Washing the Engine Advice please

[jac12]

I have been looking at youtube clips of cleaning the engine. and they hose it down. Now i would be worried about putting water all over my engine as I thought it was not meant to get wet what with the battree in there and so on. So cananyone give me some advise on this please

 

[oldhammer]

Elbow grease and rags,

no need for hosepipe,

 

[MitchB121]

Just take your time and be careful around the electronics.

On my Jet Wash my Nozzle can be twisted to regulate the pressure for delicate areas, I always turn it to it's minimum pressure for engine bays.

If your engine bay is really dirty and covered in grime then I'd suggest using an All Purpose Cleaner or Degreaser, some small detailing brushes and some elbow grease. However if it's just a little dusty then you can just use some detailing spray on the plastics and other areas and wipe with a microfibre cloth.

 

[jac12]

Thanks I decided to spray with de-greaser and clean off with a cloth. I used a tooth brush to remove small bits of dirt. and i spayed everything with maintenance spray. I also decided to do wheel arches . took out loads of dirt from the two back ones. buushed and cleaned them and the springs then sprayed springs and other with maintenance spray .Is it ok to spay everything with maintenance spray ? lol anyway this is the dirt i got out the back arches

 

[oldhammer]

The trouble here is with hosepipe,
water can splash even with taking care not too,

ecu or fuse box wont like it , cost to fix will be aweeks wage & a bus pass its your gamble,

 

[jac12]

As i just sprayed it on and cleaned it off with a cloth. can i ask if you leave any degreaser in the engine , ie if i missed a bit when cleaning it off. is this safe? it wont corse a fire if i left a bit will it? :shrug:

 

[s and b]

i will wash an engine off
engine cold so no catastrophic thermal shocks
i use g101 from autosmart diluted to 15% through a pressurised applicator
let it do its work
then run round with a small brush with gloves on so no blood
i then wash off with hose pipe followed by blowing out all electrical connections
i never go down back of engine and i never put any water in the alternator
i then run engine up to temp and finish off with a plastic rejuvenator on all plastics again from autosmart

caveat umpar
i wont use traffic film remover as its very caustic and had me in hospital 20 years ago

 

[oldhammer]

As i just sprayed it on and cleaned it off with a cloth. can i ask if you leave any degreaser in the engine , ie if i missed a bit when cleaning it off. is this safe? it wont corse a fire if i left a bit will it? :shrug:

shouid be ok mate,

it will just burn off, make sure you wear hazmat suit and breathing aparatus when driving punto, for atleast 3weeks,

we have to abide by H&S here,

 

[Andy Monty]

Take car with G101 its not overly aluminium friendly due to the SODIUM HYDROXIDE content and can tarnish untreated aluminum if left to dry / used at too higher strength..


I favour bilt hamber surfex for all dirty bits on the car I spray all over cold engine brush all over keeping it damp with a rose on a watering can


then rinse with a watering can with a fine rose with the engine running avoiding excessively soaking of fuse box alternator etc

then mist libberally with autoglym vinyl and rubber care and leave engine ticking over or go for a drive to dry it out




as for the underside surfex a brush and a pressure washer usually do the job
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=236423

as for maintenance spray avoid suspension rubbers and brake components and hoses.....

 

[jac12]

these are the ones i used . thats my day out shoping yesterday lol

 

[oldhammer]

these are the ones i used . thats my day out shoping yesterday lol

good stuff,

Nice cat btw. burmese blue?

 

[jac12]

Thanks ,shes a cross between a british blue and a persian whats the best spray to spray on nuts, bolts and any bits i want to protect from rust ?

 

[oldhammer]

Thanks ,shes a cross between a british blue and a persian whats the best spray to spray on nuts, bolts and any bits i want to protect from rust ?

3 in 1 oil, in spray form does the job, Asda/tesco',