School me please.........

[Billy Jack]

Don`t overthink it, Ron. I`ve only been hanging around detail forums for 5 years or so, but I`ve been in the retail car business since the mid 70`s, when just about every used car on the lot had a points-type ignition. The wiring itself is quite durable, even at age 40. The plastic connectors and vacuum hoses in close proximity to engine heat are much more likely to be fragile. Just follow a couple simple guidelines and you`ll be fine:
Always work with a cold engine. Avoid any water pressure higher than hose pressure and stay away from hot water. Cover the carb, of course and wrap the alternator with plastic wrap or foil, as the vents there are large. Covering the distributor and wires is really not necessary if you have pressurized air available. As we always state, use the least aggressive method. In this case APC first (I prefer the citrus-based products), mineral spirits for grease or undercoat removal if you need more cleaning power and it`s not a "grease pencil mark" resto and lacquer thinner as an absolute last resort for stubborn stains on unpainted stuff. Divide the engine compartment into quarters or halves and focus on one area at a time, all the nooks, crannies, wires and hoses, using whatever brush fits the area, then rinse and move on. Don`t be afraid to scrub on the wires, but as I said earlier, be gentle around the connectors. Mechanics hand cleaner and a brush works wonders on greasy wires if APC`s not getting it done. Once you`re all done and rinsed, blow it all dry and don`t be stingy with the air. If you`re really worried, undo the distributor cap and blow it out also, but cold water on a cold engine is unlikely to cause any condensation inside. Remove any covers, apply your desired dressings and/or polishes, then fire it up.
You`re fussy enough on your newer stuff that I`m sure you`ll do well.

Bill

[Ronkh]

Don`t overthink it, Ron. I`ve only been hanging around detail forums for 5 years or so, but I`ve been in the retail car business since the mid 70`s, when just about every used car on the lot had a points-type ignition. The wiring itself is quite durable, even at age 40. The plastic connectors and vacuum hoses in close proximity to engine heat are much more likely to be fragile. Just follow a couple simple guidelines and you`ll be fine:
Always work with a cold engine. Avoid any water pressure higher than hose pressure and stay away from hot water. Cover the carb, of course and wrap the alternator with plastic wrap or foil, as the vents there are large. Covering the distributor and wires is really not necessary if you have pressurized air available. As we always state, use the least aggressive method. In this case APC first (I prefer the citrus-based products), mineral spirits for grease or undercoat removal if you need more cleaning power and it`s not a "grease pencil mark" resto and lacquer thinner as an absolute last resort for stubborn stains on unpainted stuff. Divide the engine compartment into quarters or halves and focus on one area at a time, all the nooks, crannies, wires and hoses, using whatever brush fits the area, then rinse and move on. Don`t be afraid to scrub on the wires, but as I said earlier, be gentle around the connectors. Mechanics hand cleaner and a brush works wonders on greasy wires if APC`s not getting it done. Once you`re all done and rinsed, blow it all dry and don`t be stingy with the air. If you`re really worried, undo the distributor cap and blow it out also, but cold water on a cold engine is unlikely to cause any condensation inside. Remove any covers, apply your desired dressings and/or polishes, then fire it up.
You`re fussy enough on your newer stuff that I`m sure you`ll do well.

Bill

Thank you

[Bunky]

Engines scare me. I always feel like I will be the 1 in 10000 and water gets into some place even after being careful and then engine issues.

[tropicsteve]

Might try a product called "Gunk" here`s a link for your research; GUNK® Clean + Protect

gunk has been around forever and is still my favorite. brake/parts cleaner is a more solvent based, but can really cut through the heavier grease. definitely avoid the more harsh carb cleaners.

P.S. - OMG no a/c in Florida? (not that there`s any room for an install in that beast)

[ShawnF350]

When I did my first engine on my 75 Catalina, I used the Gunk Foaming engine cleaner .
When rinsing off I start the engine and gently hose down small areas at a time. I was told to do that so if she starts to run rough or stall I knew what got wet. You`ll even find a bad ign wire that way.
Or you leave the engine off and wonder why it won`t start when done .

Stay away from the alternator with the hose.
I do this even on all my newer cars too. I just try not to spray water on large harness plugs.
Ill also sprinkle baking soda gently on top of the sealed battery to remove any residual acid.

[JSFM35X]

Polish Angel engine is a waterless way to clean your engine. It`s a supper effective cleaner ever for very soiled areas. Spray on adjatate and wipe off. Use throw away MF or rags the first round. I used a combo of uber lug brushes and a tips the first time and a ton of throw away MF. After that maintenance is easy. Just a quick spray and wipe.

Gotta look into it

[XxBoostinxX]

Polish Angel engine is a waterless way to clean your engine. It`s a supper effective cleaner ever for very soiled areas. Spray on adjatate and wipe off. Use throw away MF or rags the first round. I used a combo of uber lug brushes and a tips the first time and a ton of throw away MF. After that maintenance is easy. Just a quick spray and wipe.

Sounds a lot like Blackfire AIO.

[RDKC]

gunk has been around forever and is still my favorite. brake/parts cleaner is a more solvent based, but can really cut through the heavier grease. definitely avoid the more harsh carb cleaners.

Only problem with brake cleaner is that it is very harsh on plastic, rubber, vinyl, paint, pretty much anything that`s not bare metal. I prefer a good degreaser over brake clean for most things.

[Ronkh]

Used to use brake cleaner to clean my guns, till I got plastic......

[JSFM35X]

This engine products is like a degreaser, heavy duty crud cutter, and. Mild protectant all warped up in one product.

Also great for abused door jams and hinges.

Sounds a lot like Blackfire AIO.

[Stokdgs]

Im with Troy Sherer - "I aint scared of no wires"...

It it was me, it would be Meguiars Super Degreaser, sprayed over entire compartment, under hood, not on any hood insulation, fenderwells, everything, let it sit for a few mins and then pressure wash it all off...
An amazing amount of dirt and grease will come off easily.. This product is low foaming and rinses off really well..

Just because its a pressure washer doesnt mean you have to hold it right up against the parts... You can hold it farther back and still get good results, experiment with this...
I have never hurt an engine, compartment, wiring, anything, doing it this way, for decades...

Of course old school engines, need to put a plastic bag or something over the air cleaner and try to fit something over the distributor as best you can..

Worst thing that can happen - you get some condensation in the inside of the distributor cap and have to pop the 2 holders out, lift it up and wipe it dry with a towel and it will be fine...
If the engine is overnight cool to begin with, there is less chance of getting any condensation under the cap..
All Ford engines were notorious for getting wet under the cap - Chevrolet, not so much, but if it doesnt start up, I would look there first...

All engines get wet in the rain under the hood from water coming in through the radiator and from underneath and through the openings below the fenderwells...

I would also do it and then leave the hood open while you wash off the rest of the car, then come back and blow out the entire compartment, especially the engine as best you can, and then start it up and let it dry some places you cant get to ....
A little ride down the freeway will also help if you think you need it..
Good luck !
Dan F

[GearHead_1]

Just because its a pressure washer doesnt mean you have to hold it right up against the parts... You can hold it farther back and still get good results, experiment with this... I have never hurt an engine, compartment, wiring, anything, doing it this way, for decades...

Ron, Dan is saying pretty much what we were talking about earlier. He`s one of those "Old Dogs" you can bank on.

[GearHead_1]

Used to use brake cleaner to clean my guns, till I got plastic......

Simple Green on Glocks and AR`s, it gets metal that squeaky clean you can feel with your finger. I have a friend that told me when he went through basic training they`d send them to the showers with their M16`s, a brush and a bottle of Simple Green. Thought that was funny.

[RDKC]

Simple Green on Glocks and AR`s, it gets metal that squeaky clean you can feel with your finger. I have a friend that told me when he went through basic training they`d send them to the showers with their M16`s, a brush and a bottle of Simple Green. Thought that was funny.

I took my M4 to the shower every day in Iraq. Rinsed all the dirt/sand off broke it open overnight and let it dry while I slept. They go together fast enough for those short nights. I don`t know that I`d use simple green on my guns... I love Simple Green but things have their place. Plus, to my knowledge, Simple Green doesn`t break down the copper an carbon deposits. I don`t really clean my Glock anyway, brush it off and a couple smudges of FrogLube on the slide and that`s all. Just my $0.02.

[GearHead_1]

Simple Green and a Bore Snake works very well for regular maintanence cleanings in both the applications I`ve mentioned. I`m speaking from the mindeset that says if you take it out and put 100 rounds through it, field strip it, clean it. If you`re putting enough rounds down the pipe to have sigificant copper fouling no doubt a dedicated cleaner would be appropriate. I`ve seen experiments where 25,000 rounds have been run through an AR with nothing more than a spot of oil from time to time, it kept running until the bolt carrier cracked. This is not the type of maintenance of which I speak. American Gunsmith Institue is fairly well known and equally as well respected as a Gun Smith trainer. AGI and others make the Simple Green recommendation on Glocks. I`ve tried it, it works. YMMV but you won`t know until you give it a shot. Ha, "give it shot", I crack myself up.