Hey guys my 01 t/a has 51,000 miles on it now and the motor sure looks like it. This is because I have allways been parinoid about washing it. I have heard countless stories about people washing there motor and the electronics getting wet. I dont know how many of these stories are actually true, so I was woundering if you all could tell me how you do it. Because mine really needs it. -Thanks-

 

Get a spray bottle of Simple Green, use liberally over everything. Let sit for 5 min or so. Rinse with hose. Don't use spray nozzle, just open hose end.

 

^ yep, i use "fantastik", both work good

 

Could try a compressor and an air hose first, that might get alot of the loose stuff off, make the whole process alot easier.

 

I will def. try that. Thanks

 

what about steam cleaning? never had it done, but a friend said his dad had his 442 steam cleaned at the car wash. some dude messed up there and it steamed the decals off, like the emissions one and the belt one, but if you avoid that. i also heard that from another guy, steam cleaning. i wouldnt bother scrubbing/hosing the motor.

 

Water won't hurt your engine compartment. I've washed my engine compartment with a hose on all of my vehicles with no problems. I also use Orange Degreaser to get rid of the grease marks after doing a head/cam swap. The only thing I do after spraying down the engine compartment with the hose, is make sure you start your engine up after your done, that way your alternator won't corrode from the water.

 

take it to the car wash and spray it off with the engine running or let a detail shop do but they will do it the same way with the engine running and a pressure washer. then dress it up with some black magic or whatever tire dressing you use. it will look better than the first day you bought it.

 

I washed my engine at the do it yourself car wash, and I left the engine running and I have had no problems with that at all. With th engine crean, it makes the car look so much better.

 

Its just the high pressure stuff you have to look out for. Everything in the engine compartment is water tight, however most of the water tight connectors cant handle the pressure from steam cleaners or pressure washers, and thats when you hear the horror stories.. Like 1fastWS6 said, open end hose, low pressure..

 

The pressure washer is not your friend..use your favorite degreaser and a hose no high pressure and you will be fine..

 

get in there with a compressor once a month, and you'll probably never actually have to hit it with any liquid, other then a little detailer and a rag every now and then. Works good for me

 

What about degreaser getting on the plastics and paint (like the shock towers) though.

 

Just be careful of the sensor/electrical connectors. They are very good at sealing out the dirt and moisture,but High water pressure can make them leak. I have seen this happen on cars before,and to me personally. Earlier this year My 02's were acting up,turns out it was just water in the harness connectors. I had water in my MY GTP's maf connector a couple years ago. Someone else mentioned using air to dry the motor/blow away the moisture,sounds like a good Idea to me

 

If you don't have a compressor to blow dry it with, you can also use a leaf blower. I know more people that own leaf blowers than compressors.

 

Be sure to get All of the degreaser off. Some of the chemicals they use can damage the aluminum.

 

if you really wanna get down on it, just use a wet rag and wipe everything down

 

https://ls1tech.com/forums/appearance-detailing/159036-proper-cleaning-lsx-engine-bay.html

 

I also use a leaf blower, when im done washing my engine, to get the water out of the places it sits on.

 

I use engine degreaser. I spray it all over the place onto a warm (not hot) engine. I do a little scrub-a-dub with a soft wheel cleaning brush or a toothbrush for tight spots, and then blast it with the garden hose.

If you have some faulty electrical connections, they show their face when you go to fire it up. Sometimes the car will sputter a little but once it runs a while any problematic water will most likely evaporate.

If you have a problem and it won't start you may have to dry things out. Blowing with compressed air helps, so does "wire dryer" spray.

The degreaser will not harm your paint, just don't let it sit on there too long.