Wash an engine.

obi604

Hello.

Recently had an oil leak fixed. But still old evidence of it oil and a bit of grime.
So was thinking of washing the engine.

I think the default seems to “pressure wash” the engine.

I know this may not be a good idea, I instead was thinking of using auto glym engine cleaner and then gently rinse with a garden hose.

Would this be ok? Or is it still dodgy letting water (no matter what the pressure) near an engine.

Eric Cartman

I have washed an engine by getting it a little warm , spraying engine and machine parts cleaner all over it , brushing out the tougher grease / oil and gently rinsing it with a normal pressure hose.

Avoid spraying electrical connectors, give everything a wipe with a dry rag / paper towels after and leave the engine cover off for a while for condensation to escape first.

bazz26

Steam cleaned?

obi604

bazz26 wrote: »

Steam cleaned?

Would this be a lot safer than what I am suggesting ?

Cee-Jay-Cee

Maybe I’m just over cautious but I would never power wash or steam clean an engine. I would rather a dirty working engine than a clean one with some sort of fault due to water getting in somewhere it shouldn’t.

In the past I’ve used an engine degreaser and wiped away with a cloth afterwards.

obi604

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Maybe I’m just over cautious but I would never power wash or steam clean an engine. I would rather a dirty working engine than a clean one with some sort of fault due to water getting in somewhere it shouldn’t.

In the past I’ve used an engine degreaser and wiped away with a cloth afterwards.

Thanks.

Actually come to think of it. Only part I’m
Interested in cleaning is the floor of the engine. But impossible really to get at with a degreaser and hose......

Agricola

Have used a power washer on engines a few times. Apply some degreaser, let it sink in for a bit then agitate the caked on stuff with a brush. I make sure to wrap anything I don't want getting wet in plastic or clingfilm and leave the engine running while Im using the washer.
Never had any issues.

If by the floor of the engine you mean a plastic tray, you could always go underneath, unscrew and take that off to make it very simple to clean.

You could bring it to a detailing company and let them do it. With more experience of these kind of jobs they would be a better bet than DIY.

obi604

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

You could bring it to a detailing company and let them do it. With more experience of these kind of jobs they would be a better bet than DIY.

How much roughly would this cost ?

obi604

obi604 wrote: »

How much roughly would this cost ?

It depends on the detailer. Contact Curran on here, he's back offering these services with www.dshed.ie

glinnwest

There is a nice yt video on ChrisFix channel. You will need some plastic foil, power washer and smaller brushes to get into tight spots. Nothing too complicated DIY for sure