Thread: Washing the engine bay

just avoid concentrating any high presuure spray jets around electrical connectors

that would be most places apart from the block then

Got quite a few electrics in my engine bay

I was unshore for a while to, i just don't spray the alternator and afew plugs mounted on the fire wall the rest seems fine
I've most likely got alot less electrics on the 200tdi then your's though

CHEERS TIM.

Glad Wrap is your friend, wrap anything electrical, esp anything to do with fuel delivery, TPS, Map/Maf, sensors, Regards Frank.

From what I have been told:

1) To be safe, dont use any pressure higher than you get out of a garden hose. The water should be ok, as if you have mud up there, and everything is running, then low pressure water shouldn't do much harm.

2) Do not degrease the engine. Grease / oil etc should only be wiped off. Degreaser will remove all of the oil & grime, but this can then lead to areas of bare metal which will rust fairly quickly. This is especially true of bits low down in the engine bay that might be stone chipped etc. The old oil forms a protective coating.

3) Most detailers these days will only do the above anyway. Due to the amount of electronics in cars, and engine bays in particular, they are too scared to do much that might end up costing them BIG $$$$.

lou,
another useful tip is to spray with degreaser or i use chemtech truck wash first before applying the hose. just apply using a pressure sprayer and leave for 20 mins (always when engine cold). then hose off with spray nozzle avoiding to much pressure on any plugs/connections.
cheers
liam

I used Kenco Shift It for cleaning. Spray it on straight on the muddy and grimmy areas, leave for a couple of minutes and hose off. If its real stubborn mud and grime then I wet everything, spray on the Shift It, then just give it a bit of a rub with a sponge before hosing it all off.

This was recommended on outerlimits and got a lot of positive responses (this is how I got onto it).

In regards to electrics as long as your not blasting them it should be okay. Im happy hosing most bits in the engine bay (mains pressure only, no high pressure nozels or hose systems). As long as its allowed to dry properly it should be okay.

Im not so scared of water since I had it flowing over the bonnet after misjudging depth the depth of a puddle . Muddy water everywhere through the engine bay to remind me too.

Ive done mine a few times.....just be aware.... spray the lec's with crc or wd40 before you start...ive never had a prob

cheers