Hosing off engine bay

I want to clean the engine bay of my 2001 Accent with a garden hose.
What should I waterproof before doing this?

 

Nothing. Just spray on whatever cleaner you have then hose it off.
Afterwards, drive the car until the engine is good and warm to drive off
any moisture.

 

WHAT????? Please Brian - don't do this. A dousing with a garden hose into
the alternator followed by an immediate startup is just begging for
problems. As well - such a simple advisory to a person asking this kind of
question invites other such issues as water introduced into the air intake
of the engine.

A better answer would have been that you can indeed hose off an engine
compartment but be aware there are areas that are sensitive to large amounts
of water. Large amounts of water are not normally expected in an engine
compartment. One should take precautions to protect the alternator from
being deluged by the water. Also ensure not to flood the air intake. Allow
the compartment to dry before starting the engine.

 

THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING!

Give me a break, Mike. What's with all this alarmist nonsense? I hose
off engines all the time and NEVER have the problems you describe. Any
water that gets into the alternator drains right out the bottom. You'd
really have to try hard to get enough water to cause a problem into the
intake while simply rinsing the engine bay. If you're really worried
about such silliness, rinse the engine bay with the engine running. Any
water that hits the alternator will be spun right out and any fine mist
that gets into the intake will go right through the engine. It's
completely unnecessary, but maybe it will make you feel better.

It never ceases to amaze me what some people get worked up about.

 

Bullshit Brian. You've never seen me post anything that was alarmist.

Well then, I guess it amazes me at what some people will do and consider it
not to be problematic. I too hose my engine compartments but just not quite
the way you do. Have I seen problems from people blasting them as you
suggest? Yes.

 

Yes, hosing down an alternator that isn't spinning and able to sling off
the water is a very bad idea. Hosing down one that is spinning and able
to sling of water is just a bad idea.

Matt

 

Well, you did so this time.

Who said anything about "blasting"???

The original question was about "hosing off" the engine bay. As I said,
I've done so hundreds of times and have NEVER, repeat NEVER had any
problems with alternators or water in intakes. If an alternator couldn't
handle a little water, it would never survive in an engine bay. While
it's true that you don't want to SUBMERGE an alternator, a little spray
from the outside is no problem.

The only time I've ever seen ANY problems from rinsing off an engine
were in cases of degraded spark plug leads or a cracked distributor
caps. Rinsing an engine while it's running is a good way to diagnose
moisture related problems such as that.

 

Sorry Matt, but that's just plain wrong. It's not a problem at all.

 

I have had good luck with a pressure washer. I was always careful not to
blast the distributor, alternator, and harness plugs. I would do it with the
engine very warm, but not hot. When I could barely hold my hand on the
hottest part (probably the exhaust manifold) I would start washing.

Then it happened.

I washed my Mazda 626 engine, being careful as always.

Engine wouldn't start. Using an air compressor and paper towels, I carefully
dried out the distributor and all the plug wires.

It started, but it ran rough. I ran it a while to heart it up, and left the
hood open.

Came back in 3 hours, it started but ran a bit rough. I let it run for about
10 minutes, and saw smoke. The cat converter was RED HOT. That was
obviously caused by the miss, as raw fuel from a dead cylinder got into the
converter.

It took me another 2 hours to get it dried out completely, and I'm lucky
the car didn't burn down.

 

Hyundais don't have distributors anymore. Problem solved.

Regardless, I would never let a rough-running engine run that long for
any reason, whether I had just rinsed the engine bay or not.

 

I say it is. Call up an alternator manufacturer and ask them.


Matt

 

What i do on all my cars, including my classic 1970 Vette, is cover the
Distributor/Coil/Alternator with a small plastic bag then spray Simple
Green detergent on the motor , sidewalls, firewall, radiator, and a/c
condensor ... let it sit for 1 minute....use a brush to get at any heavy
deposits, then use a light spray of water from a garden hose. I then
blow off the water with compressed air , wait another 5 minutes with it
out in the open air, remove the plastic bags...then fire it up and
immediately go for a 3 mile drive . Ive never had any problems doing it
this way.

 

That's pretty much what I do, other than using a foamy engine cleaner
rather than Simple Green. I avoid spraying a heavy jet of water and try
to avoid electrical parts. It isn't hard if you are careful.


Matt

 

'That's pretty much what I do, other than using a foamy engine cleaner
rather than Simple Green. I avoid spraying a heavy jet of water and try
to avoid electrical parts. It isn't hard if you are careful.
Matt '

REPLY: IVe tried Gunk but it tends to leave white streaks behind, so, i
switched to Simple Green which is not as harsh and leaves no residue.
If i could find a Degreaser that doesnt leave a residue, id probably
switch back .

 

I haven't had significant problems with the white streaks, but then I
don't leave the stuff on the recommended 10 or so minutes. It seems to
streak mainly in areas that dry before you rinse them, and on a warm
engine (usually also recommended), the stuff can dry quickly. I tend to
foam it on, wait a minute or two and they flush it off. I repeat a
couple of times if necessary.


Matt

 

I agree with Matt. Multiple applications clean better than longer wait
times and thorough rinsing eliminates residue. Regular cleaning prevents
gunk buildup.

 

I switched to Purple Cleaner which is available is almost every parts store.
The stuff really works well to break down grease and it's liquid. As long
as you don't spray it on a hot engine (which will cause it to dry too fast),
you don't have the same problems a Gunk.

 

Wow. I hope I do not have the same problem. I carefully cleaned around
the engine under the hood but something must be wet. The car starts
and idles really rough. The engine knocks on low rpm. The Check Engine
Light is still blinking. Everything looks dry but I will wait until
morning before driving again.

Hope I do not end up with the cleanest piece of junk.

 

Did you clean it with the engine warm (not hot!)? I tend to wait 30
minutes or so (drip water on the exhaust manifold if you can get to it,
and what the water just evaporates quickly, but doesn't "hiss", then I
clean the engine. Doing so means you'll have enough residual heat to
help dry things out pretty well. I personally don't start the engine
right after washing it. I want things to have time to dry out before
running it.


Matt

 

The car sat for about 2 hours then I moved it out of the garage and
started hosing. If anything the engine was not warm. In hindsight, I
agree that allowing the parts to dry before driving is a good idea.

Anyways, I just started the car again. It is starting to sound better
so things must be drier. The CEL is still blinking. Hope things return
to normal by morning.