With previous older cars I've owned I painted on engine cleaner with a brush and just hosed the engine down after covering the distributor, then just let the engine air dry before starting it.
A mechanic told me not to do this with the modern engines as it can stuff up your electronics which would be really expensive to replace/repair.
How do others clean their engines now? I have been just wiping mine down with a rag....
oldbobsbus said
06:50 PM Mar 28, 2014
How modern is modern I spray my 1999 VT motor with Castrol Workshop Cleaner and give it 10 mins to work then hit it with the pressure cleaner..
Sometimes I wonder if the advice given isnt to get more work.
chopit said
07:32 PM Mar 28, 2014
I'm very carefull of how much water & where I spray it in the engine bay,just in case.
I have a VX C/dore motor in the hilux. The computer is up in the passenger footwell.
I use the supercheap spray degreaser,have done for years. Spray it where it's needed.
Give it a while then hose it all off. Works a treat.
Nothing wrong with a judicious wipe down.
That way you can be confident of not bathing the electronics.
valiant81 said
08:23 PM Mar 28, 2014
Hi;
I do the same as ' chopit' , by using the cheap engine degreaser, but i also use a high presure gernie to rinse down. I just leave the degreaser on for about 5~10 min and then wash off.
Have used this process on quiet a few cars, 81 Valiant with the 265 motor, VN and VR holden V6 motors, then our 95 Pajero with the diesel motor and finaly i also have a 30 year old Mazda 323 ( with 85,000 Kms ), and the only problem i have ever had was with the Mazda as the dizzie is horizontaly mounted on the motor and had to dry it out with compressed air and a rag and then all was right again.
In each of the above cars i always give the hole engine bay's a good hose down and was not worried about excess water geting in to the electricals.I still do this to our cars every 6 months ( i realy hate working on a greasy engine bay ). As soon as i was finished i would then start up the motor and let it run for a few minuets. Clean up my mess and then take the car for a drive to realy bring the engine and engine bay up to normal temp, never had a problem.
Vic41 said
08:57 PM Mar 28, 2014
I am no mechanic so please bear with me. I am talking about fairly recent vehicles with computer card electronics etc, those without distributors, fuel injected, turbo's etc, etc......
moamajohn said
10:13 PM Mar 28, 2014
Vic .I had a Prado Grande from 2005 till 2012 and when I went to the car wash I did the motor every second week without fail .I have since had my Pajero for 18 months and still do the same.I open the bonnet and then set the spray thingy for wheels and motor, I do both then wash the paj all over on normal wash ,then set to rinse and do every thing !I have never had a problem .Mind you when I used to drive a dodge fargo way back in the 60,s fair dinkum it would only have to look like rain and the bugger would never start ! Cheers John.
Vic41 said
11:07 PM Mar 28, 2014
Thanks John
DeBe said
11:18 AM Mar 29, 2014
With petrol engines & the spark plug in the center of the head. If you use a pressure cleaner & get moisture in there, you could be in for a bit of a surprise. Especialy when the plugs need replacing at 100,000Ks.
hako said
11:31 AM Mar 29, 2014
The big problem is when people use caustic or alkaline degreasers instead of solvent based degreasers like the ones from Supercheap. The alkaline ones will corrode the contacts in every connector they reach and maybe 6 months later you may have electrical problems caused by corroded connectors. They also corrode all alloy surfaces like manifolds, master cylinders etc.
What I do is cover all connectors with gladwrap, then spray degreaser where it is needed, wait 5 mins and then hose off with gentle hose pressure - use an old paintbrush to remove stubborn deposits or a toothbrush. A Gernie just forces water into nooks and crannies where it causes problems.
Regular degreasing (every 6 months or so) greatly reduces the need for drastic cleaning IMHO.
Good Luck.
justcruisin01 said
06:05 PM Mar 29, 2014
Dont wash down a V8 diesel cruiser, the starter motor in in the bottom of the valley with a large section of sound deadning material over it, fills with water & keeps soaking into the starter.
Its only an 8hr job to replace the starter, plus the starter, plus all new high pressure seals for the common rail fuel injection. Thats enough $$$$$$ ss to stop the wheels turning for a week or two.
Vic41 said
09:14 PM Mar 29, 2014
Thanks for all the additional info, sounds like you need to do it with care of fork out big bucks sooner or later...
terrytravellingman said
10:31 PM Mar 29, 2014
I have 2010 2.2 lt Hyundai Sante fe Turbo diesel and clean the engine twice a year at the local car wash and never had a problem and i dont' see any reason why i should.
Cheers
Terry
Vic41 said
01:50 AM Mar 30, 2014
terrytravellingman wrote:
I have 2010 2.2 lt Hyundai Sante fe Turbo diesel and clean the engine twice a year at the local car wash and never had a problem and i dont' see any reason why i should.
Cheers
Terry
What do they have there for the engine Terry and how do you do yours ?
-- Edited by Vic41 on Sunday 30th of March 2014 01:52:20 AM
terrytravellingman said
09:38 PM Mar 30, 2014
On the control panel they have a section for (engine and tyre clean),i usually spray the engine and my wheels leave it for a couple of minutes and use the water pressure spray. the engine cleaning fluid does not come out under pressure this allows you to get right in and around the engine and it will look like new.
Cheers
Terry
Vic41 said
10:40 PM Mar 30, 2014
terrytravellingman wrote:
On the control panel they have a section for (engine and tyre clean),i usually spray the engine and my wheels leave it for a couple of minutes and use the water pressure spray. the engine cleaning fluid does not come out under pressure this allows you to get right in and around the engine and it will look like new.
Cheers Terry
Thanks Terry, appreciated! Also to previous posters for their input and views.
-- Edited by Vic41 on Monday 31st of March 2014 10:24:57 PM
chopit said
05:14 PM Mar 31, 2014
Wow Westy. That Fargo sounds like a Bennelli sei ( 6 cyl) motorcycle I had.
It only needed to get cloudy & the thing would start running like a hairy goat.
J.C. I wonder how many landbruiser owners learnt an expensive lesson.
Cheers
Loki said
10:15 AM Apr 1, 2014
My 1953 Plymouth had starting problems in humid weather (it would start OK in rainy weather, but not that heavy humid stuff). Mechanic chap insisted that the new Yoo-beut silicone spray he wanted to sell me would fix the problem: He even guaranteed it. So I wiped all my plug & distributor leads, gave it a good spray and it worked! My guess is there were tiny cracks in the leads and in humid weather they'd short out.
Cheers
Vic41 said
10:34 AM Apr 1, 2014
Loki wrote:
My 1953 Plymouth had starting problems in humid weather (it would start OK in rainy weather, but not that heavy humid stuff). Mechanic chap insisted that the new Yoo-beut silicone spray he wanted to sell me would fix the problem: He even guaranteed it. So I wiped all my plug & distributor leads, gave it a good spray and it worked! My guess is there were tiny cracks in the leads and in humid weather they'd short out. Cheers
Hi Loki,
Good to see your are still around, all going well I hope.
Sometimes the distributor caps can have a very hard to see hairline crack which can cause shorts, but I assume your mechanic or yourself checked that out thoroughly. Glad the silicone worked thanks for the tip also.
-- Edited by Vic41 on Tuesday 1st of April 2014 10:35:25 AM
The dog lady said
07:31 PM Apr 1, 2014
Vic41 wrote:
I am no mechanic so please bear with me. I am talking about fairly recent vehicles with computer card electronics etc, those without distributors, fuel injected, turbo's etc, etc......
Prior to buying the campervan I had a 2000 Falcon with LPG. Mechanic who was not familiar with LPG did the pressure washer thing when I wanted to roadworthy it, and it caused HUGE problems. Never really the same after. I don't think modern egines with all their electronics like a lot of water.
HiAce has turbo and I just wipe it down with rags when necessary. If there ar no leaks it shouldn't be much of a problem.
-- Edited by The dog lady on Tuesday 1st of April 2014 07:33:36 PM
. Water washing in the engine compartment including high pressure water washing may cause the failure of electrical circuits located in the engine compartment.
. Never allow water or other liquids to come in contact with electrical/electronic components inside the vehicle as this may damage them.
I am wondering now if I used a rag dampened with WD40 or CRC26 to wipe down the non electrical/electronic surfaces in the engine by whether that would be the best thing to do....
The dog lady said
09:20 PM Apr 6, 2014
Well Vic, reading the manual is undoubtedly cheaper than learning the hard way. And a lot less frustrating. Rag with a bit of CRC sounds like the go to me
But providing it does no harm, a bit of dirt on the van is just proof of exploring off the bitumen
Vic41 said
10:14 PM Apr 6, 2014
The dog lady wrote:
Well Vic, reading the manual is undoubtedly cheaper than learning the hard way. And a lot less frustrating. Rag with a bit of CRC sounds like the go to me
But providing it does no harm, a bit of dirt on the van is just proof of exploring off the bitumen
So true.....I use that excuse a lot, always glad when it rains so the outside gets a bit of a wash!.....
With previous older cars I've owned I painted on engine cleaner with a brush and just hosed the engine down after covering the distributor, then just let the engine air dry before starting it.
A mechanic told me not to do this with the modern engines as it can stuff up your electronics which would be really expensive to replace/repair.
How do others clean their engines now? I have been just wiping mine down with a rag....
How modern is modern I spray my 1999 VT motor with Castrol Workshop Cleaner and give it 10 mins to work then hit it with the pressure cleaner..
Sometimes I wonder if the advice given isnt to get more work.
I have a VX C/dore motor in the hilux. The computer is up in the passenger footwell.
I use the supercheap spray degreaser,have done for years. Spray it where it's needed.
Give it a while then hose it all off. Works a treat.
Nothing wrong with a judicious wipe down.
That way you can be confident of not bathing the electronics.
Hi;
I do the same as ' chopit' , by using the cheap engine degreaser, but i also use a high presure gernie to rinse down. I just leave the degreaser on for about 5~10 min and then wash off.
Have used this process on quiet a few cars, 81 Valiant with the 265 motor, VN and VR holden V6 motors, then our 95 Pajero with the diesel motor and finaly i also have a 30 year old Mazda 323 ( with 85,000 Kms ), and the only problem i have ever had was with the Mazda as the dizzie is horizontaly mounted on the motor and had to dry it out with compressed air and a rag and then all was right again.
In each of the above cars i always give the hole engine bay's a good hose down and was not worried about excess water geting in to the electricals.I still do this to our cars every 6 months ( i realy hate working on a greasy engine bay ). As soon as i was finished i would then start up the motor and let it run for a few minuets. Clean up my mess and then take the car for a drive to realy bring the engine and engine bay up to normal temp, never had a problem.
I am no mechanic so please bear with me. I am talking about fairly recent vehicles with computer card electronics etc, those without distributors, fuel injected, turbo's etc, etc......
Thanks John
With petrol engines & the spark plug in the center of the head. If you use a pressure cleaner & get moisture in there, you could be in for a bit of a surprise. Especialy when the plugs need replacing at 100,000Ks.
What I do is cover all connectors with gladwrap, then spray degreaser where it is needed, wait 5 mins and then hose off with gentle hose pressure - use an old paintbrush to remove stubborn deposits or a toothbrush. A Gernie just forces water into nooks and crannies where it causes problems.
Regular degreasing (every 6 months or so) greatly reduces the need for drastic cleaning IMHO.
Good Luck.
Dont wash down a V8 diesel cruiser, the starter motor in in the bottom of the valley with a large section of sound deadning material over it, fills with water & keeps soaking into the starter.
Its only an 8hr job to replace the starter, plus the starter, plus all new high pressure seals for the common rail fuel injection. Thats enough $$$$$$ ss to stop the wheels turning for a week or two.
Thanks for all the additional info, sounds like you need to do it with care of fork out big bucks sooner or later...
I have 2010 2.2 lt Hyundai Sante fe Turbo diesel and clean the engine twice a year at the local car wash and never had a problem and i dont' see any reason why i should.
Cheers
Terry
What do they have there for the engine Terry and how do you do yours ?
-- Edited by Vic41 on Sunday 30th of March 2014 01:52:20 AM
Cheers
Terry
Thanks Terry, appreciated!
Also to previous posters for their input and views. 
-- Edited by Vic41 on Monday 31st of March 2014 10:24:57 PM
It only needed to get cloudy & the thing would start running like a hairy goat.
J.C. I wonder how many landbruiser owners learnt an expensive lesson.
Cheers
Cheers
Hi Loki,
Good to see your are still around, all going well I hope.
Sometimes the distributor caps can have a very hard to see hairline crack which can cause shorts, but I assume your mechanic or yourself checked that out thoroughly. Glad the silicone worked thanks for the tip also.
-- Edited by Vic41 on Tuesday 1st of April 2014 10:35:25 AM
Prior to buying the campervan I had a 2000 Falcon with LPG. Mechanic who was not familiar with LPG did the pressure washer thing when I wanted to roadworthy it, and it caused HUGE problems. Never really the same after. I don't think modern egines with all their electronics like a lot of water
.
HiAce has turbo and I just wipe it down with rags when necessary. If there ar no leaks it shouldn't be much of a problem.
-- Edited by The dog lady on Tuesday 1st of April 2014 07:33:36 PM
I just saw this in my van manual Marianna,
...............................................................
CAUTION
. Water washing in the engine compartment including high pressure water washing may cause the failure of electrical circuits located in the engine compartment.
. Never allow water or other liquids to come in contact with electrical/electronic components inside the vehicle as this may damage them.
......................................................................
I am wondering now if I used a rag dampened with WD40 or CRC26 to wipe down the non electrical/electronic surfaces in the engine by whether that would be the best thing to do....
Well Vic, reading the manual is undoubtedly cheaper than learning the hard way. And a lot less frustrating. Rag with a bit of CRC sounds like the go to me
But providing it does no harm, a bit of dirt on the van is just proof of exploring off the bitumen
So true.....I use that excuse a lot, always glad when it rains so the outside gets a bit of a wash!.....
