Has anyone here cleaned there engine compartment on there TR? Is pressure washing safe? What is best method/products w/o pressure? thx
Pressure washing is out! Go to DetailImmage.Com and do the due diligence. I, and some others consider doing this an art form. Water on this engine system will bring you only problems. It does not take long to do the engine in stages with little water. Take your time.
My friend used the pressure washer on his Diablo, I had to go to get the car to run again. Low pressure time and patience is better.
Yep, definitely DO NOT pressure wash! I have thoroughly cleaned my engine and engine compartment many times using very few products: - Simple Green: use at varying dilutions based on how much grime you need to remove. Do not allow to remain in contact with aluminum parts for extended periods. I used to clean the landing gear on F-16s with Simple Green--good stuff! - Lacquer thinner: use to remove paint overspray or rejuvenate oxidized rubber (takes a thin layer off so don't use aggressively on rubber). Do not use on most painted parts--will either strip the paint or as a minimum flatten the finish. Same for many forms of plastic. Some factory painted finishes can withstand light use but others cannot--test first. Use in well-ventilated area. Good for cleaning up clamps, fittings, valves and other natural finish parts. - Medium dry acrylic enamel reducer: basically a less aggressive form of lacquer thinner, still use in well-ventilated area. Typically found at automotive paint supply shops. Can be used in areas where lacquer thinner is too strong, but again use caution. - Dupli-Color Grease & Wax Remover: good for removing Dinol rust preventative wax but can still take off some paint--use caution. Others like 3M remover or rubbing alcohol or other less-aggressive cleaners - AP303 vinyl protectant--use on all rubber surfaces, hoses, wires/wire harnesses, etc.--not to glossy. Once thoroughly cleaned the engine bay stays fairly clean (if no liquids leak) but dust and/or a thin layer of dirt will accumulate after the first drive (and every drive)--that will be your biggest headache. I blow the whole area out with compressed air between cleanings...oh, here's a little hint--don't point the air gun into the bellhousing cutout or you'll get a ton of clutch disk residue everywhere...trust me. You'll get gravel in the four shock mount towers, the rear valence and rear grill often. The left valve cover tends to get pretty dirty in the front due to airflow there--don't go too aggressive on the valve covers, the red paint (if original) is pretty thin and can't be touched-up (wrinkle finish) convincingly. - Cloth-braided hoses--these get pretty grimy. Most hoses had a white pattern ink stamped by the OEM (Saiag) which will come off if you clean too aggressively. Mild Simple Green will usually do the job. Some have used black shoe-polish to re-color, though I can tell you the hoses were not originally jet-black, they were varying shades of dark gray (some near-black). Also be careful with the small rubber vacuum hoses, they too were ink stamped by Saiag and the ink comes off pretty easy. - Use care around the black wrinkle-finish paint on the airbox--it tends to flake off pretty easily. - Use EXTREME care around the white plastic taillight connector "ears"--if you look at them wrong they will snap off...I warned you. - Much of the engine bay was spray coated satin black ("blacked out") by the factory after the exterior finish was applied--this black comes off real easy so use care when cleaning on or near it. - Use care around the decals and labels--they have been subjected to high heat and come off pretty easily (especially on the fan motors). A few decals used paper-based carriers and they do not like water. - The aluminum tubing for the cooling system is clear anodized--use care not to damage the finish. - The alternator and brake cooling ducts (orange on early-mid TRs, black on late TR >) can be aggressively cleaned with nearly any cleaner listed above (including lacquer thinner) and a toothbrush, just be careful around the spiral-wrapped thread or it will come unbonded. - Plug wire red silicone sleeves: can also be cleaned pretty aggressively, they are dirt-magnets due to their location - All the ground points and steel brake lines are painted gray--clean carefully. - The visible suspension parts can be cleaned fairly aggressively--CV joint housings have a green brush-coat anti-corrosive coating (pretty durable). Shafts are painted gloss black. - The water fan areas are minimally visible but if you want to clean well remove the rear wheels and the louvered forward rear wheel-well panels (use care, they are fiberglass). - Make note of what was/wasn't marked in yellow before cleaning--the factory used this to denote when parts were assembled and torqued (red for liquids). Replicate as necessary (if desired--many find these factory marks unsightly) - Use model paints to touch up small areas. Just use care, I try to use the least aggressive means first then work my way up. If you use water ensure you dry all electrical connections thoroughly, especially those at the ignition and F.I. ECUs, both coils, the two at the relay box over the fender (C12 & C13), and the two under the coolant expansion tank (C10 & C11). If a lot of water was used would be advisable to remove distributor caps and ensure no moisture got past the cork gaskets and rubber boots. If you clean a lot on the top front area of the engine it is highly advisable to check the electrical connectors around the temp sensors/thermostat (forward of the fuel distributors)--a broken wire or loose connection will cause the F.I. system to operate irregularly and drive you nuts. Good luck, show us before/after pictures and pass on any hints!
302Tim doesnt know what he is talking about. hahaha. About the only thing I could add to Tim's post is park you car on an incline (front up) so that standing water/simple green/Mr. bubbles, doesnt get trapped on the engine. But yea, use water sparingly and have a compressor or leaf blower handy to blow her out when done. FYI Im super anal about not getting water anywhere near anything electrical on this beast.
My process is nearly identical to 302Tim's I hose mine off with a warm spray of moderate pressure and blow-dry with compressed air. I don't worry too much about the water because of the way I direct it. Remember, these engine bays get wet when driven in the rain (and I do drive mine in the rain in the Pacific Northwest). That's why there are rubber boots on the connectors. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe the AP303 that Tim references is 303 Aerospace Protectant. I use it on all my cars. Also, the tops of my inner fenders had a cosmolene type coating on them that looked dirty and yellowed. I used lacquer thinner to get it off. 100% improvement.
A pressure washer used in a reasonable and correct manner can be an effective tool on certain areas of the (any) engine. It's certainly not safe for some areas, but can work well in others. A pressure washer is a tool just like any other... in the wrong hands dangerous, and in the right hands very usefull.
Absolutely right ! And that rain gets in the engine bay with a pressure almost like a powerwasher ... My advise: cloth and hot soapy water will do most of the job ! Image Unavailable, Please Login
On fairly new cars the mist setting on a warm engine is fine, but on older cars I'd be worried about the seals and/or grease in the wiring harness connections. My 1988 TR had a hunting idle and it was corrosion in the harness connections.
