Engine. To wash or not to wash?

Hi All.

I park my 2017 DC TRD Sport on a sandy driveway (cracked granite). During spring and fall time here in Los Angeles the engine bay gets a nice thick layer all over because of the strong winds.
Would hosing down the bay be ok? With covering things like the battery and the oil stick.

TIA.

 

Curious on this as well. My engine bay is dirty AF from hundreds of miles of dirt road.

 

FWIW, I have regularly sprayed down my engine compartment, sometimes with my (low powered) pressure washer, since I bought mine new in 2013. 65,000 miles later and no problems. Your mileage may vary...

 

just never wash a hot engine if you can help it, and stay away from electronics. I didn't know what I was doing with my first car, and got water down on the sparkplugs, and it wouldn't start a lot until I had my grandfather, who was a mechanic, help me figure it out.

 

you will be fine, just try to stay away from the coil packs like stated above.

 

I detail my engine all the time use simple green and water and then dry with compressed air and drive it around afterwards.

 

I never washed my engine bay for previous vehicles, but have washed the Tacoma- mild simple green solution, soft bristle brush and wash off with a garden hose.

I have read it is a good idea to cover the alternator with a plastic bag.

I have seen videos of people "detailing" the engine bay, so it is a question about how much effort you are willing to put into it.

Have even seen some using a power washer, but I am hesitant to go that route, because of all the electronic connections under the hood.

Always interesting to hear what others are doing, or not doing, as the case may be.

 

I detail my engine bay twice a year.


I spray down the engine bay and underside of the hood with Simple Green diluted 1:2 with warm water. Let it sit about 20 minutes.
I have a long handled brush I agitate everything with.
Then hose everything down to rinse
Then I wipe all the black plastic down with a trim dressing from Chemical guys to #1 make everything look nice but #2 protect the plastics and rubbers from drying out and cracking.


I have never covered any part of my engine when doing this.

Do not cover the battery. That is the most important area to clean to avoid corrosion.

 

Pretty much what Choco_Taco said just be careful where you blast water. I detail the engine by of all of our cars about 1X a year. I will take rags and wrap around plug wire boots and use Saran Wrap and wrap some of the more exposed electrical items that look like they will be vulnerable to water. I like to spray the bay down with diluted Simple Green first and let it pre soak for a little bit then hit with low pressure from the hose or pressure washer.

 

Thank you everyone for the replies.

 

I disconnect the negative battery terminal and
I like to put a plastic bag over the battery all together.

Just a tip to add over all the above comments.

 

I do mine at car wash about every couple months or so. Never have had a problem. Just leave it running when you do it.

 

Spray with water first, then simple green, brush/sponge where ever i can, and hose down. Never had any issues.

 

Buy one of those cheap pump sprayers. Fill it with a 50/50 mix of water and Simple Green.

Spray a generous amount of it on the entire cold engine. Let it sit for a minute or so and rinse off with low pressure water from a garden hose. Towel it off if you want to.

Been doing this every 3-4 months for years on all of my vehicles. The engine compartment is not a sealed area. The components are designed to handle some water intrusion.

 

I've never regularly washed my engines. If it got unusually muddy or ended up especially grimey over time I'd hose it down after some degreaser.

Engines get wet from normal use. As long as you aren't going ham with high pressure right at electronics you should be fine.

 

after applying simple green and rinsing, rather than dress all the plastic just spray with a dressing (i use Meguiars) and let sit overnight

 

No detailing mine - it is already a hot taco- rinse off and dust while still wet with cayenne pepper. The pepper sticks to the wires and other edible parts when it dries. Funny thing is, the shop I take it to says everyone’s doing it too - word got around.

 

A clean engine bay means it will be easier to spot problems. For example a leaking valve cover or a leaking water pump etc.

Use a 50/50 premix of water/degreaser of your choice. Any of the above methods should be fine. Most electronics use weatherproof connectors but it does not mean they are pressure washer proof.

 

Maybe preventing mice from eating the soy-based wire insulation?