressure on electrical bits
I don't know what's in Simple Green but apparently it's corrosive on aluminum. Yes, aluminum corrodes too just not in the same way as steel. CrvLvrs' underside of hood is an impressive testimonial to how well it works on painted surfaces. I tend to use WD-40 on aluminum surfaces.
Also, if you don't pour your used engine oil down the storm drain because you care about the fishies and duckies then you probably shouldn't do this job at home. Most modern coin-op hand car was places have special grease traps built into their drain systems, which are designed to catch all the nasty stuff. We might be gear heads but half the reason most of us love this little car so much it because we love zooming down the twisties with the top down, birdies, blue sky and all. The environment matters. Ok, stepping down from my soap box now. ; )
Ben
'91 SE (BRG)
It was suggested to me waaay back when (way before Miata's existed) that when washing an engine at a car wash to have the car running and listen for changes in idle. If the idle speed changes that's your indication that you're getting something wet that the car thinks shouldn't be wet - point the wand somewhere else.
Washed lots of engines over the years with no problems. Haven't washed the Miata's yet, but it's time is coming.
Originally Posted by Hoto
It was suggested to me waaay back when (way before Miata's existed) that when washing an engine at a car wash to have the car running and listen for changes in idle. If the idle speed changes that's your indication that you're getting something wet that the car thinks shouldn't be wet - point the wand somewhere else.
Washed lots of engines over the years with no problems. Haven't washed the Miata's yet, but it's time is coming.
as a detailer, i have used this theory before on all sorts of makes and models. it works sometimes- sometimes not. FORD engines n water dont like each other. for the miata, my coworker from the body shop (who i bought my miata from) forbids the pressure washer and miata engine bay. he soaked the plugs and had to let it dry overnight( with them pulled out) at the shop. so i cover the cam cover and go as hard as i feel like. my cleaning is never that invasive so a lil degreaser and garden hose does the trick. the trick to a clean car is frequent cleaning. that way it never gets gross and a PITA to clean. plus... who wants to roll through in a gorgeous roadster that isnt clean?
p.s. detailing dressings look fantastic but attract dirt better than a magnet. so when you dress with dressings, make sure you wipe it down very well.
Cover your coil pack and spark plug holes/wires. Use low pressure water. Make sure spark plugs holes are dry.
If you do go to the car wash, leaving the car running is a tip that is one not to be overlooked.
I once did the cover with plastic and ended up looking at the engine bay and saying but those things are dirty.
Just be cautious and you should be fine.
Two things I need to clear up. One: quot;I find a high pressure mist is best for washing down the enginequot;. This is not the direct stream from a pressure washer, but the mist produced from a garden hose. No direct stream just a cloud of water. The second is the use of dilute Simple Green. Simple Green is alkaline and will corrode Al. Most degreasers are alkali and will corrode Al. The trick is to limit the exposure and concentration. Dilute(1/3 SG to 2/3 H2O) Simple Green left on the engine for less than 10 minutes has minimal effect on bare Al. It is important to rinse the bare Al thoroughly. But since I mist the dilute Simple Green on the Rocker Cover, it is generally not that dirty I am not concerned. Besides, now I think about it, the layer of dirt protects the Al from the Simple Green! (Well at some level it does)...... I digress It's the rest of the bay that seems to attract the dirt.
When I did tear down the engine for a new timing belt and water pump there were no visible signs of corrosion. However on removing the throttle body from the inlet manifold for an SC install I did find corrosion on a metal stud in to the Al throttle body. I doubt whether this was the Simple Green but ~ 7 years of exposure to moisture at the front of the engine from rain salt etc. As for the finish on the rocker cover it has always been matt. I might think twice about using on a polished aluminum cover. I only wash the engine bay maybe two three times a year. I prefer driving the machine!
This man (I'm assuming) knows of what he speaks. I don't know the chemistry behind it but I have a very good intuition when it comes to how different metals react with chemicals and dissimilar metals, i.e. the galvanic action that occurrs when aluminum and steel contact one another.
Nice explaination Spitfire!
Ben
1x4x9 - I've never had a problem lt;shruggt; |
Post at 2-7 04:29 AM
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