Any of you guys pressure wash your engine and engine bay, and if so, have you had any adverse affects afterwords?

 

Not a very good idea my friend.

I take a air hose and spray off the excess sand and debri, then wipe down the area with some cleaner, Touch up with some kind of detailer like Armour All.

DO NOT SPRAY THE ENGINE WITH WATER!!

 

If my engine is very dirty or greasy, I spray on Simple Green and then rinse off with garden hose using a fine mist. I also always cover my alternator and fuse box area with plastic or aluminum foil before cleaning.
Once engine bay is clean of grease and grime, I always lightly mist it each time I wash the car to keep it looking good.
I've used this method for a couple years now with no problems at all.

 

Thanks...this is why I asked. I have gotten away with it on other rigs by being careful, but once had trouble with an old 84 T-bird. (The T-bird was just plain trouble anyway. POS.) I guess I'll do it the hard way...our car is a DD with 73K and needs some attention under the hood.

 

Back in '99-'00 Korea, I had a '92 Hyundai Sonata. I would wash my engine the exact same way. Simple Green and garden hose...lol. I paid $500 for the car and it lasted me the whole year I was in Korea. I sold the car for $500 and I heard shortly after I left, it died on the next owner. Guess he did take care of it....

 

On my C5, I usually just clean with a mild degreasor, then wipe with a wet towel to make sure their is no residue from the degreassor, then spray a lite coat of armor all. Since I have had my C4 I have learned to never wash under the hood with a pressure or even using a garden hose. On a C4, you can cause several hundred bucks worth of damage in a short time (opti spark) so I guess the habit just carried over to my C5.

 

I plan on using some degreaser towels in a "baby wipe" container to wipe down greasy areas.

How do you clean the oxidized throttle body and similar metals?

 

On the throttle body, I've used 000 steel wool and degreaser (409, simple green, etc) and had great results.
The steel wool will leave it looking semi-polished.
Good luck.

 

1. Get engine warm, not hot. 2. Spray with Simple Green. 3. Close hood & let sit 5-10 minutes. 4. Spray rinse. 5. Compressed air & wipe down.

Never had any problems using this technique.

 

I have pressured sprayed my engine going on 5yrs with no troubles. I use the low pressure setting. No problems with any of my vehicles using water. Just dont use water when its below freezing.

 

everytime I wash the car , I rinse the engine with a my pressure washer 5yrs and no problems...!

 

Just direct the hose at the engine block and spray down with simple green. you will not have any problems with the water, everything is sealed. after you spray the engine down, use a leaf blower to blow dry all the water out from the engine, especially under the fuel rails, which could leave rust if left wet. i have heard that it is better to do the wash when the engine is cold to prevent condensation within the engine's electrical components.

 

You guys that are using Simple Green to clean your engine bays, etc. should be advised that in a study conducted by the FAA, they have found Simple Green to be highly Corrosive to Aluminum. The FAA therefore prohibits the use of Simple Green on all aircraft. The manufactures of Simple Green responded by reformulating a non-corrosive version of Simple Green to be used on Aircraft. (Alumunum)

Special note to C5Jim: Stop it Jim! You're causing Corrosion and Oxidation. My company provides Aircraft Corrosion Repairs and Treatments. We've been researching the various forms of corrosion, their causes, and the remedies, for the past 16 years. Dissimilar metals are a major cause of corrosion. Steel Wool is yet another product that the FAA has found to be a high cause of corrosion when used on Aluminum. When using Steel Wool, you're leaving deposits of steel imbedded in the scuffed channels of the Aluminum. Then your giving it a coat of Simple Green to further invite corrosion to form on the surfaces that you're trying to improve. You can accomplish the same task using Simple Green "for aircraft" with a maroon Scotch-Bright pad
Richard

 

 

I have used "Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish" on the throttle body of my C4 with good results. Of course if ever got really greasy, I would preclean it with a mild degreaser first.

 

Thank you for the heads up. You are absolutely correct about the issue with dissimilar metals. In my brevity I left out that you should blow out any residual steel wool once done, but Scotch Brite is an excellent alternative. I failed to mention that.
BTW, 000 steel wool is so gentle it prectically disolves while being used. The only problems I have had is with the residue rusting.
Again your point is well taken.

 

 

Excellent points here! I'm going to see if I can find some of this "aircraft simple green" from my friendly FBO or aviation supplier. Great tip, and thanks to all who have replied.

 

It is great that the simplest question on this forum can get such "in depth" answers.......

 

I wash my car about twice a week (it's a dd) at a pay car wash. First thing I do is pop the hood, and spray the engine down. Next time you drive in a driving rain storm for 3-4 hours, pop your hood when you pull into a gas station. Water every where under the hood.

I have NEVER had a bit of problem with washing under the hood, and have done so on every car I have owned.