hi everyone, tis is the story, i recently removed my rats nest and am tryin to make it look pretty, so i sprayd engine degreser and then added water and coverd thew front of the air cleaner while it was running, i noticed the idle dropped so i got in the car. i revved up the engine and it was very week and sounded horrible, i shut it off then cleaned up und tried it again, it was really bad so i cleaned up some more then it went to 6 ok but was bad at idle and to 2000. then i shut it off and it was ok. Do u guys think i harmed anything, carburetor, engine internals, anything at all??? thanks everybody.

 

You probably got an something in the ignition system wet.

That said, isn't it a better idea to wash the engine when it's cold, rather than subjecting it to rapid cooling from a cold spray from the hose?

 

I don't think you did any damage if it is still running okay. On the bottle of most degreasers it states to use when the engine is warm. This means warm and not HOT. If it's done hot the rapid temperature change will destroy the engine. They suggest to do it when the engine is warm so that the water evapourates faster and prevents water from screwing with your electrical. You probably already knew this but I just thought I would mention it anyways.

Tommaso

 

It will not destroy the engine. Get a grip.

 

So it is okay to spray the engine with water when it has been running for a long while? I admit I am new to rotories but not to piston engines, and I cracked the block on a Horizon by doing just that when I was a teenager. Rotories I admit I know nothing of, I just thought it would be the same as they are both metal and very hot. Sorry for the misinformation. What about the rad, couldn't the rad crack that way also? Just curious? Thanks in advance!

Tommaso

 

I just drive mine to the self wash, hose on the degreaser (engine off) and rinse, then start up and drive away. Sometimes it will run a little rough if the ignition parts get a little wet, but with the engine already warm it dries up quickly enough...

 

yeah its running great, its just i got scared with wat happened. but its all good, kenetsu where do u get that wash at??? thanks for the help guys.

 

Not sure what you mean? I just take it to a self serve car wash and use your typical engine degreaser from a parts store. Spray on, hose off, drive away...