Engine Wash

[izakjbrt]

Morning all, not so much a patrol engine question, but rather how to get my patrol engine to a clean/prestine condition. After playing in the mud this past weekend, the car looks like the room of my youngest, even inside, mud everywhere (lucky for seat covers). Interior and exterior wise, I can wash most things and be fairly certain that it'll still work afterwards. Except the engine.

I have heard way to many horror stories about engine washes and I've experienced a few (the last steam clean screwed up my pioneer radio completely).

So how do you wash the engine on a 4.8 so that it starts again afterwards (I assume I don't just blast it with the Karcher?

[graham1]

I have heard way to many horror stories about engine washes and I've experienced a few (the last steam clean screwed up my pioneer radio completely).

Ive also heard way too many, and because of this, I have never washed any engines before. They can rather stay dirty and work.
The most ive done before is use a wet rag and wipe where ever I can reach with it, but ya, I was very bored that day.

[Oetie]

I am open for advise and correction from the more experienced people, but what i have done to date (mostly diesel engines' apart from my daughter's Getz) is to spray the engine with clean green or some kind of degreaser that my wife buys at a soap shop, and then rinse with the hose pipe with the orange garden thingy-majic at the front controlling the strength of the water stream, not as a full force stream but more a spray while the engine is running.

[Rhett]

This is definitely an "attempt at own risk" thing. Wash only when needed...

I clean my engines with the high pressure washer, however I turn pressure down low, so a garden hose with a shower rose on the end will work too. Avoid spraying directly on areas like dipsticks, seals, distributor (if you still have an old school rotor one), ECU.. and on the firewall where water could penetrate into the cabin through the grommets. Also avoid the insulation on the bonnet if the car is aging, the extra weight of the absorbed water is what ends up making the stuff sag and fall apart.

I also let the engine run before hand and get up to operating temps. My theory is that the heat will evaporate water out of crevices and catch points quicker.
Don't worry about cracks and such from change of temperatures if the engine is hot. You shouldn't be putting near enough volume of cold water on.

If you're worried about electronics, put a checkers packet over things like the fuse box, ECU and other aftermarket items which wouldn't have correct insulation.

Lastly, I leave the bonnet open, and in direct sun to dry as much as possible.

So far, touch wood, I have never had any issues. Just play it safe.

[Peter Connan]

I was taught to keep the engine running while doing the cleaning, and used to pressure-wash my petrol engines like this without ever experiencing any issues apart from the fact that it washed the labels off the batteries. Leave them running afterwards until they look dry.

Must say, that's one of the nice things about the TD.

[Dungbeetle]

To me an engine must be kept clean on the inside via proper service intervals. There absolutely no gain to keep the outside clean...

So I just don't do it. .

And I will probably commit murder if I catch someone with a pressure washer under my bonnet

[Tinus lotz]

Take egine cleaner and a 50mm paint brush.if you get a stobbon area apply again . Then wash again ..repeat until clean wash soap of properly it eats suff if you leave it

[Pieter B]

I took the big plastic cover off once to give it a clean. A week after the wash I picked up a missfire. It turned out I got some water into 2 of the plugholes. Needless to say that I sommer did a plug change at that point as you have to dismantle the whole engine to get to the offending plugs. After that I never took the cover off again and have not had the problem again