Engine Cleaning


kamps989

kamps989

15+ Year Member

⭐Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2008
Messages
228
Points
3,101
City
St. Paul, Minnesota
Vehicle Year
2011
Transmission
Automatic
My engine is rather filthy and it's driving me nuts. Am I cool to spray it down with the hose as long as the engine is cool? or am I gonna F up my alternator or something? otherwise how should I go about this? thanks!
 
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I used a pressure washer on the 2 93 2.3's I picked up.

My 2000 stays pretty clean from regular attention.

Wet the whole engine bay with a hose, spray Simple Green or other degreaser, let soak a minute, then hit it with the pressure washer. Obviously don't needle spray anything sensitive, alternator, etc. Frankly, as long as it isn't a hot engine and you don't plan to start it up right away, I'd douche the whole shebang with the pressure washer. Didn't hurt a thing when I did it.

There are other engine cleaning products out there (Gunk, Engine Brite, etc.). It's up to you.
 
Hell, I clean my engine hot and running. Yeah, don't blast directly at the alternator or any electrical connections as you can force water past the seals, but everything else will be fine.

I don't use degreaser, I just use pressurized water. I wash it about once a month or two, so not much buildup to remove.

Do not pressure-wash your ac condensor core. Those paper-thin fins will lay over in a hearbeat and are a pain in the ass to comb back out.
 
I leave mine dirty.... i figure if the dirts holding something together why would i want to break it loose? haha.
 
Has anyone ever used hot water from say a water heater to help remove everything.

I was thinking of warming up my engine just a little bit, spraying it down with warm/hot water. spraying degreaser on it. letting it sit 5-10 min and then spraying it down with more hot/warm water. I dont have access to a pressure washer so that is out of the question.
 
97ranger4x4 said:
Has anyone ever used hot water from say a water heater to help remove everything.

I was thinking of warming up my engine just a little bit, spraying it down with warm/hot water. spraying degreaser on it. letting it sit 5-10 min and then spraying it down with more hot/warm water. I dont have access to a pressure washer so that is out of the question.
Click to expand...

do you have a hose with a nozzle?
 
yeh my hose has several different settings. I just remember on my dads power washer he has this thing that is almost made for steam washing something.
 
i know i recommend B12 alot but seriously, get the spray can and hit the engine with it...shit just runs off of it...youll smell it on the manifold for awhile but it will be clean...or tire foam i used it alot on my dodge on the plastic stuff or rubber stuff shines it up real good
 
i dont see anything wrong with using the steam cleaner if you are careful. The pressure washers that i have used have been kerosene fired heatexchangers with gas pumps. A very good cleaning combination.

Like everyone else said, just be mindful of seals and electronics.
 
i cover things like my coil, my alternator, and my distributor cap with a plastic bag and rubber band. not because it will damage them immediately, but because it's an easy thing to do and if it helps, sweet! then you don't have to worry!
 
You can spray over your coils and stuff like that (dont go crazy). Your connections are protected by seals and also di-electric grease if you put it on them like your supposed to. Its good to wash the engine, It makes leaks easier to find and not to mention are you gonna want to pull any parts off of a dirty engine and risk getting dirt and crap in your oil system. (it only takes a few grains of dirt to destroy a bearing) I must say though, trying to clean off the intake manifold under the plenum is a pain, you want to be careful and your not gonna get all the dirt out of there.
 
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Castrol Super Clean. Let it soak 30 mins. Hot water from the hot water tank and a garden hose. Spotless.
 
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