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Being a first time Corvette owner, can some of you give me some pointers on how to pressure wash the engine? Are there any areas to stay away from? Do i need to wrap up any parts to keep water away/off of?
I love my car but cannot stand to see a dirty/dusty engine!
I just take it to the car wash, open the hood and get it on. I've had no issues what so ever due to washing the engine. If your car doesn't already have it get the aftermarket front hood seal, that'll keep the engine bay cleaner, a lot cleaner for about $15. Enjoy the car, they are great fun!
I would use caution just "power washing" under the hood of a C5 at the car wash...just take a look around the forum at "electrical issues" and most of that is probably... without putting water at high pressure on electrical components ON purpose. I'm not saying others have done it without any problems, but I won't do it.
This is what I did to my filthy (previous owner) engine bay. With these products I had great success with minimal effort!
I covered the alternator with a little cling wrap.. took off the fuel rail covers and soaked the engine bay with the Wizards Power Clean... let it set and then just rinsed it off with the garden hose. Then took the leaf blower and dried it off. Follow up with the Wizards Vinyl Shine and had a professional detail looking engine bay...
A picture is worth a thousand words.. and Black is hard to keep clean!
Last edited by 73Corvette; Feb 15, 2015 at 09:45 PM.
Make sure to take off the engine covers because it will be very dirty under .
also stay away from the belts if you can, I washed my engine with soap and pressure water and it looks like new now but my belts kept squeaking for a couple of days.
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If the engine is pretty dirty and greasy, find a good automotive degreaser, spray it on the dirty areas, let it sit, then use a gentle stream of water to rinse. A leaf blower will help to dry the engine bay when done.
I personally will not use a high pressure spray to clean under the engine bay. I just do not want to take the chance of getting water into any of the electrical connections.
There is a real good thread on here that used diluted Simple Green to help with the cleaning process but I cannot find it, I have a copy of it on my computer at work will attach it when I can. You could also try steam this how I would do mine the new systems out use what is called dry steam
A guy I know took his Vette to the car wash and power washed his engine. Afterwards it would not start. He ended up having it towed to a dealer to have it fixed. Doesn't mean it will happen to you but with all the electronics I would never do it. If you have the time you can do wonders with some rags, brushes and de-greaser.
When I first bought mine it was pretty dirty under the hood. A little de-greaser and elbo grease and in a short time it cleaned up rather nicely.
I use diluted Simple Green sparingly, and carefully rinse with a low pressure water hose. If I need to get into confined spaces I use one of those $1.00 1" brushes from Lowes/Home Depot/your local Hardware Store. I avoid the battery area when rinsing with water due to the fact there are sensitive electronics located below the battery.
As Vetteman Jack suggests, a leaf blower is handy for quick drying. Then spray sparingly, with an Armoral type product, let "dry" for about 15 minutes, then dab dry with a clean rag to take away too much shine.
Armoral is so expensive I use "Car Brite High Gloss Dressing", it does the same job and comes in 1 gallon containers. The instructions state to dilute 50-50 with water, and I find 40/60 works even better, so 2+ gallons costs less than $24.00.
As per V98roadie, the hood seal is a cheap and easy upgrade and helps keep the engine bay clean.
Spray it down with diluted simple green and agitate it with a soft brush, such as a wheel cleaning brush. Then rinse with low pressure water and dry what you can with a microfiber towel. Make sure to cover the alt and other electrical areas before you begin. You can use a plastic bag from the grocery store and painters tape, or whatever you want to as long as it keeps water out.
Please do not use a high pressure hose on your engine bay. It just isn't necessary. Simple Green and some inexpensive brushes will do it for you. Generally elbow grease is the strongest product needed
Great info and even get pictures...thanks everyone for the advice. The engine is not too dirty, just has stuff in all the nooks and crannies that I don't like to see.
I would use caution just "power washing" under the hood of a C5 at the car wash...just take a look around the forum at "electrical issues" and most of that is probably... without putting water at high pressure on electrical components ON purpose. I'm not saying others have done it without any problems, but I won't do it.
This is what I did to my filthy (previous owner) engine bay. With these products I had great success with minimal effort!
I covered the alternator with a little cling wrap.. took off the fuel rail covers and soaked the engine bay with the Wizards Power Clean... let it set and then just rinsed it off with the garden hose. Then took the leaf blower and dried it off. Follow up with the Wizards Vinyl Shine and had a professional detail looking engine bay...
A picture is worth a thousand words.. and Black is hard to keep clean!
I clean mine a couple times a year. Just spray Simple green, let sit a few minutes and rinse with mist setting on hose sprayer. Blow dry with leaf blower. To be safe I cover most electrical connections, alternator with aluminum foil. Closing in on 85,000 miles.
cleaning engine
