well had a oil leak come from the dip stick didn't push it down all the way and spitted some oil just wanted to know is there a good way to wash the car's engine. i spent an hour wiping with a rag and scratched some knuckle

 

Just wash it! I have a 2.4L and I've had no problems spraying down the engine bay at all.. but being careful doesnt hurt...

 

i would just like to point out at used car dealerships they just take a powerwasher to the engine bays, just dont spray directly at hoses or anything that looks to fragile

 

most self serve car wash bays have a high pressure engine/wheel degreaser that you spray on... the only place id be careful around is the fuse box, but that should be on 2...

 

just leave the engine on and spray water(power washer is better) and use engine cleaner spray.

 

ah you guys are crazy!! lol spray the **** out of it.. Everythings sealed up nicely We don't go mud bogging so you shouldnt have to be harsh with a pressure sprayer, use your judgement and for the love of god don't go prying open things under the hood that you have no business opening or you might not close it up properly after, surely f!cking up your car.. ok my work is done here

 

Actually you should have your engine off. If you have it on there is a chance, albeit small, that you could suck water up in the intake. Well that's what I have always been told anyway. If it's wrong someone please correct me now.

 

The best way to do it is let the engine get nice and hot so as to heat up all the oil and grim. Spry it down, and I mean soak it with engine cleaner and give that bitch a bath. Ain't much to it.

 

i thought it was bad to wash the engine while it was hot...

 

Actually I think you should do when hot, I believe some cans of engine degreaser suggest spraying it on when hot. That way, all the grease and dirt loosens up really good. Let it soak for a good 10-15 minutes while running, then spray it down. Car should be running the whole time. If you have a SRI, maybe try to cover the filter a bit from water.

 

Why would you say that? plyboy

 

My uncle washes all of his car's engines with gasoline. Yep, gas!. He uses that to cut the grime, scrubs, then rinses and then blows it dry with a compressor. He's been doing it for years and they look amazing afterwards.

 

I would not do that with our car's. Too much plastic and gasoline can turn it white!

 

YOU CAN HAVE THE ENGINE ON.... HOWEVER IF YOU HAVE AN AFTER CAI YOU CAN USE A BAG TO COVER UP THE FILTER TO KEEP WATER FROM GETTING IN IT. SAME GOES FOR A SHORTRAM. SO YES YOU CAN WASH THE ENGINE WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING. POWERWASHING DEFINATELY WORKS BEST.

 

I don't think it's a good idea to spray an engine with water.
When you go from extreme hot to extreme cold like that things crack and break.'
You can warp heads and crack blocks like that. Take a dry rag and some kind of degreaser and wipe the dirt off by hand. No water.

 

Look at the post above for the answer. You don't wanna spray a hot block. A little warm is ok but not hot. The automatic car washes don't spray directly on your engine.

 

most power washes that have the degreaser stuff actually use hot water already so having the car run doesn't really help. Extreme hot to cold can mess stuff up crack pipes n stuff so make sure you didn't just come back from 3 hours of road racing and splash ice water on the engine.

 

sorry, you have to leave it on....do you even read the directions on the engine spray? no one listen to him

 

Wouldent covering the intake with a bag starve the engine of air?....

 

I just clean the engine bay with soap, hose water and a rag. Power washing can fock **** up.

 

I would be very careful when spraying down your engine bay while it is hot. I was spraying the engine bay of my GTP while it was hot, and the change of temp caused the downpipe to crack. The crack happen to be at the top near the o2 sensor causing my o2s to be out of wack until I replaced the downpipe.

 

Sorry, *******. I use degreaser anyway and not a powerwasher. I like to take my time when I am detailing my car. Degreaser and elbow grease work really well to clean the engine.

 

I use cement degreaser, scrub and rinse quickly. Then put some blue shine

 

Ok, regular hose water is not cold enough to crack or warp anything. The only way that would happen is if you were using arctic cold water and I don't know of too many places to buy that stuff! I have been working on cars since I was 8 and working profesionaly since I was 16 and this is the way it has always been done. It's actually a manufaturer ans dealer recomendation.

 

i have washed my motor in the sunfire a few times. when i first bought it because it had a axle seal leak so oil all over it. then after winter i wash it. i wait for the motor to get cold then i take plastic bags and put them over anything with wires. pull my intake off cover the whole then get simple green and put it all over the motor let it sit then get a brush start scrubing it then turn on my power washer and watch it all turn nice and clean.