Cleaning engine compartment

Prep and wash outside when car engine is cold. Make sure you cover up all of the electric parts (distrib cap, etc). Simple Green and a good brushing should do the trick. I would not point the nozzle to close to the wrapped electricals either. I would wrap up these parts circled in yellow. But just remember, its going to be the electrical parts that will give you trouble if water gets in there.

see where Edd starts cleaning the engine at 6mins in the video.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwRl0iqzCwc[/ame]
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IMHO, do not wet the engine. Water is never friendly to 20 plus year old electrical stuff. You want to paper towel, tooth brush, baby wipe, etc... go ahead, but no water washing. Mike, didn't you just find water pooling in one of the spark plug recesses? Didn't that cause you heartache? I am convinced that moisture killed my ignition coil a few years ago. Water and old electrical connections do not mix.

 

+1

baby wipes, Qtips, small rags soaked with SG and baby bottle brushes.

 

Your probably right, I did not take precautions, should have covered the distrib cap when I washed my wires, I was not thinking straight.

I think its alot less risky to wipe it down, but its hard to get every nook and cranny without washing and brushing. Done the right way, its doable. Would I do it, prob not with a power washer, but I'll wrap everything up and alittle Simple Green and brush, mist it off with the hose or spray bottle. Thats no more water than being caught in the rain IMO.

 

Every time I wash my 308 if I do not cover the engine with a plastic cover and water goes on it I'm 100% sure a plug or two get soaked and need replacing. Now that I know I take care not to do it.

 

The electrical connectors are not waterproof, at all. Bad idea to hose these engines down (ask me how I know, actually I would prefer to forget). Definitely not a pressure washer, perhaps dribble from a hose without a nozzle plus simple green or other degreaser would be okay. Might be better to use some loctite degreaser aerosol that evaporates, kind of like brake cleaner for tricky spots, but otherwise use a rag and some detailing sponges on a
stick soaked in wd40, and with some effort things can clean up pretty nicely.

 

I guess I have lucked off. I've had to wash things down after blowing a coolant hose. Hit it all with the garden nozzle taking care not to aim directly at the electrical stuff to get the coolant rinsed off. I'll probably go the route of sealing everything and brushing and hosing off since I have done far worse up till now.
Dave

 

I also would not recommend washing down your engine clean it by hand, I cover my entire engine and also the front trunk area with plastic even when washing just the outside of the car.

 

I wash my car twice a month for the last 8 months without covering engine or front bonnet and never had a problem. I think the caveat is to not to power blast water directly into the open slots but to select a setting on the knob to rain level to rinse the soap suds away.

Ferrari engineers surely designed these cars to handle rain and if its not a blast of water, I think it can handle it just fine! But do what makes you comfortable!

 

I'm heavy handed with the water its just force of habit for me so I'm safer covering things up I just have to remember to take the plastic OFF before I start the engine!