washing your engine bay is it really safe to do so , and if so what measures do u take to not mess up your engine, ....
Washing your engine bay
gregb
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But apparently the Swiss officials are OK with mounting a WOOD-BURNING STOVE inside your car:The test is quite cheap, it's around 50 USD (depending on the canton, +-), if you have a brand new car you do the test every 4 years until it reaches 10 years and from that moment you do it every 2 years. They do emissions, checking wheels (stock wheels are must OR license for another type of wheels), tinted windows - you have to have a permit, any modification on the car visual or mechanical, you have to show a permit or paperwork from authorized dealer... The check is VERY strict, many cars failing it require job in the thousands of USD to bring it up to specs so usually those cars are sold to dealers who than sell it in Africa/Eastern Europe... Nothing wrong with the car, just not up to swiss standards!
Swiss man replaces car's broken heater with a fully functioning wood burning stove | Metro.co.uk
Washing
In my experience with engines , gasoline engines, I would never wash them with water. Water mixes with salt and dirt and then becomes a great conductor of electrical energy at most voltage levels.
You can clean the battery cowlings and paintwork but do not wash the engine. The residue will get into the sparking areas and short out the ignition.
If your intent is to clean for clean sake use CCL4 carbon tetrachloride or get contact cleaners in a spray. These chemicals will remove dirt and leave no film. The left behind film on electrical devices is a danger
DO NOT INTENTIONALLY PUT LIQUID WATER IN THE ENGINE BAY, the costs to remove it is high as water evaporates and re-condenses and there is a great possibility of a clean engine that simply will not work.
Water under pressure by even a garden hose can get in places that will wreak havoc. HT leads cannot withstand water at all and should be wiped down 2x a year because condensed water yapor helps break down the dielectrics of the cables.
Don't wash down that engine bay unless you do it right.
In my experience with engines , gasoline engines, I would never wash them with water. Water mixes with salt and dirt and then becomes a great conductor of electrical energy at most voltage levels.
You can clean the battery cowlings and paintwork but do not wash the engine. The residue will get into the sparking areas and short out the ignition.
If your intent is to clean for clean sake use CCL4 carbon tetrachloride or get contact cleaners in a spray. These chemicals will remove dirt and leave no film. The left behind film on electrical devices is a danger
DO NOT INTENTIONALLY PUT LIQUID WATER IN THE ENGINE BAY, the costs to remove it is high as water evaporates and re-condenses and there is a great possibility of a clean engine that simply will not work.
Water under pressure by even a garden hose can get in places that will wreak havoc. HT leads cannot withstand water at all and should be wiped down 2x a year because condensed water yapor helps break down the dielectrics of the cables.
Don't wash down that engine bay unless you do it right.
FWIW, I've never cleaned the engine compartment of my 1994 Toyota 4x4 V6 pickup. By the time I sold it in 2008 with nearly 300,000 miles on the odometer the engine still ran just fine. The guy I sold the truck to still drives it today.
I have always kept my engine/engine compartment clean on my vehicles. I use GUNK Foamy on a warm engine (not hot), let it sit for about 10 minutes, and then rinse with water. Of course it is prudent to keep water off of electrical parts. Lastly, I run the engine to operating temperature to evaporate any residual water.
This particular V-6 does not make a mess of itself - I have very little oil leakage. Most of what I clean is winter road debris such as grit/small gravel, road salt and mag chloride used for snow/ice melt on the roads.
My engines look almost as good as a new one. A little cleaning along the way (I always wipe down under the hood after I wash my vehicles) eliminates the need for a big cleaning effort down the road. Also, it aids in pinpointing leaks and the source/origin of the leak; this was instrumental with my RAV water pump replacement. I also believe that a mechanic likes working on an engine that is clean vice an oil encrusted, debris laden mess.
This particular V-6 does not make a mess of itself - I have very little oil leakage. Most of what I clean is winter road debris such as grit/small gravel, road salt and mag chloride used for snow/ice melt on the roads.
My engines look almost as good as a new one. A little cleaning along the way (I always wipe down under the hood after I wash my vehicles) eliminates the need for a big cleaning effort down the road. Also, it aids in pinpointing leaks and the source/origin of the leak; this was instrumental with my RAV water pump replacement. I also believe that a mechanic likes working on an engine that is clean vice an oil encrusted, debris laden mess.
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Per the 2012 owners manual, Sec 4-1. Maintenance and Care
When washing the vehicle
Do not apply water to the inside of the engine compartment. Doing so may cause the electrical components etc. to catch fire.
When washing the vehicle
Do not apply water to the inside of the engine compartment. Doing so may cause the electrical components etc. to catch fire.
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I have always washed my engine compartment every time I wash my car. but really all I do is wipe down the engine with a cloth and it always looks new.
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Addendum: Bring it to a dealership and let us do it for $$$$.
Seriously, that warning, like many in the owners manual, is put in there purely as a matter of course to protect Toyota from the plethora of dough heads that act without thinking or researching on how to do something properly and just go at it like a fnckin' cowboy. In any case, water is exactly what Toyota uses on pre-owned vehicles when outwardly cleaning the engine . They get in there and go to school.... as I was told by my dealer upon buying my '09. And they don't cover the electrical hubs or connectors either.
If you're really worried about electrical fire (???) remove the battery first. If you're still worried, wrap any electrical hubs (attached to their connectors) in strips of GLAD Press & Seal, that kitchen wrap with the tacky surface on one side. Works like tape and plastic wrap in one, and no water gets in! Cling Film
Have done my 09 and my previous 06 with spray store-bought degreaser and wrapped connectors, and rinsing via garden hose, and no problemo. NOTE: for the '06 RAV4 the battery remained in; 09 RAV4, I took the battery out. No diff really, but better safe than sorry I guess.
However, to that end the results were mixed. I really only saw about a 20 percent improvement as baked on dust and road crud is NOT coming off via basic spray degreaser and flushing with a garden hose. As those previous Youtube videos showed, you either need a concentrated jet spray to blast off the caked dust, a chip brush, and or a good hand toweling. And as another owner previously suggest.. I think warm - hot water would definitely help.
One day I was spraying the tires of my 1989 Toyota truck that I paid under book value for at $7000 with tire foam. I beat the crap out of that truck 4wheeling all the time. I had the bright idea to spray in the wheel wells with tire foam. Know what? Looked fantastic. It dissolved all the gunk and grime and left them beautifully clean. Then I thought, what about under the engine, I could easily hit all the hoses and plastics that are under there. Same thing only not only did the hoses and plastics look good, all the dirt, oils, and grease dissolved and disappeared too! I started spraying everything with tire foam. Under the hood, the chassis, the transmission, the drivetrain.
Guess what happened? I've had the truck now for about a year and a half and I was 4wheeling and the truck was literally covered top to bottom in mud. 3 days later, I totaled the truck. Book value was now $7000, what I paid a year and a half ago. I received a 3 page list of added value for condition of the truck. Paint, interior, glass, wheels, tires, engine bay, drivetrain, chassis, transmission, a 3 page list of "extra clean" condition with a monetary amount listed. 3 days ago it was completely covered in mud, 3 days later I had a check for $8800 and a list of $1800 worth of extra value because of how clean it was.
I now always spray under the hood and the undercarriage with tire foam. It does better than the foam engine degreasers. I don't even spray anything off with the hose. I open the hood, spray down with STP tire foam, close the hood and let it sit a while before I drive it. Note, it will all run off and onto your driveway staining whatever kind of driveway you have. I don't care in my gravel driveway, but if you have a big fancy house with a fancy driveway, you may not want to do it there.
Guess what happened? I've had the truck now for about a year and a half and I was 4wheeling and the truck was literally covered top to bottom in mud. 3 days later, I totaled the truck. Book value was now $7000, what I paid a year and a half ago. I received a 3 page list of added value for condition of the truck. Paint, interior, glass, wheels, tires, engine bay, drivetrain, chassis, transmission, a 3 page list of "extra clean" condition with a monetary amount listed. 3 days ago it was completely covered in mud, 3 days later I had a check for $8800 and a list of $1800 worth of extra value because of how clean it was.
I now always spray under the hood and the undercarriage with tire foam. It does better than the foam engine degreasers. I don't even spray anything off with the hose. I open the hood, spray down with STP tire foam, close the hood and let it sit a while before I drive it. Note, it will all run off and onto your driveway staining whatever kind of driveway you have. I don't care in my gravel driveway, but if you have a big fancy house with a fancy driveway, you may not want to do it there.
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Another forum member on another thread previously expounded the virtues of using tire foam. May have been you.
In any case the logic seems sound.... tire foam loosens brake dust so why not road dust? I have picked up some STP Tire Foam and will give it a try, hitting in an around the radiator area mainly as that seems to be dust collection city. But as I have discovered, previously owning an I4 and now a V6, the V6 has a helluva a lot less "sprayable" or "cleanable" area (at least from the top down) due to the engine size taken up by (excuse me if I naming it incorrectly) the manifold area, under the plastic cover hood.
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Tried the STP Tire foam today and got decent results. Not factory clean, but impressive. The only issue... and it's a big one... is that the STP tire foam sprays only in an outward circular pattern (ie.. if you spray it downwards onto the ground and keep spraying it forms a volcano like shape - not a lot in the center lots on the outer spray zone). The lack of center spray makes it a pain to get it down into the engine bay as 80% of the foam never makes it down there and just foams up on the surface parts. I even tried attaching a narrow tube to the nozzle but the foam is too thick and clogs before it gets through the nozzle shaft.
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333 Posts
I used to clean my engine room 3 times with a form spray about 10 years ago and stopped.
because I realized it was just a waste of time and takes risk mostly for cosmetic reason.
Even I cleaned it, no one saw my crystal clearly shampooed engine room
except me and mechanics only if I go to a garage.
Not my children, wife or friends
and it gets dirt again and again.
because I realized it was just a waste of time and takes risk mostly for cosmetic reason.
Even I cleaned it, no one saw my crystal clearly shampooed engine room
except me and mechanics only if I go to a garage.
Not my children, wife or friends
and it gets dirt again and again.
21 - 37 of 37 Posts
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