Engine wash
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 263
Likes: 96
Engine wash
I usually get the engine of my cars detailed bit with the optispark scare Im kinda hesitant on my new 95.
If properly covered along with the alternator, are there any issues having the engine shampooed?
If properly covered along with the alternator, are there any issues having the engine shampooed?
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 4,201
Likes: 1,323
From: LeClaire Iowa
I would think the odds of having a tech who knows how to completely cover and seal the optispark is very very small. Have you ever tried to cover one? It is not easy. You use the word shampoo and I hear pressure wash. I would not pressure wash a C4 with an optispark. Dan
Last edited by Whaleman; Feb 18, 2026 at 08:07 AM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 263
Likes: 96
I would think the odds of having a tech who knows how to completely cover and seal the optispark is very very small. Have you ever tried to cover one? It is not easy. You use the word shampoo and I hear pressure wash. I would not pressure was a C4 with an optispark. Dan
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 4,201
Likes: 1,323
From: LeClaire Iowa
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 263
Likes: 96
Any major electrical components will not be touched.
Only hand cleaning .
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 17,382
Likes: 6,525
From: Melbourne, FL
i agree, washing an engine bay is stupid.
Put it this way. I toasted an optispark spraying water on the AC lines looking for leaks. You will absolutely destroy the optispark trying to do any sort of large scale cleaning in the engine bay like that. Steam all but guarantees a dead opti, because the wiring harness for it isn't sealed at all. Water wicks down the wiring, through the connector, and into the optical sensor destroying it.
The only way I would consider it is removing the opti entirely beforehand.then giving the engine bay a few days to a week to dry out before reinstalling it.
Put it this way. I toasted an optispark spraying water on the AC lines looking for leaks. You will absolutely destroy the optispark trying to do any sort of large scale cleaning in the engine bay like that. Steam all but guarantees a dead opti, because the wiring harness for it isn't sealed at all. Water wicks down the wiring, through the connector, and into the optical sensor destroying it.
The only way I would consider it is removing the opti entirely beforehand.then giving the engine bay a few days to a week to dry out before reinstalling it.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 159
Likes: 94
From: Vassar, MI
I've only just used a damp cloth and a soft bristle detailing brush to clean the engine/engine bay on my '92. No hose or spraying water. You will destroy the cloth hand cleaning like this, but that's what the bulk packs of microfiber towels are for 👍
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 263
Likes: 96
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 1,800
Likes: 579
From: Mays Landing, NJ
While I'd be concerned about the opti getting screwed by water penetration I'd be equally worried about the 30 year old wiring and connectors in my 95. It's bad enough that the plastic clips on the connectors break off so easily when gently trying to disconnect them. Cleaning parts by hand is the only cleaning I ever do.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 8,576
Likes: 963
From: Communist Colorado
HAND CLEAN ONLY, I use whatever cleaning product necessary sprayed or soaked into the rag Im using, followed by a damp cloth for "rinsing", then finally a clean dry cloth to finish. If you insist on water or steam, do yourself a favor and stay far from the Optispark unit.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 159
Likes: 94
From: Vassar, MI
Exactly this.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 2,568
Likes: 568
From: Carterville Il
2024 C4 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
This is the right answer
No way in hell, is steam or the dry ice method, or a hose set to mist getting any where near my engine. I don't have to worry about the Optispark, but still........
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 263
Likes: 96
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 159
Likes: 94
From: Vassar, MI
Automated wash is fine for my truck in the winter, but I go back to hand washing that too once the salt rinses off the roads.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 263
Likes: 96
Personally, I avoid automated car washes like the plague with my Vette. Hand wash only. It never gets driven in the rain so it doesn't get dirty per se, just dusty more than anything. I have a Griot's duster that I sweep over the car after every drive.
Automated wash is fine for my truck in the winter, but I go back to hand washing that too once the salt rinses off the roads.
Automated wash is fine for my truck in the winter, but I go back to hand washing that too once the salt rinses off the roads.
But thinking of ot logically, the car should be capable of going over water puddles without fear of electrical problems.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 159
Likes: 94
From: Vassar, MI
yeah it seems like the vette is hand wash only no matter what. I won't drive mine in winter or rain so the only water it'll.see is when I HAND WASH!. LOL
But thinking of ot logically, the car should be capable of going over water puddles without fear of electrical problems.
But thinking of ot logically, the car should be capable of going over water puddles without fear of electrical problems.