Bad to power wash motor?

[PantyDropperGST]

I 've heard that power washing your motor is bad, because it takes all the natural oils off your motor or some b/s like that. Is that true? I see all these engine bays that are REALLY clean. Is there another way to clean it?

 

[EclipseTrbo420A]

DO NOT power wash your motor you hear me.

get some polish....maybe take stuff out and clean it but dont smother everything in water.....take care of it WITH care they are clean because the people spend time under the hood.

 

[dsmmyth]

I 've heard that power washing your motor is bad, because it takes all the natural oils off your motor or some b/s like that. Is that true? I see all these engine bays that are REALLY clean. Is there another way to clean it?

Not only that it will cut off all your electrical junk like the alternator and ECU. Just don't do it.

People spend like 9+ hours on their engine bay to get it that clean. With a toothbrush.

 

[rodwa4]

hey. i would not power-wash my engine if i were you. i used to all the time, until one time the place i washed it at had some chemical in the soap that caused all the aluminum to start corroding real bad. now i have to hand polish all the parts to remove whatever it was.

 

[iceman21]

I don't know if I would power wash the motor but there is nothing wrong with using water under the hood as long as you cover the alternator and other exposed electrical components.

 

[CyberEye]

You can, if you're careful. Just make sure to use sme plastic bags over the alternator, and coil packs. Spray some degreaser over the motor, let it sit for a while, than just use your garden hose with a nozzle on it so you have some pressure and spray it off.

 

[hystericfox]

They're only natural if you use conventional oil. When I do my engine bay, I don't pressure wash. Just de-greaser. If there is oil on the outside of your motor, you might want to fix the leak.

 

[Amazin' Wasian]

my parents ordered a "shark high pressure steamer" and i thought id try it out on the engine, i think it works better than anything ive tried before, it seriously melts all the grease and oils off. i think it was like 80 bucks.

 

[MackZ24]

Yah, I've pressure washed previous cars I've owned, but was always careful to cover up the alternator, coils and any other electronics that looked important at the time. It turned out very well (but was horrible to begin with). I don't know if I'd try it on my DSM, since it's my baby! I'll probably just take the time to do it all by hand. Just as a word of caution, some people you talk to (probably that don't drive DSM's) will tell you that if you don't have a pressure washer, to drive it to a car wash and do it there. Just remember how incredibly hot our engine bays (turbos, etc.) get. If you decide to take this route make sure you let your engine cool for quite some time before spraying it down or you're going to have cracked components when the cold water hits those hot parts!

 

[sexehtopper]

Please do not wash your engine, its not worth it. I spend 2 hours detailing my engine bay and ended up getting water in spark plug hole #4, couldnt boost over 7psi for like 3 weeks, ended up ordering new plugs/wires, but by the time i got them, the water musta have evaporated and cleared up whatever the problem was.

But i was lucky. If you do end up washing it, cover up about 99% of the motor with bags, .

 

[Dr3wStx]

my parents ordered a "shark high pressure steamer" and i thought id try it out on the engine, i think it works better than anything ive tried before, it seriously melts all the grease and oils off. i think it was like 80 bucks.

Yeah that thing rocks, I reccomend that for the engine too. It is alot more controled then just hosing eveything down.

 

[n0c7]

The previous owner of my eclipse used a pressure washer on the valve cover and now its all flaked and faded because the engine was still hot.

 

[Defiant]

I 've heard that power washing your motor is bad, because it takes all the natural oils off your motor

You have one of them special motors made of mahogany?

 

[Travis Dailey]

Aparently a lot of people in this thread believe that the alternator, coils, and other misc. electrical devices stay completely dry while driving in the rain. Point is, you don't want to force water into any of these places by using high pressure. If you are selective where you spray some degreaser and gently wash it off with a hose everything should be fine. Just don't shoot a power washer directly into your alternator.

 

[BISHILVR]

Aparently a lot of people in this thread believe that the alternator, coils, and other misc. electrical devices stay completely dry while driving in the rain. Point is, you don't want to force water into any of these places by using high pressure. If you are selective where you spray some degreaser and gently wash it off with a hose everything should be fine. Just don't shoot a power washer directly into your alternator.

exactly, just use common sense, i pressure wash mine about everytime i'm at the wash.

 

[DevilSperm]

the most vulnerable electrical piece is your CAS...typically if that gets wet, you are completely fuct