Is it safe to wash the engine with a hose?

When an engine is hot, or warm, and you spray water on it, it cools and condences. That action can suck in water through seals and such.

 

What do you guys think is worse? Washing or pressure washing regularly, or driving on a heavily salted wet slushy highway, then leaving it like that till it's detailed when you trade it in? Same goes for mud, and even heavy dust, and plenty of people do all that regularly. Wash away, don't directly pressure wash the fuse box, alternator, don't wash too close to the rad, condenser, tranny cooler, etc to the point that you fold fins over, otherwise go to town with washing, then go drive it to dry things up. A clean engine is a happy engine.

 

You guys are way over thinking this! Cold Engine, your choice of cleaner, take it for a drive when your done and it will be dry in a few minutes...

 

My engine has dried clay mud in a lot of areas and I tried gunk engine cleaner with no success. I just sprayed it on and hosed it off. I was thinking of a sponge and a brush.

 

I use S100 Total Cycle cleaner on my engine.Yes its listed as a total motorcycle cleaner and works amazing on my bikes and have used it for several yrs on all the vehicles i've owned in the past and i've used it numerous times on my 2012 and will continue to do so since i bought my Tacoma brand new in 2012!Wether my engine is still cooling down or cold this product has never stained any area of the engine,components,engine compartment or has done any damage!I've simply sprayed the product with no diluting and rinsed it of!Have never had to use a brush or sponge during the process!Yes i do use a towel or microfiber to wipe down the engine once rinsed off(common sense)!

 

Cold engine + simple green + light hose rinse = clean engine + happy (and slightly OCD) owner

 

I have never washed my engine bay for fear of electrical issues.
Best i do is wipe down with a rag.
But seeing how many others do, I might try a light cleaning with a hose.

Maybe.....

 

We're all slightly OCD owners when we love our Tacoma's!

 

Hose, a long handled brush and Dawn dish soap. I don't cover anything but I also don't sit there and spray a direct stream into the alternator. Engine bay is clean and shiny and no issues. How much cold water do you think sprays up into the engine compartment going down the road on a rainy winters day? It wont Implode!

 

Just be careful not to get any water on your blinker fluid reservoir. Only a dealer can flush the system and fix that.

 

Here is what mine looks like when I get done with it…..

The truck gets a bath every 7-10 days as well as the engine bay cleaned and detailed.

All I use is simple green straight up a gong/fender brush and a wheel woolie for the tight areas then some stoner trim shine/shine spray or Adams In & out spray…..

 

And here is a Pic of my Volkswagen Touareg which is a 2012 still looks new but then again it has only about 18,000 miles on it….

 

Some models of Tacoma's have their Air Fuel Sensor(s) exposed some. Get that too wet at the car wash and you might throw an AF code. Don't ask me how I know this.

 

I thought the air fuel sensor screwed into the manifold before the cat or am I thinking of something else?

 

This is for a 2.4L on a Tacoma Prerunner why would it be any different other that having another bank added (bank 2 sensor 2) for the other cylinders? As it clearly shows it before the catalytic convertor.

Starting from 1996 all vehicles with OBDII system requires to have at least two exhaust sensors. The sensors are located before and after the catalytic converter. The sensor before the catalytic convert is also called Αir/Fuel (Α/F) Ratio Sensor and it is used by the Engine Control Μodule (ECΜ) to adjust the air/fuel ratio. The rear O2 Sensor located after the catalytic converter is used for the catalytic converter efficiency and monitoring.

 

No worry DD….I was also thinking that these are O2 sensors as well and was thinking that maybe the weather pack connector of getting water in it tossing out some codes but I doubt that the sensor itself is exposed at either location …

If this was the case It would send continuous codes to the ECM and would run like shit and or shut down or get very poor GM but who knows.

 

This occurred on a Gen1 2.4L Tacoma. I mentioned it as a point of caution. I haven't looked yet at my 2015s 4.0L AF sensor(s) location. Could be they are farther back than the Gen1 2.4Ls. Again - when washing the engine, be aware of these buggers.

The air fuel sensor is the first you'll encounter if you follow the path of your exhaust pipe(s) starting at the manifold. It looks very much like an O2 sensor.
The O2 sensor is the next along the way, usual a ft. or two further back from the AF sensor. The distance between these 2 sensors is model dependent.

 

If you're at home then use a hose with low pressure, at a car wash you can use engine degreaser or low pressure water! As long as its not high pressure.

 

Ya know I've never dive this and have always wondered about it.

I'm going to give it a try tomorrow.

 

I use simple green let it sit then attack with a pressure washer. Which outs out less volume of water than a hose. The only thing I try not to do is flood the alternator or a fuse box other than that I just have at er. never had an issue. the serpentine belt will squeak sometimes for a bit after but it doest that when I wheel through puddles anyways I don't wash my bay too often unless it's gotten full of mud. Other wise I'd be constantly washing the thing