hondafreak13

i prefer engine running because its hot and i find it dries faster (less chance of sitting water ie: corrossion). its what works for me lol

shotiable

my old man taught me this so i do it this way. more of a tradition thing. but looking at it now, yeah, its so the water doesnt sit some place too long.

shotiable

also i get nervous because the one time i tried washing with the engine off, it took a little longer to crank and start the car. so i just do it with the engine on.

TOGWT

Engine Compartment Steam Cleaning / Power Washing:
Most engines are rarely so encrusted with automotive residues and dirt that normal, low-pressure degreasing methods fail to provide proper, efficient cleaning. High-pressure engine water / steam cleaning are unnecessary and should be restricted to extreme cleaning jobs, such as commercial trucks, off-road vehicles, etc.

The engine compartment is deigned to resist water ingress, it is not waterproof / watertight. Rain or water splashed up into the engine is at very low pressure, very different from a pressurised hose or steam

High-pressure steam cleaning can force solutions into the engine harness sheath and associated cables, causing unusual problems that would not have occurred otherwise. Once steam is applied to a cold metal surface it condenses and becomes water that may be in a place that it cannot be easily removed from.

Modern vehicle engine harness multi-plugs and related sealing measures are not designed for the discharge velocity and force of typical commercial steam cleaning units. Further, cleaning solutions with the high-pressure discharge can leave conductive and often corrosive residues deep within the harness and cables.

Most engines are rarely so encrusted with automotive residues and dirt that normal, low-pressure degreasing methods fail to provide proper, efficient cleaning. High-pressure engine water / steam cleaning are unnecessary and should be restricted to extreme cleaning jobs, such as commercial trucks, off-road vehicles, etc.


Engine Bay Detailing - http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=11062018&posted=1#post11062018

Emil St-Hilaire

CD 2.

U9aXy6Dn

i've found dousing the bay in meguiar's normal washing shampoo, the nxt tech stuff does the easier jobs, i use a lance on my pressure washer and use lashings of it.

next i spray gunk or an equivalent engine cleaner/grease moving type product in the areas you know you'll never reach and have a build up of unpleasant crap.
agitate the above if necessary/if you can reach/get in there.

i'll let all that settle for a while, a bit of a soak tends to help.

avoid the idiot things like fuse boxes and batteries, then get your lance on full power clean water, pressure wash down the side of the bay and down into the difficult to reach places, then stand back if you want to go over more 'sensitive' areas.

then next thing is to leave the bonnet open in the sun, leave it open to evaporate nicely, then close the bonnet after say, 30 mins but leave the car in the sun.

2 hours or so later, go back with a cloth to remove all the 'puddles'. after that, spray tyre foam top to bottom, all over.

it'll look like new with, what is really, not a lot of effort.

if you want particular items to shine, then concentrate.

Metalhead

[QUOTE=S2KXTC,Feb 25 2003, 08:41 AM] How do you go about cleaning your engine?