Power washing engine

[nycxice13]

Can I do any damage to my engine if I take a pressure washer to it?

 

 

finally im a regular.

Edited July 29, 2005 by nycxice13

[Precise1]

You wont hurt the engine, but you can damage other things (hoses, wires, etc) and get water where you dont want it like distrubutor or intake. Hot manifolds, etc dont like to be cooled rapidly either. Personally, I don't do it. Some people dont think twice and dont seem to have problems, but I prefer not to. A spray nozzle on a garden hose and some simple green is about as far as I go.

 

B

[FLApathy]

um yes, if you dont cover up all the electrics you can mess it up there and you must be extremly carefull not to get water in the intake, other than that im sure it would be ok

[Harbinger]

I would imagine you could damage some things with a power wash. I've heard that these engines (particualarly the high milege ones) settle into place and washing them can disturb their state of well being :-)

[nycxice13]

alright not gonna do it, i got 115,000 miles so i aint doin it.

[unccpathfinder]

i use purple power let it soak for like 5-10 mins and then wash it off with the hose...gets her nice and clean...on an 87 i know the hardest place to get dirt out of is between the intake and the block...when i did my rebuild i found 3 spark plug sockets and about 5 lbs of dirt...

[FLApathy]

or you could get gunk, you spray it on and let it sit and it foams up and then you hose it off, gunk is the name brand engine foam is the name i think

[Precise1]

Yes, thats the name, I have a can or two. I'm not sure how environmentally friendly it is and it says to cover intake, distributor, carb, etc, "safe on MOST plastic and rubber" and "electrical connections may short". The only reason I have some is for the underside of the motor of an old VW (very goopy).

 

B

[Slick]

Another good idea I use is to keep the motor running... I don't know if the effects are the same on a fuel injexcted motor as carb'd.. but when I would wash my Jeep motor with it not running.. I had a hellllluva time starting it after.. running..no problems.... pressure washer? I'm afraid. Garden hose with a soft rag usually does the trick. I don't deal with much other than occasional mud, dust and more dust under the hood.

[88pathoffroad]

Gunk is nasty stuff. I tried it a couple of times and it barely got anything off. BLEH.

[FLApathy]

im taking note (gunk)

[transworldmoto]

i went through three cans of gunk on my steering system and the lower part of my engine and it got no cleaner. G(j)unk is crap! besides, it smells like the old diff oil that comes outa trucks when us jiffy lube techs have the pleasure of draining and filling them. blech! :oops: