Should I wash my engine?
Posted by WitheringAssumptions@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 30 comments
I'm a real beginner to car handling stuffs and hopefully can get some perspective on this. I have heard some people's cars not working when someone washed it for them on reddit. So, hearing this horror story, i told the car washers in my area to ignore the engine. But recently, I'm thinking should I clean it? Some people do it and they have to use those pressure washers and not just water and wipes so I can't do it at home.
BunnyBads@reddit
washing your engine at home can get messy.... and you don't want to risk accidentally doing something wrong since water can sneak into electrical parts, so if you really want it cleaned it’s usually better to let a detailer do it with the right tools and equipments
Terrible_Signature78@reddit
umm maybe don't pressure wash it or at least don’t do it yourself. I’ve also seen a lot of ppl use ultrasonic cleaners but you would need to use an activator for some of the cleaners not all tho. so you can look into that. Either way i think nobody should mess around with smth as important as the engine without professional advice or supervision. Don’t try smth new that your mechanic wouldn’t use tbh thats the rule of thumb.
Lubi3chill@reddit
What I did was I got a bucket of water and a cloth and just rinced it often. Make sure to squeeze out most of water from the cloth before cleaning the engine bay and you should be good.
WitheringAssumptions@reddit (OP)
Yea I'm thinking of doing this. I'm not comfortable using the pressure washer that I've seen in videos and the professionals using
Lubi3chill@reddit
link
That’s how my engine bay looks like and I only used a cloth and a bucket of water. It’s not a good photo but my car is far away so I’m not taking another one.
No_Drag6934@reddit
No way. No good can come of it.
JCDU@reddit
Pressure washing your engine is not a great idea if you don't know what you're doing, you can force water into electrical connectors and past seals and that's not good.
Depends if your engine is dirty in the first place really, and if so why - some engines leak a little oil and get covered in oil & crap which you need something like Gunk to de-grease and remove, my engine gets covered in mud so I just hose it down with clean water to keep mud out of moving parts.
wtfisasamoflange@reddit
Using the least pressure and a nozzle that isn't forceful is ok to use as long as you aren't targeting any areas. My car gets taken off road all the time, and I've been told to spray it off to keep dust, dirt and mud free from all the areas.
JCDU@reddit
Well yeah, many cars are perfectly fine with the engine being pressure washed but UP doesn't say what car and doesn't know much about cars so the safest advice is just don't bother - it's not like a slightly dirty engine ever hurt anything.
WitheringAssumptions@reddit (OP)
Yea, I've got a jeep renegade 2021. My dad bought it for me a surprise and now I really don't want to wreck it cos its my 1st car.
Opeth4Lyfe@reddit
It’s safe to but there’s definitely some areas you would want to be careful around and not get water in. Personally haven’t done an engine bay cleaning yet as it’s still pretty clean (7 months old). When I do though I’ll probably take it to a professional detailer for it. They’ll take care of it better than I can, I’ll just stick to doing the outside and interior myself.
TaylorSwiftScatPorn@reddit
A conservative 97.5% of all vehicles on the road have never had their engine bay cleaned. Source: my ass but probably accurate
sardonic_smile@reddit
I like to keep my engine clean. Check out the Chris Fix video on this. He goes over everything that shouldn’t get wet and has some great tips in there.
fshannon3@reddit
Yes, this was a great video to watch for a good engine compartment detail. I did this a while back on my car and it looked so good afterward.
Talentless_Cooking@reddit
Low pressure should be fine, avoid air intake or anything electrical, it should be fine to get wet, just don't soak it in those sensitive areas.
Summer184@reddit
I never liked the idea of cleaning an engine simply for cosmetic reasons, it's too easy to wreck something, for me it falls under the "if it's not broke don't fix it" mantra.
Theycallmesupa@reddit
Yeah, I'm pretty sure the gunked up oil leaks in my work truck are all that's keeping the block together.
Summer184@reddit
Not to mention it's a rust preventive coating...
Theycallmesupa@reddit
If used motor oil is good enough for my knucklebusters, it's good enough for the block.
zank_ree@reddit
Reddit have been spying on me. I just did this. I kept the engine cold, wrap up my starter in a plastic bag, spray some gunk on the dirty areas and use some bottle brushes I bought from amazon to agitate it. Rinsed it down with the hose and and and coffee cup for more targeted rinsing. Then blew it off with my leaf blower. It didnt make it super clean, but did remove a good portion of it. I then went in with some electronic cleaner, and sprayed and wipe down some of the connectors.
But I have done this before at a car wash, with the engine warm/hot and a bottle of dawn and water. It did a pretty good job, but you can't really cover the starter as the engine is hot so be careful. They say it can crack the engine, but my truck is still good. This was almost 10 years ago I think.
E90BarberaRed6spdN52@reddit
So most of the time if you wash the engine and are not clear on what you are doing being a beginner you will get water in place that can damage electronics or worse into the crankcase and kill your engine. So for those reasons I say no. Once you know the engine and engine bay well maybe. Even then you have to be careful with a power washer and watch some YouTube videos on the topic of what to do or not to do there.
My_friends_are_toys@reddit
Water gets in your engine bay all the time during rainy season so it's not inherently bad. But like JCDU pointed out below, using a pressure washer can force water into places it shouldn't go.
If you plan to do it, always cover your intake opening. get a rag and a plastic back and stuff the rag in the bag and tie the end, making sure there is no air, then stuff it into the opening making sure that there are no gaps (Remember to remove this when done). Then spray a degreaser over most of the engine and use a brush to agitate it and clean the areas. Then use the sprayer without pressing the handle...meaning water should becoming out of the hose without having to pull the trigger. Use that to rinse off the dirt and degreaser, only using the pressure to rinse the hoot and other non engine parts.
Grandemestizo@reddit
You don’t have to clean engines, best to leave them be.
Shouty_Dibnah@reddit
Just keep your points dry gramps. You’ll be fine.
Critical_King3335@reddit
Yes it’s fine. The components are sealed and designed to withstand dirt/water/temperature/environment. At high end dealers we shampoo the engine/ bay after every major service. Just don’t pour or spray water into the intakes. Use compressed air to blow away any residual water afterwards. Let the engine run and dry off, then take it for a spin and make sure everything’s ok.
facface92@reddit
Chrisfix has a video on this. I suggest everything that guy does.
Guitarstringman@reddit
NO
dscottj@reddit
What I use:
What I do:
When I learned this technique, it was recommended to remove the spark plug wires & cover the distributor with foil. Modern cars don't usually have distributors so it's a moot point in most cases. My garden hose nozzle has a bunch of settings so I use a lower pressure one and let the brushes do most of the work. I've done it with the disty covered & uncovered, never made any difference.
frying_pans@reddit
It can be done properly so long as anything sensitive like the battery/alternator is covered up. I personally just do it by hand to not risk any type of water and electricity mixing.
Synthetic_Hormone@reddit
You can get a steam treatment from some professional cleaners