can i wash under the hood?

[Pte Socks]

this may seem like a dumb question.. but do you guys advize cleaning under the hood of your car at a regular self serve car wash with the hose or anything?

[martopg]

I'd also like to know. I have a K&N cylinder filter on my car... should I wrap that up if I spray the engine bay? Any other parts that need to be kept totally dry? Any other advice on cleaning this part of the car? Thanks!

[99GrandAMSE]

I do it all the time, no problems; however, I wouldn't 'hold' full bore pressure continuously onto any electrical components ... just use common sense and you will be fine ... in regards to the 'open' cylindrical filter typically used as CAI, if it were mine, I would probably wrap it in a plastic bag or something to keep it from getting soaked then possibly allowing the engine to suck in water :(

[DominionTuner]

I wrap my filter in 2 plastic bags. A little water won't hurt your motor, most likely it will dissiptate before it reaches the combustion chamber. But I usually pressure wash my motor so its a good idea to protect your filter anyway. Just be sure that you don't spray water into any resiviours, such as, your oil filler, power steering filler, brake fluid resiviour stuff like that. To play it safe, wash your motor when its cold, not after its been driven, our cars have a lot of alluminum parts on them, changing tempature from hot to cold rapidly can cause damage to the alloy and can lead to it breaking.

[Snipe33]

A fleet mechanic I know hits engines with the pressure washer.....but avoids electrical component direct hits (alternator, etc.)

[martopg]

Hey thanks for all the advice guys... I just hosed down my engine with the special engine cleaner stuff at one of those DIY car washes (covering my filter) and it's really clean now :) Here's a pic for ya guys...

[HondaCivicsSuck]

looking good buddy :agree:

[Snipe33]

Wow! Looks brand-spanking-new! :eek:

[SC/TGrandAm]

wow very clean! looking good.

i use simple green on my engine and it does a good job too.

[akgrandam]

Make sure that you dont get any water inside of the fusebox under the hood. The cap on mine wasn't screwed down all the way and some water got in there and made my car go ape shit for about 2 hours. Stuff would come on without the key even in the ignition. I'd put a piece of plastic or a towel over it if you are gonna wash your engine all the time, I used to wash it every time I cleaned my car, but I've cut back since that little incident. :D

[Dallas_95GT]

I go to the car wash and use that engine degreaser, and then hose it off with high pressure (avoiding the electrical of course!) Girlfriend bought me some of that CD2 engine detailer, WOW! That stuff works! I think my engine is cleaner than my car 1/2 the time! Stupid dirt roads.... :mad:

[sunrunner_pei]

That CD2 stuff is amazing, isn't it, Dallas. :)

[Dallas_95GT]

Originally posted by sunrunner_pei
That CD2 stuff is amazing, isn't it, Dallas. :)

Yeah! I was really surprised. I wasn't sure if it'd make it look "greasy" instead of clean. Looks awesome!

[Bogeystar]

If you really want a clean engine, get the portable steam cleaner from Sears ($99 USD). It works GREAT!

Rock on Ass Heads! :rockdude:

[flyerhawk1085]

Heres a trick: Spray a little 409 or such solution on the main components, just try to avoid electrical parts. The stuff works like a charm, then just rinse.:cool:

[navybluese00]

I wash my engine frequently with Simple Green and my garden hose. It works well, and it keeps the dust and dirt from building up too much.

[Speedbag]

Originally posted by navybluese00
I wash my engine frequently with Simple Green and my garden hose. It works well, and it keeps the dust and dirt from building up too much.

I was all about Simple Green until I found this stuff called "Orange Blast". It's from the makers of "Greased-Lightning". This stuff works even better! And at $2.99 for a jumbo bottle, it's a steal.