How to safely clean engine?
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 4,346
Likes: 755
From: Greensboro Nc
I'm not gonna lie to you guys: I've seen plenty of people hose down their engine compartments without issue. You would have to pay me $10k to get me to point a hose at mine though. Something inside me just won't let me do it when there are other ways to clean the car.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 783
Likes: 610
From: Ohio
I thank everyone for thier input.
A lot of strong opinions here.
I did use a foaming engine cleaner and a garden hose.
No damage what so ever.
So that is a total of 100% of the Corvettes I have worked on that did not get damage from water on the engine. LOL
I really need to do this to my 79 Corvette. It has 40 years of grime on it.
A lot of strong opinions here.
I did use a foaming engine cleaner and a garden hose.
No damage what so ever.
So that is a total of 100% of the Corvettes I have worked on that did not get damage from water on the engine. LOL
I really need to do this to my 79 Corvette. It has 40 years of grime on it.
1/4 mile/AutoX
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 11,441
Likes: 2,186
From: Buffalo Texas
I thank everyone for thier input.
A lot of strong opinions here.
I did use a foaming engine cleaner and a garden hose.
No damage what so ever.
So that is a total of 100% of the Corvettes I have worked on that did not get damage from water on the engine. LOL
I really need to do this to my 79 Corvette. It has 40 years of grime on it.
A lot of strong opinions here.
I did use a foaming engine cleaner and a garden hose.
No damage what so ever.
So that is a total of 100% of the Corvettes I have worked on that did not get damage from water on the engine. LOL
I really need to do this to my 79 Corvette. It has 40 years of grime on it.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,185
Likes: 641
From: Garland TX
I'm the guy that takes the soap foam attachment to the hose and sprays the engine compartment everywhere. Then I spray the engine with the water hose. 
Last edited by Not4spd; May 2, 2018 at 07:44 PM.
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
1/4 mile/AutoX
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 11,441
Likes: 2,186
From: Buffalo Texas
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,036
Likes: 119
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 6,480
Likes: 555
Depends on what is being used as a cleaner/degreaser. I like using Castrol Super Clean, which works extremely well, but if it's sprayed on while the engine is hot, or even warm, it's extremely difficult, if not impossible to rinse off. When using this stuff, it works best if it's sprayed on a stone cold engine...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,275
Likes: 739
From: Miami FL
Definitely! And IMHO, warm is fine if the cleaner allows it, but a very hot engine suddenly sprayed with cold water might be a bad combination, causing fissures.
Last edited by GCG; May 4, 2018 at 10:50 AM.
1/4 mile/AutoX
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 11,441
Likes: 2,186
From: Buffalo Texas
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 169
Likes: 22
From: Shelton WA
just make sure the simple green doesn't dry on there. My 18 year old made me proud by cleaning the bay on his 03 corolla with 175K on it, but he sprayed some on 50/50 and went in and made a sandwich...it ended up drying on there and left some of the engine components white (not sure if it etched the aluminum parts or what). He felt bad, but heck, its a corolla-will still go for another 150K!!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 6,480
Likes: 555
just make sure the simple green doesn't dry on there. My 18 year old made me proud by cleaning the bay on his 03 corolla with 175K on it, but he sprayed some on 50/50 and went in and made a sandwich...it ended up drying on there and left some of the engine components white (not sure if it etched the aluminum parts or what). He felt bad, but heck, its a corolla-will still go for another 150K!!
Racer
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 318
Likes: 29
Yeah that's basically what the pro said don't force water down into electrical areas but the gental rinsing of those areas is fine. One of the keys is to blow everything dry afterwards. He used a powerful leaf blower to get everything dry and not leave any standing water. He decreases and rinsed twice.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 318
Likes: 29
The pro dude said be careful with the water spray, don't PW a hot engine AND use a powerful air blower to thoroughly blow off all of the water. He was using light spray from a garden hose BUT if you kept your PW far enough away I think it should be fine. The car he did was a Mercedes which had the battery in the trunk and I didn't catch that part so...