Have you popped your hood and been blasted away by dust and oil grime?
Yea, we all have. Its very easy to neglect your engine bay.
We only ever check when something is wrong or broken like changing the oil.
Now that you have the engine bay open, you want to clean it, but you're worried you will break something by getting it wet.
It's valid to feel scared to spray water onto the electronics. These parts are not cheap and can be finnickey depending on the age and manufacturer.
This article will help you safely clean your engine bay and prolong the life of your vehicle and increase your resell value.
Spraying The Engine Bay Is Safe... Most of the Time
I dont think these manufacturers took cleaning the engine bay into consideration when building the engine bay. Its the old vehicle you need to worry about. Vehicles made after 2003 are usually well protected and only need the battery, alternator and intake covered.
If your motor has a super charger or turbocharger you will have other thing you need to cover.
The type of car you need to be most cautious of is the vintage vehicles.
these vintage cars took no precautionary steps to prevent water damage. Make sure you inspect thoroughly to make sure there arent any seal that have been breached. Or better yet, take it to an expert detailer.
Inspecting should take about 10 minutes.
After inspecting you should be ready to go. We'd done tons of vehicles and never had an issue. Newer cars are very safe typically. You can tell because you open the engine bay and everything is covered by plastic covers.
How To Cover Up Engine Components
It doesn't take any special fancy equipment to perform a service like this.
Heck, we use Kroger bags. They work great. anything that doesnt let water through will do just fine. Even a towel or shirt can work because you arent really spraying that much water in there.
If you are worried and want to be extra careful, secure them down with some electrical tape.
Use Common Sense
With all that said, use common sense, please.
If you arent the most knowledgable when it comes to cars, then maybe you'll miss covering something. So, please dont hold the hose 6 inches away from the engine bay. Hold several feet away and the water will be spread out. You shouldn't have anything to worry about.
Let the chemicals do the work. Not the water pressure. Spray your degreaser on the dirty parts, let it dwell, agitate it. Then use how ever much water you need rinse off the grime. No more.
This way you dont need a high pressure pressure washer, a small garden hose will suffice.
A pressure washer is more risky because of how fast the water is coming out. it is more susceptible to reaching the small cracks and crevices.
If you are using the pressure washer, make sure to stand far back. Please dont use a pressure washer with a high pressure.
Not only will it break things in the engine bay, it will peel off your paint if you get too close. Thats why us detailers use low pressure, pressure washers to minimize harm.
Once You're Done, Check Your Work
Now that everything is clean, it's time to see if you ruined your engine. Turn your vehicle on and let it run for some time.
The engine being on will dry off most of the places you cant reach.
If you have an air compressor or leaf blower, those work great with drying off the engine bay.
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