i went camping 2 weeks ago and we drove on a dirt road for about 15 miles each way. in the morning i drove home with my truck covered in dew, and the moisture made the dirt stick like glue to my truck. anyways, i washed it when i got home, but then i opened up the hood and everything was WHITE (from the dirt and dust). my question, whats a good way to clean the engine? is it save to hose it down? ive always been a little paranoid to spraying water on my engine, what do i need to cover up to be able to spray it with water? is it safe? or should i just grab a rag and wipe everything off little by little? thanks for the help!

 

on my truck, i cover the open air filter, and use the low pressure rinse, i normally do this every wash, so the engine stays really clean, i even wipe all the excess water off.

 

the only thing that worries me with my truck is that near the left fender on top of the wheel well behind the air box and all that stuff, i have a bunch of wires, and they connect to some thing, and it looks like water could get in there. so if i do this, what will i need to protect? i already know i need to cover the air intake and the distributor. what about the spark plugs? alternator? coil? what else? thanks!

 

My engine shines sparklingly clean as well as every piece of plastic under the hood.

What I use is "Simple Green". It very powerful for breaking down grease and dirt and also bio-degradable. Just spray it on from a water bottle with a 50/50 ratio and let it stand on there for 5 minutes and wash it off with a misting spray from my garden hose.

The only precaution that you MUST take is to cover absolutely every single electrical connection. Remember to cover the PCM connection at the back of the pasenger side engine compartment too.

 

Back before I knew any better, I just covered my K&N air filter and hosed everything else off. I had no problems... maybe I just got lucky or maybe everything else can stand a little water... who knows?

 

GUNK!!! spray it on , let it sit and wash it off with a hose.

 

I just do it by hand with a spray bottle of water and a couple towels. Takes longer, but it's kind of enjoyable so what the hell

later

scott

 

i do the same thing. not because its enjoyable though, but because im afraid i might spray water where im not supposed to if i use a hose.

 

I just used some degreaser. Spray it and let it sit for a couple of mins. Make sure you cover the air filter and the distributors. And as much as possible visible electrical connections. Then just hose it down with some water.

Simple Green mixture works wonders! :tup: