Washing your engine...
Washing your engine... Hey guys... i'm gonna need to tear into my engine this weekend to see if i have faulty rocker arms... my engine bay is dusty as hell since i tuned my fans after my radiator install...
unfortunately it's not as easy as just going out to the driveway, spraying some engine degreaser on it, and rinsing it 15 minutes later. I live in an apartment complex and have no resources like that. So i must drive down the street to the nearest self-serve car wash... my question is, will it be safe for me to spray the engine down after it's heated up from driving down there? Seems like i heard something about someone cracking their block because of water being sprayed on their hot engine... but what the hell else am i supposed to do to clean it? Drive down there... sit in the parking lot for 3 hours while it cools just so I can clean the engine and bay?
unfortunately it's not as easy as just going out to the driveway, spraying some engine degreaser on it, and rinsing it 15 minutes later. I live in an apartment complex and have no resources like that. So i must drive down the street to the nearest self-serve car wash... my question is, will it be safe for me to spray the engine down after it's heated up from driving down there? Seems like i heard something about someone cracking their block because of water being sprayed on their hot engine... but what the hell else am i supposed to do to clean it? Drive down there... sit in the parking lot for 3 hours while it cools just so I can clean the engine and bay?
i'm about to drive down there... so any reply's would be great guys 
i don't wanna start a new thread in 30 minutes saying "I cracked my block cuz LS1Techies weren't chiming in!"
i don't wanna start a new thread in 30 minutes saying "I cracked my block cuz LS1Techies weren't chiming in!"
It's fine, I used to pressure wash old SBCs all the time when they were hot. Matter of fact, I was taught to use the degreaser with the engine running. 
It's really not going to crack though, the temperature difference isn't near enough for that.
It's really not going to crack though, the temperature difference isn't near enough for that.
As not as your engine is not that hot, at the upper end of the operating range, you will be safe. Most of the engine cleaners and degreaser recommend that the engine be warm up, but not hot.
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well i drove it down there earlier and sprayed some of that "Gunk - Foam Degreaser" all over it... used an entire can and soaked everything really good... let it set for about 10 minutes then sprayed it down with the high pressure washer... man it looks so much better and so far no issues starting and running so all is good... i was worried about cracking a block, or hydrolock and other things but all worked out... so thanks again guys 
Tech Resident
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,117
Likes: 3
From: Philly
You could always get a few empty 1 gallon milk jugs and a bottle of orange clean. Orange clean is natural and as harmless as it gets. Spray it in your engine bay, let it sit for 1-2 minutes and rinse the whole engine bay with the gallons of water you have sitting. That's what I'd do if I didn't have access to a mild pressure garden hose. Just for the future...
Like Choco said, don't use a chemical that is too aggressive. It could "scar" your block. Meaning you'll eventually see little white streaks everywhere. It almost looks like real severe oxidation and it looks nasty as hell. I've seen a couple of guys do it to their cars. Just my .02!!
