Is it safe to wash your engine, like at the do-it-yourself coin-op pressure hose, with scrub brush etc. One of the selectors is engine bay cleaner, your supposed to spray it on, let it sit, and pressure wash it off. Won't that ruin the allready bad electrical system? Or would you have to remove/cover all electricals?

 

If you have a bad electrical setup then NO.

If your system is sound and has no shorts in it. it should be ok but you have to let it dry before you drive or run the car.

 

Disconnect your battery, pressure wash your car, let car sit for like a week until engine is dry, reconnect battery.

 

\

A week is a little extreme.

I wash the engine while it is running. Have done so many, many times and no problems. I have also done this with standard engines, not just rotarys. My dad has also done this many many times throughout his life. No problems.

Just dont concentrate spray where water shouldnt be forced. Let the engine degreaser do it's job, and then all it needs is a good spray down.

**DISCLAIMER** I, nor anyone else on this forum, will be responsible for what happens as a result of you taking advice and cleaning your engine bay.

 

I detailed cars at a dealership for over 2 years. I washed the engine of every car I cleaned with a pressure washer and some good degreaser( simplegreen works good). Just try to avoid the major electrical componets i.e. alternator, starter,CAS, plugs, wires. If they get a little wet it will be ok. If you are still unsure, use a air hose to blow dry the engine when done. I never had any problems; just using a little common sense.

 

Anyone else have an opinion on this? My engine bay, i believe, has never ever been cleaned, i just got it a week and a half ago, its an 86 N/A. You can barely see what color it is through the crap even up at the strut towers, (matches the black caps though.) Previous post mentioned electrical things to avoid, one was CAP, what is that?

 

i think he means cas, crank angle sensor.

 

i just washed mine last week and shut motor off, used degreaser, washed rest of car like usual, opened hood back up and washed it. the degreaser works good but you may need to do it a couple of times cause that stuff is really on there!oh yeah, it fired right up after this to!

 

So you know if the degreaser that you used is basically the same as stuff at the DIY wash? Did you unplug anything when you washed yours? This is my daily driver, so I gotta be careful.

 

I pressure wash mine about once a month. I keep a can of Wire Dry in the car. after I have pressure washed it, I pull the plug wires wipe the plugs, spray wire dry in there and put them back. I also do this to all the easy to get to plugs etc.

No issues yet.

 

I worked at an European Import Shop in college, and one of the tricks we used was Gunk Engine Brite (EB1). With the motor idling at operating tempurature, simply spray the Engine Brite all over the engine with particular focus on heavy grease/grine areas. Let sit for a few minutes, then pressure wash it off. You will probably need a few cans of the stuff.

Pay careful attention around the alternator, A/C Compressor, Brake and Clutch master cyl, CAS, electrical connections, etc. Like the guy said several posts up, just use common sense...

IMO, Engine Brite works like a champ.

 

Agree.

200K, washed many times, while engine running. Don't aim at air intake.

If you have trouble with the ignition wires being wet, it just means it is time to buy a new set.

 

i just used greased lightning and a garden hose with a nozzle

as you can see all electrical and things that may be damaged by high pressure water were covered then i sprayed greased lightning and washed off and viola!

 

If you wash it not running, I'd put a plastic bag over the alternater and rubber band it or tie it at the bottom.

 

My uncle owns a road construction company, so in his posession is a GNARLY pressure washer with a heating unit built into it. So you get the best of both worlds, meaning CRAZY pressure and steam-cleaning. I've used it 2x on my TII with no problems. While the car is still running I spray engine degreaser everywhere, let it sit for a minute, then just go to town with the pressure washer/steam cleaner. Needless to say I've had no problems and my engine bay is spotless. Also, I've had no problems from spraying the alternator directly... The whole time before and after the car idle's and drives perfectly.

 

All the labels that I have read about Engine Degreaser specifially say to use when engine is cool, and definitely not running. Something about flammability, it says not to start until all is removed via water, then start car. Is this just extreme saftey measures to keep their asses out of trouble when 1 out of 1,000,000 cars actually starts of fire?

 

Depends on the manufacturer. Some require a cold engine, some require warm.

In all the time I have been washing the engine while it is running, I have never had a fire... But if I did, I wouldn't worry because I have a high pressure hose and lots of water .

 

I like to use that "Gunk" brand they have at autozone. It's like a $1.50, and I spray the whole can on a cold engine, let it sit for 15 minutes, then wash it off with a low pressure garden hose. I only cover the intake filter, and try not to directly spray major electrical components.