How to clean 3rd gen engine bay?

I have a pretty "weak" electric pressure washer, 1600 psi at 1.2 gpm, was only $100. I'm thinking that will be safe? I definitely don't plan on leaving it on one spot, but fanning it around always having it in motion.

 

Yes. Just don't square up on a connector and unload. You'll be fine. If it makes u feel better take two steps back. Get a feel for how much pressure you're putting on it and move in slowly as u get more comfortable. You're over thinking it lol





Not responsible for CEL or engine failure

 

This should be a project for the wife. They have plenty of experience cleaning up mud when some of you MF-ers blow up the toilet after your weekly family outing to Pizza Ranch. She might have the Live, Love and Laugh sign above the bed, but what's going down in the bathroom is pushing the buttons, one day she's going to go sub-nuclear and test the limits of both your emergency fund and your health insurance. She'll try and confide in the pastor at church, but he's a fan of Pizza Ranch too. Despite Kohler's claim of a skid free bowl, your liquid grease turds after three plates of chicken, the bowl look's like the touchdown point on runway 17R in DEN. Sometimes there's a little "hop" and skids are left on the rim. It will be at this moment that she'll start a fight fueled by Franzia. She can't afford decent wine this month because you hurt your toe on bowling night when you dropped your ball called the hammer on it. The hospital decided to cash in on this cash cow or so they thought and ran all kinds of tests including an MRI on it. They saw you roll up in a decked out Tacoma fit for over-landing in Zion or some other special place, but the truck has never left Kansas City. A week later the hospital bill came in as the insureds responsibility about $5428 for a Level 4 ER visit. WTF there went the tropical vacay and good wine. Level 4 ER visit WTF? In the end you'll end up getting in a screaming match and find yourself getting chased around the house with wife wielding a dirty toilet brush. The neighbors the Debra and Derek Johnson will call the police and it will be your luck because you're outside the house trying to cool off when they arrive. A little cooling off wouldn't be complete with out a cold beer, two or three. It's at that moment that the police pull up and see you. You've always been one to get belligerent with the law when drunk, It all stems from a urinating in public ticket you got in college at CSUN. The wife goes out there to fuel the fire with some more cackling in that Minnesota accent.

It's at that moment the officers decide to arrest you for being drunk and disorderly. Those power tripping MF-ers the wife goes nuclear by this point and the only thing you're thinking is that it was a good thing you dropped the kids off at the mother in-laws because you both might be getting arrested. They keep telling your wife to calm down, but officers know this is one of the most dangerous calls and keep telling your wife Karen to take her hands out of her pocket. A fighting husband and wife is like stepping in between a cow and calf. The wife finally goes inside and off to jail you go. In about 30 minutes the wife has sheer panic and realizes she needs to bail you out of jail because you're on notice at work, one more time Andrew and you're forfeiting position and getting busted back down to assistant engineer at Cargill. She ends up bailing you out of jail for $500, but the real fun has begun you end up spending another $2000 on a lawyer because you can't admit that you fucked up. So you're two weeks of excitement at this point is already over $6k, the wife is wearing sweat pants to bed the kids don't know a thing about what happened, but there hasn't been a meal at Pizza Ranch in three weeks now.

 

When I had my '92 Civic I would pressure wash the engine no problems. I just made sure to avoid as best I can the distributor, spark plug holes and anything I thought would be damaged by the pressure. Otherwise I had the nozzle right up on the grease, oil, mud and whatever. You mentioned you have one of the cheaper electric pressure washers, I would used the 40* nozzle or whatever it is that is before the mist nozzle and use that with a scrub brush for the really hard stains.

 

Safe for aluminum. Use on cold engine.

 

You sir, know how to paint a picture!

 

Just run it through a few puddles on the street.

 

This is how ^

 

TLDR

 

Let us know how it turns out

 

How long should I let my engine dry if at all before starting it up again?

 

No need to wait. Jump in and go for a drive to sling it all off.

 

Bigger mud puddle should get the rest of the engine.

 

In my 30+ years of driving a vehicle, I have always cleaned my engine bay. Never a problem of any kind due to cleaning. I've cleaned many types of cars, trucks, and different makes.

Go to the car wash and spray it down with the engine cleaner setting. Let it sit a few minutes. Spray it down with rinse. Don't worry about anything. It will be fine. Do it with the engine warmed up. Drive it around a while to dry everything. After it's dry, spray the whole engine compartment with TIRE FOAM. Use the foam it works better than spray. Let it foam up and run off. It will look as good or even better than new. The foam treatment will help with future mud and keep it from sticking as much.
I just did some riding on a muddy dirt road last night. I did my routine and it looks like new.

 

I’ll be honest, I have never once cleaned my engine bay in any car or truck I have ever owned.

 

I would not sign that unless unavoidable, or take the truck over there after offroading. If your engine craps out and they find a little mud they're gonna blame it on you for off roading their off road truck.

 

Ive just been rinsing mine. Just get the hose and rinse the bottom of the hood, then work your way down. I also put the hose behind the radiator, between the fan's blades and rinse the radiator from the back to the front.

 

Here's where I'm at after a soak and rinse. Used my pressure washer after all with the 40° nozzle. Much better I think hah. I'll probably get more detailed when I've got more time. Thank you all so much!!