Car Wash: Cleaning Engine Bay?

[imported_flyer]

At the carwash, you can turn the knob, to a light spray to clean the engine bay.



Would it be harmfull to do that?

[Jademonkey]

If you are going to clean the engine bay, you must be sure to cover ANY exposed wires and a few other things that I cannot remember.

It also depends on the car. Mine has most things covered already, so all I need to do is cover my intake, but other cars have multiple things that need to be covered.

When I say covered, you can use things like a bag with an elastic around it, or pretty much anything that will keep the water out

[imported_flyer]

I don`t recall any open wires, though I`ll take a look again, I have a 98 Nissan Maxima.

[Jademonkey]

Hopefully someone with a maxima can chime in here and provide a little more help. I believe Prinz has one, and a few others.

[Accumulator]

flyer- See if anyone chimes in with Maxima-specific advice. My general experience has been that as long as you don`t really BLAST things that obviously shouldn`t get wet, you`ll be OK. As Jademonkey said, pretty much any method of blocking the water (or even just lessening the force of its impact) will work on things you DO want to protect. I`ve had good luck with aluminum foil, but I usually just let things get a little wet. FWIW, I use a mild spray from my hose to rinse down the engine bays of my cars with almost every wash, and I can`t remember EVER having had a problem. Running the car afterwards seems to dry up any water that I don`t towel off.

[Preachers Sheets]

Accumulator - I have done the same as you, maybe even worse. I used to spray anything in my engine bay, fuses, electrical stuff and anything else. I never covered anything and I never had a problem but I have been told that over time the moisture will seep in past seals and there is a decent chance you may have problems.



Just not worth the risk to me, I don`t spray anything anymore without covering everything else I don`t want to get wet.



Chances are nothing will happen but something COULD happen, is it worth the risk to you ;)

[boywonder]

Considering that Maximas (mine included) have a lot of electronics in the engines, there are items that are going to need to be covered like the fuse boxes and the wiring. Be particularly careful around the MAF sensor (around the throttle).



If you have a CAI (Cold Air intake) you are definitely going to have to cover that.

[Lowejackson]

Cleaning the engine should not really be a problem, but the PO of my car did not do it right and it cost me a lot of money to fix the problems caused by blasting electrical parts with water.



Aim the jet at the engine block and never directly at electrical stuff and you wont go far wrong.



Steven

[Accumulator]

flyer- I`d go by what PrinzII said, he`s the Maxima guy!



joed1228 & Lowejackson- Doing it sure isn`t risk-free! MAYBE I`ve been lucky, maybe (much more likely) I`m more careful than I sound :nixweiss. They XJS hasn`t had any problems after 18 years of doing it...I`m guessing I don`t get things as wet as it sounds. Also, I bet a lot of it is vehicle-specific. My more "modern" cars have everything pretty well sealed up anyhow, nothing to get very dirty, nothing to get very wet when cleaning. You`re right, it`s best to just cover the stuff that should stay dry. Now watch me suddenly have a bunch of underhood electrical problems the next time I DON`T cover things :o

[Thomasfl]

cover your distributor cap and make sure you don`t get anything in the air filter, I use aluminum foil because I can shape it over it. After you finish, turn on the engine for a few minutes which dry everything out.

[BumpersPlus2]

I use the foil trick, spray multipurpose cleaner, start engine, and spray. Works 99% of the time. The other 1% have problems with older ford and chevy trucks getting water in distributor. Blow it out with air, good as new.

[boywonder]

If you have an intake like a Frankencar or a JWT Pop Charger, cover that as well.



(This thread is reminding me that I need to clean my K&N Drop in) :D

[chris0626]

I don`t understand how you folks clean the engine while running it. I detail it piece-by-piece and section-by-section, which means I have my head and hands all over the place. So -- to avoid any risk of electrical shock -- I disconnect the battery before I start. :nixweiss

[ClimberGuy4]

While we`re on the subject (though maybe this should be in the pro section), what does everyone think of detailing engine bays on customers cars. If you didn`t know your way around another car`s bay, would you wash it with water or just spot clean. I don`t know what to do, as I want the customer to get his money`s worth without risking any damage. The last car I did was a suburban, and after detailing the engine, and starting it up, it made a loud screeching sound. It was fine after that, but needless to say, I was more than a little shocked.

[sarilion]

Originally posted by subterfuge

While we`re on the subject (though maybe this should be in the pro section), what does everyone think of detailing engine bays on customers cars. If you didn`t know your way around another car`s bay, would you wash it with water or just spot clean. I don`t know what to do, as I want the customer to get his money`s worth without risking any damage. The last car I did was a suburban, and after detailing the engine, and starting it up, it made a loud screeching sound. It was fine after that, but needless to say, I was more than a little shocked.



You prolly got the belt(s) wet. When wet, they slip, and screech. Losing energy to heat, they quickly dry.



I`ve used the pressure washer at DIY carwashes to hose down my engine bay, but I first sprayed it liberally with Simply Green. A scrub brush would be handy too.