Covering cold engine to clean 328 gts

Not really, cause' there's no reason to get a lot of water through the louvers if you're washing by hand.

 

You might post in the 308/328 section, but the short answer is that some of us consider it a good idea.

You don't want to give the engine a drenching in any event. I usually take a large, old towel and drape it over the engine, and take care not to aim the hose directly through the louvers on the deck lid. I've had no problems with this approach to date.

 

As Bullfighter said, some do and some don’t. I don’t worry about a bit of water on a hot engine but am somewhat concerned about a cold one where the water won’t evaporate quickly. I cover my 308’s engine with a cheap plastic shower curtain liner, which is heavier than typical plastic dropcloths and thus easier to handle and less likely to tear.

 

Does this mean it's bad to drive a 328 in heavy rain? I plan to buy a 328 in a year or so and as I live in England I'm pretty much guaranteed to get cought-out by the weather on some occasions.

 

Within a few days of taking delivery of my Ferrari , I went to the car wash and sprayed the engine compartment with engine degreaser and rinsed it off with hot water, no ill effects at all. (actually did it twice)
It wasn't until I read about it here, that I started to be more careful about water in the engine compartment. I think the coils and distributor might be the most sensitive areas , that you may want to cover.
The one thing that I ALWAYS do after washing the car, is to go for about a 10+ mile drive to help dry the engine compartment and it's components.

 

I'll defer to the real technicians on this, but it is the electrical bits that ought to be kept dry -- distributor caps were my first concern as well.

I'm in San Diego, so it's no problem for me to keep the whole car bone dry all year, but I worry about dumb stuff like water spots on the coolant expansion/overflow tank...

I don't think driving the car in the rain is equivalent to pouring water into the engine bay while the car is cold and stationary.

 

When i had my 86 326 GTS, I washed my engine every time I washed the car. My mechanic (John Tirrell at IFS) told me to. I just sprayed Fantastic all over it and then used a garden hose (with a gentle shower head) to wash it off. I then just drove the car a few miles to dry it off. I had no problems with it driving in the rain either. no leaks at all. Had 0 problems with it for over 2 years. The engine was bulletproof.

Theo

 

Wash it with a low pressure water spray. Then spray WD-40 all over the place, to displace the water, but especially on the coils, plug wires and distributor caps. Then a nice drive until you reach normal temperature. Anyway, that's what I do and haven't had a problem.

Erich

 

I don't see the difference in washing your car or leaving it in a parking lot in the rain. It's a car, it's going to get wet.

 

Shooting water under pressure at an engine with the engine cover/hood open is different than plain old rain. It's a matter of where it is aimed, how much pressure etc. Your going to hit some areas with water that are typically not touched by rain under normal circumstances. It may or may not cause a problem depending upon other variables.

Erich

 

I guess that depends on your washing techniques. I never use more pressure than a simple garden hose can provide, without a pressure nozzle. I've seen rain fall harder. I've also never washed it with the cover/hood open.

 

True on the high-pressure avoidance. I used to be a real enthusiast for blowing around in the engine compartment with the high-pressure wash at a quarter DIY stall, after soaking a warm engine with the engine clean setting. Sure made things look clean inside there!

UNTIL - my ZR1 suddenly started hitting on only 7 cylinders right after one such treatment. From the second I started it up in the stall. It did not go away after a reasonable drying time.

It turned out to be an injector that went out. This means pulling the intake plenum, flow balancing all 16 injectors (primary & secondary), replacing 3 of them, and cleaning everything up. Six Hundred & Fifty bucks. The tecnician also pointed out that my starter motor and solenoid are up there in the valley of the vee under that plenum, too - and that I had soaked them down pretty good as well. I am sure that Ferrari's probably have analagous little critical "water collecting traps" that can wreak havoc on electricals.

So, nothing gets near the ZR1 or the Testarossa except for limited hand spraying, brushes and cleaning cloths nowadays.

 

I do wash the engine (warm) from time-to-time with a garden hose and a spray nozzle (after applying degreaser). WD-40 after that and no problems.

Erich

 

I never covered my 78 308GTS or 87 328GTS when washing. I did have a problem with the 78 308GTS, though, the spark plug wire covers (rubber cover caps), where not sealing well, and allowed water into one or two plug holes. This caused a miss. I replaced all 8 caps, and never had a problem again. I guess after 23+ years you need to replace them!

So, no, if you have your distributor covers and spark plug hole cover in place (and in good condition, making a good seal) there is no reason to cover the engine. Otherwise, what would happen when you are driving or park the car in rain? (heaven forbid!)

 

I drove my 308 once in a pouring rain I mean Pouring Rain for an hour I didn't have any choice I had to get home, the car ran perfect, no electrical issues, I even got stuck at the traffic light for about 3 minutes without any problem. Anyway I know it's not just a car it's a special car, but remember the car came from the factory with a set of wipers that means it can be driven in the rain or design so you can, if you have to.

 

funny, i just went to pick up my 328 and had this problem. i had the engine power washed and it started missing. we pulled the plug wires and the extenders were wet. but they were also corroded so we replaced them. pulls like a stallion now. be careful with water around your engine.

 

"Power washed" versus rain or rinsing/spraying with a garden hose is almost comparing apples to oranges.

 

your point is?

 

Try this...the next time it is raining, step out the back door and hold your face up to the sky with your mouth open.

Then, for comparison, go to the quarter car wash and ...

But I guess we get the point, don't we?