I've heard of people doing it but I don't know about just hosing my engine bay down. It needs a good cleaning and wonder what most people use. Steam seemed to be a better method than just dousing car car's engine with water (even if you cover up the electrical parts)

 

Mine is pretty clean and all I do is spray things down occasionally with the hose. Sometimes I start it up then spray with it running and other times I just spray without running. If it is pretty dirty then you may need the foamy emgine cleaner you can get at your local parts store but once clean it is quite simple to maintain. Of course I have lots of water spots so it is dull in there, but it is pretty much grease free.

I never spray it immediately after driving, I dont want to risk poeeibly cracking or warping anything in there. I will sometimes spray it down after it has had some time to cool a bit like 30-45 minutes. When it is warm the dirt and oil comes off easier.

 

Yeah I just literally wash it when it is cold. Hose everything, no problems. If you have aftermarket intake then you might want to cover up the filters if the hose can get them wet.

 

Simple Green works well too. Spray it on and hose off, for stubborn grease, try wiping it with some rags.

 

Before I polished some parts in my engine bay I used gunk and sprayed it down...let it sit for a while and then use the power washer at the car wash and sprayed the **** out of it...Just avoid spraying directly on electrical connections...Now that I have the polished aluminum and cone intakes I spray it down with the power washer but with water only and just spray around the intakes. A lot of those engine degreasers will etch and leave marks in polished aluminum. if your stuff is polished then wipe it down and dry it off before that water bakes on there and leaves water marks....It's a biatch to get out.

I can't remember what degreaser I used the first time before I polished everything but it left all these dark spots on the UIM...

Here's a pic
Stock Washed Bay

If you have your stuff polished then just wipe it down right after you finish...
A Now Washed Bay

 

which section(s) do i need to cover other that the electrical wires??

 

I don't cover anything...just don't spray directly on the connections...stuff like where the 02pump and alternator plug in...it can get wet, just don't be balstin the **** out of the harness. Also if you have open intakes don't spray the cones.

 

my car is on the jack stand... turbo's are out... and cleaned... now i need to carefully cover the turbo-engine side and scrub them clean... just in case water goes in there... hehehe

 

I typically pop off the filters and plug up the pipe with a t-shirt or something. It's all about the pressure washer and some good cleaner or degreaser. I spray, let sit for about 5 min then power off the crap. Obviously don't directly hit any connections. Your belt might squeal for a bit, so nothing to worry about.

 

When I bought mine it was dirty. I sprayed alot of degreaser in there waited 10 mins and then went to work with a brush. Sprayed it off with a water hose, and let it run for 10 mins...shiny. You can also put some black magic or other tire shine on the plastic peices. I used Mothers Back to Black for the hoses and airbox.

 

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...threadid=84187

 

Warning: I used an engine degreaser that sprayed out the can really fast. It splashed up onto the black plastic bit at the bottom of the windshield (what's that called?), and faded it in spots. Make sure the degreaser you use doesn't squirt out too fast.