[bdecker1992]

How do you recommend to clean the oil and crud out of the engine bay that happened when my PS pump blew up and splattered everywhere?

 

[Burddog]

A friends kid is one of those "fast and furious" types. Vehicles spotless. He turned me onto Purple Power. Got it at Advance Auto Parts. It did a nice job. If it is thick stuff you can use it straight from the bottle, but you can thin it out if all your doing is getting rid of mud cooked to the engine compartment.

 

[UndergroundTrev]

A pressure washer and Gunk engine degreaser (or similar product). Just make sure your engine is up to temp first and to cover electronics: computer, distributor/coils, etc.

 

[Stubbs60]

...Just make sure your engine is up to temp first...

I disagree with this. Have you ever taken a hot coffee mug and run cold water in it to rinse it out? They can shatter and I'd imagine the same can happen to the engine block. Warm is fine. I don't think full operating temp will be though.

 

[Ron505]

I'll typically spray electrical connections with WD40 first, then lightly mist with water, then mist with Purple Power, then power wash with the wand about 3' above the engine bay. When done, lightly mist all parts except belts, pulleys and such, and wipe clean. And go ahead and spray electrical connections pretty good again.

 

[sjdavis5761]

I disagree with this. Have you ever taken a hot coffee mug and run cold water in it to rinse it out? They can shatter and I'd imagine the same can happen to the engine block. Warm is fine. I don't think full operating temp will be though.

I agree to the above

I used to pressure wash my engine compartment, but with a cold engine

Just use something like Simple Green full strength

Cold water and a hot engine ?

 

[NakedJeeper]

So, when you're running at full temp and hit a deep puddle, your engine might crack open?

I've never worried about it unless the engine was over heating.

 

[CarolinaBound]

So, when you're running at full temp and hit a deep puddle, your engine might crack open?

I've never worried about it unless the engine was over heating.

Beat me to it. I would want the engine cold for cleaning so I don't have to deal with steam and burning myself. Have a handful of creek crossings and plenty of puddles and my block is still in one piece. Take a look at mud trucks. You know they're bouncing off the rev limiter all day long and constantly heating up the motor, then splashing it with cold water and gunk. I'm sure we'd have 1000 threads about the fear of cracking the block if we heard about it happening there.

 

[LenR]

So, when you're running at full temp and hit a deep puddle, your engine might crack open?

Ford 5.0 exhaust manifolds will crack and fall off..... Dad did that on his farm truck from a winter of feeding in the sloppy mud

In the 70's, I was a mechanic at a college, we had a steam cleaner, it was GREAT. It blended soap, water and steam to make a very hot, pretty powerful blast. The nice part, it got things hot enough that they would dry out pretty quickly.

 

[Stubbs60]

So, when you're running at full temp and hit a deep puddle, your engine might crack open? I've never worried about it unless the engine was over heating.

a puddle is different than a continual stream of cold water. There's a lot less water getting on your engine when you drive through a puddle than if you pressure wash the thing.

Also, because I know this is going to be brought up, rain is a different story too. The rain is a gradual exposure (usually) that allows the block to cool slowly.

Energy is defined as work done over time. When you cool something off quickly, it takes a lot more energy than compared to cooling something slowly. Think like pushing a barrel up a ramp, over time, versus picking it strait up the same height. Which one is more strenuous of a task?

All that energy is what can cause the block or exhaust manifold to crack.

 

[tkfx]

Its not rocket science guys. Last week I pulled into my local self-wash, popped the hood open, sprayed degreaser everywhere that was dirty and then closed the hood. I continued to wash the rest of the Jeep, then at the end (when the degreaser had time to work) I popped the hood, pressure washed everything, and wala. Sparkling engine bay. There is not much else to it. Just don't go spraying a ton of water in your intake and you'll be fine.

 

[UndergroundTrev]

I disagree with this. Have you ever taken a hot coffee mug and run cold water in it to rinse it out? They can shatter and I'd imagine the same can happen to the engine block. Warm is fine. I don't think full operating temp will be though.

I would hope your engine block is stronger than a porcelain coffee mug.
I work at a dealer, our guys in the detail department have ruined alternators and other electrical components by washing cold engines. Having the engine warmed up helps the water evaporate faster. As long as you let the degreaser do its job for a while, a few seconds of pressure washing shouldn't snap your engine in half... and if it does you can just buy a shiny new engine and it will look even better than the one you just cleaned! :action-smiley:

 

[jbotelho15]

I cleaned my engine bay yesterday and am quite happy with the results. I also used zero water. I sprayed everything lightly with some "Greased Lightning" and then wiped with a clean rag (went through 4 rags) that stuff melted all the gunk and I just wiped it all off. Sprayed and wiped EVERYTHING even the battery and all just don't soak anything electrical like I said just takes a light spraying.

I also did this with the engine cold.

 

[adiocassette]

I always keep the engine cold, im sure there "probably" wont be an issue cleaning it warm, but not really a need to chance it. Driving thru a puddle in mud trucks is completely different because the motor is hot enough to evaporate that amount of water off pretty quickly. When cleaning you would be rapidly changing the temp. Of the engine from hot to cold because youre dousing the whole thing with cold water.

 

[Stubbs60]

I would hope your engine block is stronger than a porcelain coffee mug. I work at a dealer, our guys in the detail department have ruined alternators and other electrical components by washing cold engines. Having the engine warmed up helps the water evaporate faster. As long as you let the degreaser do its job for a while, a few seconds of pressure washing shouldn't snap your engine in half... and if it does you can just buy a shiny new engine and it will look even better than the one you just cleaned! :action-smiley:

I'm not saying the engine block is as fragile as a coffee mug. Just that it's the same basic principle. The engine block is also a lot hotter than the coffee mug would be. I don't think anyone drinks 200 degree coffee. Or at least I don't.

Also, you mentioned ruining electrical components by washing cold engines. I believe it was already recommended that he cover electrical components wasn't it?

If a dealership wants to get my engine up to operating temperature before they detail it then more power to them. I'd love for them to pay for a shiny new engine. But I won't be taking the chance of that new engine coming out of my own pocket.

 

[Neil F.]

Nothing is going to crack as a result of cold water from a hose! Been washing my hot engines for 30 years.

To FURTHER exemplify the point. Driving in winter. Your engine is fully up to temp. You splash through ice water, did your block explode?

 

[Stubbs60]

... To FURTHER exemplify the point. Driving in winter. Your engine is fully up to temp. You splash through ice water, did your block explode?

Did you read the posts above? The "splashing through a puddle" situation has already been discussed.

 

[Shark_13]

Be careful with Simple Green, it's not 100% safe for aluminum. It can leave marks if left on too long. That being said, I use it all the time

 

[Neil F.]

I'm not saying the engine block is as fragile as a coffee mug. Just that it's the same basic principle. The engine block is also a lot hotter than the coffee mug would be. I don't think anyone drinks 200 degree coffee. Or at least I don't.

Also, you mentioned ruining electrical components by washing cold engines. I believe it was already recommended that he cover electrical components wasn't it?

If a dealership wants to get my engine up to operating temperature before they detail it then more power to them. I'd love for them to pay for a shiny new engine. But I won't be taking the chance of that new engine coming out of my own pocket.

Right here you are expressing concern over cold water and hot engine. My engine and many others have been submerged while at full temp (including ice water during the the the above pictured run)

Did you read the posts above? The "splashing through a puddle" situation has already been discussed.

 

[Stubbs60]

Right here you are expressing concern over cold water and hot engine. My engine and many others have been submerged while at full temp (including ice water during the the the above pictured run)

I'm not saying it's guaranteed to happen. I'm not even saying it's likely. I'm just saying, the chemistry and physics behind it are proven and that I personally am not going to risk it if I don't have to.