Engine Washing?

N/A tech, Cold Air Intakes, Spark Plugs/wires, Cat backs, Exhaust...etc

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patrick3002
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Engine Washing?

Post by patrick3002 »

Hey, i have some questions about washing my engine...

I bought some of this engine degreaser and i was wondering if theres any way it could mess up things on my engine?? What i wanted to do was hose my engine down with my hose out front of my house then spray this degreaser on and let it sit for a few seconds then take a scrub pad and srub my engine getting all of the grease etc etc off... Now, it says on the back of the bottle that i should cover electrical parts...What should i cover these with? Will a grocery bag do? What will be some side effects if these parts get wet?

Thanks alot!!
john_trickle
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engine clean

Post by john_trickle »

what i did is put the degreaser on then when down the car wash then cleaned it with the jet spray just focus on spraying the grease like the tranny,engine,block,all round the cv,as i did all this and done to the car but all my tranny gears and and cv sockets look like new looks awsome.
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patrick3002
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Post by patrick3002 »

Ur engine still works fine? If i get the belts wet they'll be fine right? What if i get degreaser on some belts?
john_trickle
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engine clean

Post by john_trickle »

shouldnt mate what i do to the belts is give it a lube after the wash let everything dry then lube the belts.
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MMamdouh
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Post by MMamdouh »

i have washed my engine so many times before and it is still running fine... i don't use a degreaser product but i do this:

1- fog the whole engine with karosin by pouring it in the path of compressed air... this actually works as a degreased to fight all the oily and greasy spots.

2- use a brush to clean any sticky spots if any and more karosin if needed.

3- cover the coil pack with a plastic bag.

4- spray water on the engine from a mild pressure hose and pour dish washing soap in the water path... this removed the extra karosin on the engine or else your car will smell for a week.

5- use a brush to clean any dirty spots if any and more soap if needed

6- wrins the whole engine with mild pressure water hose.

7- use compressed air to dry the engine.

8- start engine.

only thing i do cover is the coil pack, alarm siren and engine harness socket (the black box at the fire wall at the passenger side).

if the belts start squealing... give it time to dry with the engine on, if the sound still their then turn of the engine and put a little axel grease on the bet then restart the engine.

MMamdouh
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patrick3002
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Post by patrick3002 »

Alright thanks guys, i feel much more safe doing it now.

...off i go!
patrick3002
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Post by patrick3002 »

My engine washing is complete!! my heavy duty degreaser worked awesome and my car still runs!! haha its really shiney too wow i was surprised.

Get this: my neighbor comes outta his house to go leave somewhere and he looks over and he says "Wow! is that a new engine dude?" im like hahaha, no i just got done cleaning it haha. and then he says oh wow you did a great job...lol i thought that was pretty funny.

Anyways...thanks for your help guys i prolly woulda ruined somethin if it weren't for you.
patrick3002
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Post by patrick3002 »

uh oh.... my temp gauge near my fuel gauge doesnt work... what should i do??
MMamdouh
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Post by MMamdouh »

check the temp sensor socket on the engine... could be not connected properly or got some dirt accumilated in it after the wash.

MMamdouh
Driving is the utmost fun you can have with your pants on!
Check out my ride: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/567267
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patrick3002
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Post by patrick3002 »

thanks alot man! it had alotta dirt around it, works fine now :D i also changed my fuel filter and it seems like im getting better acceleration? idk though maybe its just cause i havnt drove it all day lol anyways, i will do a 0-60 test tonight and compare the results with my last results and let you guys know. Also, i'll take some pics of my freshly cleaned engine! :D

Thanks!
genie47
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Post by genie47 »

The trick to cleaning your engine bay is not to use the pressure washer. Just hosing it will do. The more pressure you have at your spray, the chances of parts coming loose or water penetrating into sensitive electicals is higher. FYI, I never cover my electricals when I degrease the engine. Just use the degreaser and then hose.
Comrade
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Post by Comrade »

I wash my engine every 3-4 weeks. 6 years now. With degreaser and presure. Nothing went wrong so far. Still looks brand new. :wink:
Dmitri
genie47
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Post by genie47 »

Maybe the pressure is not strong but hosing is safest. Some guys including me got a bad experience when we went to this cheapo place that gave us a nice engine bay wash with a really powerful pressure washer.

After the immediately after the wash, we got spark plug failures, ICE failures and even my Bluetooth carkit failed. :roll: One of us can't even start the car and had to dry the spark plug cables.
Comrade
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Post by Comrade »

I should've noticed that I usually hold the sprayer far away. So the pressure is not very strong but it showers really good.
Dmitri
MMamdouh
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Post by MMamdouh »

yes pressure is an engine killer... just hose the engine with mild pressure and you are OK... pressure can make problems starting from a soaked engine up to broken parts so it is not a good idea at all to use pressurized water.

BTW i wash my engine every 2 months for the past 7 years.

MMamdouh
Driving is the utmost fun you can have with your pants on!
Check out my ride: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/567267
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