Can You Damage Your Engine By Washing It? (How To Properly Clean Your Engine Bay)
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- Опубліковано 11 чер 2024
- Can You Damage Your Engine By Washing It? (How To Properly Clean Your Engine) I'm going to go over some common questions that I see online about washing your engine. I'm also going to show you how to properly wash your engine without causing any damage. Yes, it's perfectly fine to wash your engine. It is extremely hard to cause any damage to your car by washing the engine.
The two main rules of thumb are always try to start with a cold engine so you have more time to work before the water evaporates. Whenever possible try to use low pressure water. If you are going to use high pressure water to wash you engine hold the wand much further away than what you would to clean your paint.
Links to the products and tools used in this video:
Sprayer for Hose: amzn.to/3AD4fKQ
Detail Brushes: amzn.to/3RnfQDE
Blow gun: amzn.to/3uyjnp5
Gunk Original Degreaser: amzn.to/3RBc2iz
Gunk HD Gel: amzn.to/3yWrU7C
Simple Green: amzn.to/3aodbt3
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00:00 Intro
00:03 Can you REALLY damage your engine by washing it?
4:31 What should you avoid spraying with water?
5:44 How to properly wash your engine bay
7:20 Doing a preliminarily wash with degreaser
9:58 Washing off the degreaser
10:28 Why you may want to wash it twice
11:14 Final wash with Simple Green
11:53 How to dry your engine
13:13 Results before & after
14:30 Final Thoughts
16:56 Outro
Questions? Shoot me an email at repairgeek365@gmail.com
#enginedetail #enginedetailing #enginecleaning
Disclaimer:
The information, demonstration and any content contained in this video is for informational purposes only. The user Repair Geek makes no warranty, express or implied, regarding the effectiveness or safety of the contents of this video. In no way should the contents of the video, including the tools used, be repeated or tried by anyone. Viewers should only seek the help of a trained professional located at a licensed auto repair shop for any fix, modification, alteration, or any change to their vehicle. Repair Geek shall not be liable for any injury, damage, or loss to any person or property that may result from use of the tools, equipment, or any content contained in this video. In addition, there is no way to guarantee that the video is not altered or modified or is not in the final form submitted by Repair Geek and therefore, Repair Geek does not warrant that the video is unaltered or not modified. The links on this video to products are for informational purposes only and in no way are an endorsement of the safety or effectiveness of the particular product. Viewers understand that anything contained in this video or linked to or from this video is the sole responsibility of the viewer and in no way provides an express or implied warranty as to the safety or effectiveness of any linked tool, product, or video. Therefore, viewer agrees to release, waive, and discharge Repair Geek or anyone affiliated with Repair Geek, from any and all liability, claims, demands, actions, and causes of action whatsoever arising out of or related to any loss, damage, or injury, including death, that may be sustained by the viewer, or to any property belonging to viewer, regardless of whether the loss is linked to the use of the contents of this video, or otherwise and regardless of whether such liability arises in tort, contract, strict liability, or otherwise, to the fullest extent allowed by law. - Авто та транспорт
Links to the products and tools used in this video:
Sprayer for Hose: amzn.to/3AD4fKQ
Detail Brushes: amzn.to/3RnfQDE
Blow gun: amzn.to/3uyjnp5
Gunk Original Degreaser: amzn.to/3RBc2iz
Gunk HD Gel: amzn.to/3yWrU7C
Simple Green: amzn.to/3aodbt3
Plastic Trim Restorer: amzn.to/3aqrpJV
My Amazon Store: www.amazon.com/shop/repairgeek
Help support the channel, buy using my Amazon links
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and your cost is exactly the same.
For those of us without shop air, a leaf blower is often handy for drying things off.
Totally agree, easy does it, don’t get all crazy, keep a distance, be reasonable.
Thanks for taking time to show us how it’s done
PS: better to keep it clean, just do it. Years ago as I parked at work a coworker said “hey there’s smoke”
I popped the hood and WHOOSH! Flames.
I was dumbfounded
Fortunately he grabbed an extinguisher and nailed it,
Plug wire was worn, arched, and ignited all the gunk.
So better to wash than go up in flames.
I've watched several of your videos now, great info/content. Please keep up the posting 👍👍
I had a 2006 Toyota Sequoia that had 320k miles on it, cleaned the engine bay consistently every year and ran flawlessly, only thing that killed it was a Toyota Prius driver who ran into it cause he was texting on his phone
Thank you for this. I appreciate real world examples.
I've washed many engine compartments and only covered the alternator,no issues.
Go videos as always 👍
I was always scared of washing the stuffs under the hood. Now I feel much better Thanks. :)
Great video man. You are saving people a lot of head ache and time. And I know who you're referring to when you say internet lol. Rock on man
If water damaged your engine, the entire bay would be sealed water tight. The only thing you need to be cautious with is highly alkaline degreasers which can ruin black plastics if left to dry.
I always foam cannon mine with a pressure washer, scrub it down, rinse it well
Love the video, I would suggest doing this before applying all that underbody rust protection. Also love the comment on using a leaf blower to dry the engine bay. I use one to clean the interior, very satisfying to see the amount of dust expelled. Never dared to hose out the engine bay, might give it a go.
Cheers Steve.
He's correct Im a senior & have washed my engine bays for YEARS. I go to $2 & let the pwr of the spray on its own. I do NOT pull the handle. I NOW wash my hybrid engine. Im super careful.
This video deserves more views
This guy is my hero lol I just freaked out with this horrible rain went through a puddle and notice steam just rising out of the engine bay and immediately freaked out !!! Thank you for this info!!!!
I bought my SUV new in 2018, and was told never to wash/run water onto the engine that I would ruin it, I remembered that I had seen at carwashes they had an engine degreaser/cleaner, not all but some carwash places. I've seen many cars without hoods driving around while it was raining, and cars still ran. Also, people, including myself have driven thru many flooded roads, and cars still ran. What anybody needs to do is avoid getting lots of water up inside the exhaust pipe. Toyota has an SUV/Truck with a hood-mounted exhaust pipe, and you can drive through deep water without any concern. How do people think Mudder Trucks/Jeeps get their engines clean ? Fan boats come to mind also.
great job👍👍👍👍👍
Do you spray any type of protectant coating in your engine bay for salt, etc.? I've watched your undercoating videos and didn't see any reference to the engine bay. Thanks for the great content! I am about to get started on undercoating my 2022 F-150.
I see lots of engines used to run pumps mounted on trailers that spend their whole life in all kinds of weather uncovered and they crank up and run just as reliably as ones under the hood of a vehicle
For 26 years I have been washing my engine in my 1996 Mustang GT. Not one problem EVER. Fun tip - after washing use a leaf blower to blow it all off to remove puddles of standing water.
Also never spray the under hood insulation with the high pressure washer up close it will usually destroy it (and quickly too).
I know you said you don't like dressings, but using Meguier's Hyper dressing diluted 4:1 makes the engine bay look even better. It leaves a matte finish and all the plastic and rubber have a deeper uniform black look.
Washing the 2 valve in my '95 t-bird the other day definitely exposed a bad plug wire on cylinder 5. Replaced it for $8 and it runs like new!
At least you don't have to deal with the plastic manifold on the 95 filling up a cylinder :lol:
thanks!
Great video. I've always worried about my 4.6L 2v Ford. Those spark plug wires and plugs sit right on top of the engine, and I worry that water will get down in the plug hole and mess something up. Same with the valley under the intake manifold. I wish I knew if water would just sit in that valley like a swimming pool, or can it drain out somehow?
Anyway, your videos are awesome.
Really, should cover the alternator just to be safe. I drive for a couple of kms to really dry up the bay. One of the reason was there are a lot of small pits where water is lodged and can't really get it will a towel. Driving around really works
As a detailing business owner, on an AMBIENT engine, I spray all the electrical components with WD-40 and allow to sit for awhile. This disperses water before it has a chance to ruin anything. I then spray the engine bay with a degreaser. I personally use Simple Green. I allow it to work for about 15 minutes. The trick here is not to allow it to dry, repeating treatment frequently if needed for the allotted time. I then LIGHTLY mist the engine bay with a power washer, with the engine running. This expedites the drying process. Last step is to use compressed air to remove water from the tighter areas. With the engine still running, shut the hood and allow it to run for a few more minutes. This is especially important in cooler temperatures.
The engine gets wet all the time, that's how it gets dirty! What do people think happens when you drive through the rain? Fear of washing your engine makes no sense whatsoever. I always wash mine, and the cleaner it is, the more likely a shop will take better care of your vehicle when working on it because they know you care and you're not going to tolerate anyone not showing the same care. If it looks like you don't care, nobody else will either.
Also, I do it WHILE RUNNING, that way the water instantly evaporates from anywhere it might not supposed to get into.
How about brake kleen on oily spots vs the degreaser?
Oil could stick hard on say the reverse sensor , and stop it from working.
My work truck was washed regularly by the maintenance guys at our facility. They had very powerful pressure washers for big equipment. They got water inside the cover of the throttle control module and it went to limp mode. I carry a code reader and it threw so many codes, I had no idea what was wrong. After sitting on the highway 15 minutes with it shut off, I reset the codes, started it and the truck ran okay for probably 2 months. It happened again after the next service. Same fix, but it only worked for a few minutes at a time. After taking the cover off, the inside of the module was stuffed full of water. I suspect it had accumulated a little water every time they washed it. It amazes me the thing work at all being totally full of water like that. We put the cover back on with a good bit RTV and never had an issue again.
I would think an electric power washer should be used , 1000-1200 PSI .
Is it safe to use dawn liquid or oven cleaner ? I saw those on other videos. Thanks 👍
After washing mine and letting completely dry . I liberally spray 303 Protectant throughout the engine compartment during spring and summer months . Then after one month wash that off as it attracts surface dirt . And best to dry by special air blower .
"Let me switch vehicles and we'll cut to the truck"
Cue me remembering that the Duramax was the original reason I subscribed. I just hit 60k on mine and honestly it's so dusty that I'd consider your before picture a win.
Yeah sorry about the lack of 2.8 content. It's my driver so unless I'm doing maintenance, or something fails I really don't have any reason to shoot video on it. It's been flawless since 9k miles. Just changing oil and filters. I may shoot a 40k service video at my next oil change with a how to on the trans fluid, transfer case, and diff oil changes. I'm 50/50 on recording it. It's been so long since I uploaded 2.8 content I have no idea if a larger audience would find it useful.
I use a electric pressure washer, it's only about 1200 PSI so works well for that, and washing my truck. I do NOT use my 3200 gas one though. Also, I used to use simple green for decades but last 4 years I found Purple Power. Now THAT's some awesome stuff. I found it to be vastly superior to Simple Green.
I have high pr. Gas and electric pr. Washer finally had a problem a few months ago. Water got into a water tight connection and got the green crusties. Cleaned and added silicon grease. First time though
I had an old DC4 Integra and the water got into the spark plug causing minor misfiring until water dried off .
I use a steam cleaner with a nozzle tip and rags, works great, nothing really gets wet, no chemicles needed.
I'd like to buy your used cars. They would be ridiculously perfect. Good video ma boiugh
I just showed my dad the alternating being sprayed, and the car starting, and he has passed out cold, in my kitchen floor. 😳
Appreciate this video. If you're worried about the pressure from a pressure washer can't you just keep your distance and be a few steps back than you normally would for the outside of the vehicle?
You just answered my question a minute later lol. Thanks again 👍🏼
Yes you 100% can wash your engine, but care should be taken, especially a car 5+ years old. I feel this is going to get some people onto trouble who don’t understand that. Don’t use a pressure washer, cover your coil packs with plastic and don’t directly spray them. Learned that lesson the hard way. Also be sure to blow out as much water as possible before starting the car. Otherwise, when the water is burned off it’ll leave deposits of whatever minerals are in your water. At the very least that’ll leave spots.
My engines are always show car clean. I have been washing them for years and never had a problem until I got my first car with coil packs and washed the whole engine. Afterwards had a misfire. Once the coil pack was removed and dried everything was fine. There were no other problems. Even though the coil packs have a rubber seal water still got into one. I now put some grease on the seals to make sure no water gets into them.
I own a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser, and have never washed the actual engine block. Can I just spray it off with water? It definitely has some salt buildup. Thanks!
I use gunk engine cleaner and it works fine. Just keep away from the fuse block. And make sure you drive the car afterwards and get it warmed up good to dry it all up.
Regular Simple Green isn’t great to use on metal, especially aluminum. Like most degreasers it can corrode or etch, the label even warns about it. Use Simple Green Pro HD (it’s purple) instead. It’s specifically formulated to be safe on all metals.
Did that battery cable move?
Water is actually a horrible conductor (actually water in it self is not conductive, It's the impurities that conducts... especially with low VDC HOWEVER promotes corrosion) the alternator is magnet/enamel wire so if it arcs, well as you said, was already an issue.
Oven cleaner is a great engine cleaner!
Don't tell me you drove this car across the US and on Laguna Seca with that outdated intake manifold! That thing is a ticking time bomb! The plastic coolant crossovers on the original intake manifolds are well known for cracking and dumping coolant all over the place. Highly recommend you pick up a Ford Performance replacement with the aluminum crossover! Also was very nice to see someone rinsing their engine down in the exact same car with no concerns whatsoever. Gives me a bit more faith that I can do it myself as well without screwing anything up!
If the intake isn't leaking, I'm not going to fix it. Time bomb? It's only lasted 20+ years like this.
The aluminum crossover manifold still has a plastic sealing surface to the head and non replaceable orings that seal the plastic flange to the aluminum crossover pipe. Neither option is ideal... IF mine leaks, I'll replace it.
i have a 2011 ford step van with the 5.4 engine was running perfect. went to the car wash, shut it off power wash the engine
try to start it. dont start sounds like a seized engine.or bad starter
ill find out in the next couple of days for now i got it tow it home
Any ideas for a product that will protect the aluminum parts under the hood from corrosion? Nothing bothers me more than clean engine bay and white corrosion on naked aluminum parts.
Probably a clearcoat of some sort. You need a product that will dry to not attract more dirt.
the car switch tripped me out
im suprised you still have the plastic coolant crossover on your mustang ive heard and seen that they have a tendency to crack and leak as they get older and more brittle, any reason youve kept yours? it would give me some anxiety personally
It's not leaking. No need to fix what isn't broken.
How about hybdrids? A death wish? Or safe?
What about a hybrid ?
Yeah I will pay a gig really good info...... Put a little blast the surface protecting on that thing cuz that's all I use now... Words to the wise that 4.6 trike motor don't rather past 5500 RPM.......not safe. May I suggest a coyote swap.....
May I suggest Hooked on Phonics?
If always wash the engine you will experience bad not at that moment but anytime in the future, am give you example like tensioner bearing, also bearing of alternators etc not at that moment but later on especially the soap can destroy all the lubrication that expose to the water and soap. Better use to clean by air
I dont even use degreasers on my engine. I go to self serve car wash & use gun but DON'T push trigger & I do every several months. Oh, did I say it's a hybrid? 😉👍
would a spray bottle with some dawn in it be just as good as a degreaser?
This is the video I need. I lived in NYC and had rats living under the hood.
Project farm jr.!
The main problem with direct or high pressure water is the chance of damaging brittle plastics, old cracked rubber seals, or reducing a cheap bearings life if a small amount of water enters the bearings or if some grease gets washed out. I think most bearings are sealed though. I'd also be careful around the distributor if your vehicle has one. Coil packs weren't mainstream on 95% of vehicles until 2000. There is a rubber seal, but water could get in it especially if using a pressure washer.
Water can 100% get past a seal on a coil pack. I know from experience the first time I washed a car with them. I always cover them with plastic now and put grease on the seals. I also agree a pressure washer is a bad idea. With the force water will into places it wouldn’t with just a hose sprayer.
I do the same … sad that the sheer number of people who don’t bother cleaning the inside of their vehicle is amazing, so this may be lost on many.
BTW Back to Black is great for black plastic trim.
Yeah back to black works great for about a week. I'm multiple weeks in at this point on my plastic restorer testing. Unless it's a ceramic trim restorer, the big name products are all junk.
@@RepairGeek good to know! I’m up North, garage kept so exposure to heat and UV are limited. I get about 6 months protection from it, so environmental conditions may impact “performance”.
Having said that you’re right, if they big names worked, their formulas would be impregnated into the plastic trim to begin with …
16:18
There's an ingredient that I cant recall in ARMOR ALL that drys out and hardens plastics. It's why dashboards would get cracks.
I can't recall what it was but anything with that should be avoided.
A simpler and cheaper method is using mineral spirits and or kerosene, hose it down, spray it with isopropil alcohol and dry with a blow gun. Follow up by spraying the engine bay with WD40 (avoid the belts) to fully disperse the water and leave a nice protective shine, once the WD40 evaporates the engine will look semi gloss like factory. My mechanics loved me because I sprayed the engine down with WD40 so nothing was ever seized in my engine bays when they worked on it.
👌🏻👌🏻💯
Kerosene will fuck every rubber and plastic
I’ll stick to WD-40 and some rags… 😵💫
My a/c stopped working after washing my engine bay with a pressure washer!
Okay but what about the alternator
What about it? It's fine.
I don't recommend washing a hot engine, especially Dodge. Wash cold, blow off with high pressure air
can you wash a hot engine?
Ya so not my 2009 honda coz wiring is wrapped in electrical tape. Maybe it had a fire or a dummy worked on it😂😂😂😂
Are you crazy?
No just a logical thinker is all haha.
Eeeuuuwwww! I'm just going to say, to each their own. At least cover up the alternator. The only issues I've seen with washing engine bays or driving through huge puddles has been with alternator diodes malfunctioning. However, to each their own. One things for sure, the engine bay will be clean🤣
I'd bet money that diode was cracked before the water touched it. The water just shorted the cracked diode. It's not the water's fault it was cracked.
@@RepairGeek I hear you. However that thesis becomes questionable when multiple vehicles experience the same symptoms. Are all the diodes previously defective after heavy rain fall and flooding?
I agree with everything else except the alternator, it's components have very low amperage ratings and current flowing through the minerals in the water to grounded components causes high current arcing. Similar to how simple electrical static arcing can ruin electronics in motherboards.
Everyone has different opinions I get it and that was why I wanted to make this video. That's what makes the internet such an interesting place everyone has an opinion and they aren't afraid to tell you. It's hard to prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that either of us are correct. I know electronics don't like heat and vibration just like they don't like being sprayed with water but, the alternator is bolted to an engine that vibrates and gets hot. Could be both the water and the environment it's in.
@@dominofive5075 100% incorrect. Do you think when your driving that rain water does'nt pass through your radiator and get sprayed onto your alternator? The internals of a alternator are fully protected from the weather environment. Some alternators and mounted toward the bottom of the engine. (2003-04 SVT Cobra Mustang for example) If what you are saying is true then every time aiternator would get wet the charging system would fail. The engineers that design alternators thought of scenario long before you were even born. And I can say that because I am a Electrical Engineer.
And where did the runoff water go with all the grease, diesel, kerosene and simple green 😳
amzn.to/3PeZ5c2
It got soaked through the concrete and dissolved the whole car and polluted 13 oceans and made dinosaurs go extinct.
DON'T WASH YOUR ENGINE! VACUUM IT GENTLY! AND BLOW DRY IT! PASS A DAMP MICRO FIBER' CLOTH ON HARD PARTS!
Oh sorry I can only vacuum things HARD... SMH...
@@RepairGeek You're all wrong here! Using NOT!! EARTH FRIENDLY PRODUCTS!POLLUTING THE EARTH! THE WATER SUPPLIES, YOU'RE THE REASON WHY MOTHER EARTH IS LOSING!! MISCREANTS LIKE YOU, CAUSE IT
i have a 2011 ford step van with the 5.4 engine was running perfect. went to the car wash, shut it off power wash the engine
try to start it. dont start sounds like a seized engine.or bad starter
ill find out in the next couple of days for now i got it tow it home