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clean my engine bay

kazalex

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i want to degrease my engine -what do i need to cover as i don't want starting problems,thanks
 

accentstencil

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Alternator and fuse box is about all.
I can't cover the alternator because it is at the bottom of the engine and I can't access it.
I personally didn't cover anything but I give it 3 or 4 hours to dry out before I start the engine. Just use a hose to rinse off not a high pressure cleaner.
 

toey@carfx

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Cover bits of you want but but it's not needed. as soon as finished start the car and let it idle for 15-20 minutes and let the heat from the motor dry the bay. Once rinsed you can also spray liberally some aerospace 303 over the wet bay before letting the bay dry
 

07GTS

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ever driven in heavy rain the whole engine gets covered in water then, its only if u pressure wash it and water gets forced into parts it shouldnt be in...
 

fuzzy2308

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Cover your coil pack, battery and the hole in the air box with a plastic bag as well as whats mentioned above and you should be fine.
 

Jxfwsf

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And here i was just drowning the entire engine with degreaser and hosing it off.... tbh i've never had a problem doing this unless there was something already wrong, crippled a vl or 2 doing this but the insulation and rubber boot around the cas plug were shot (learnt the hardway).

Have never killed a v6 doing this, upset the lpg controller once, found a faulty coil and found a dodgy spark plug lead boot.... but have never actually killed anything using a pressure washer.

Don't really need to cover anything, if using a garden hose then there's little to no chance (unless plugs are broken and wiring insulation is cracked) of doing any harm.
The plugs and connections used are IPX rated to keep water out, once again... unless something is not upto scratch and deteriorated you should need to cover anything.

If using a steam cleaner/pressure washer/car wash then the simple rule of stay away from anything with wires connected to it will suffice.
 

JMP

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I've never covered anything when doing mine and never had an issue. I start it up after blasting it and let it run for a while so the engine heats up and evaporates and water left around.
 

2O4TS

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Agree with JXW and JMP.

One of my first jobs involved regularly pressure cleaning engines. Never covered up one. Not even pommy cars that were notorious for being fussy about water. If it wouldn't run on all cylinders immediately we just hit it with a little de-watering spray on the coil/dizzy/leads. Sooner or later, if you had any troubles, it'd dry out anyway.
 

goose202

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I tend to think if degreasing your engine bay causes electrical issues, then I'd be glad I found out in my garage rather than the next time I hit a big puddle.

I try to keep the pressure sprayer away from the alternator and main electrical items, and start it up as soon as I'm done. Put the aircon on too, then the fans turn on and help blow dry everything. Haven't had any trouble yet.
 
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