I opened up my hood today and noticed alot of salt dust from the roads. Is it safe to wash down my engine while its running but not while its warm? So, like i start it up in the afternoon (hasn't been used all day) let it run while i wash down everything under the hood with a garden hose?

Keeping it clean is very important to me, I have a pressure washer, But i normally do it at the car wash with the heavy soap and rise, then in-between I rinse it off with the pressure washer. I am going to have to find a good bug screen for the summer even if I have to mount ti between the grill and inter-cooler. that is something you want to wash out with the engine running to get the salt and dirt out. PLAY SAFE!

I have always followed the saying of never spray down a hot engine, throwback from cast-iron heads and blocks, warm is ok.......I would never use a pressure washer on my engine, unless I wanted to force moisture into the wiring. I use mean green(cheap) and spray off with garden hose, works great. Never had a problem with wet wires.

Simple Green, warm engine (not running), water from a garden hose....I wouldn't recommend a pressure washer.

I would recommend against cleaning a engine if its normal road grime, the connectors are very sensitve to moisture, same with other components, the less chance of corrsion in the harness the better..maybe a damp rag with some cleaner, but no running water imo...

I would recommend against cleaning a engine if its normal road grime, the connectors are very sensitve to moisture, same with other components, the less chance of corrsion in the harness the better..maybe a damp rag with some cleaner, but no running water imo...
X2

It's not the road grime that i'm worried about, its the salt from the road. I've seen how it can rust up the engine, and i just wanted to keep it as rust free as possible. What i've done was while the engine is cold, but running i washed it down with a hose (no powerwash) Is it better to have the car running (but cold) when i do this? or just have the truck off?

I wash mine when it's off. I start the truck up, move it to the "wash" spot (wherever the hose reaches to) and shut it off. Lift hood, hit with purple cleaner or simple green and pressure wash (3000psi fan tip) it right off. Been doing it with all my vehicles, never had an issue...except my CJ which hates all forms of water. You could pee on the tire and it would stall.

I have always done mine at the car wash. Never had any problems. I washed it with soap and then a rinse, but I never pulled the lever for the real high pressure stuff. And I always kept the nozzle a good distance away, never right up on the engine.

rog

Thats the thing with washing, nothing is likely to happen right away, corrsion take time, time for the moisture to wick into the connectors of the harness, i have repaired TONS of underhood harness's at the dealer that were green with corrsion and some of the customers admitted to frequent engine washing. Just tryin to prevent a major expense and a poorly timed tow.

Thats the thing with washing, nothing is likely to happen right away, corrsion take time, time for the moisture to wick into the connectors of the harness, i have repaired TONS of underhood harness's at the dealer that were green with corrsion and some of the customers admitted to frequent engine washing. Just tryin to prevent a major expense and a poorly timed tow.

Yea, i won't be washing it frequently, maybe this one time to get rid of the salt. I don't think it will be snowing around here anymore.

Good info, thanks for the advice kgt.

Looks like I'll have to live with a dusty engine from now on :(

I opened up my hood today and noticed alot of salt dust from the roads. Is it safe to wash down my engine while its running but not while its warm? So, like i start it up in the afternoon (hasn't been used all day) let it run while i wash down everything under the hood with a garden hose?

I pressure wash my vehicles ALL the time. Can't stand to work on a dirty engine. I let it rip............spray the crap out of it. Keep it off the fuse box, and away from the air intake..........every thing else is fair game, but use some common sense.......don't hold the wand against a wire harness connector and blast water all up in it, and don't use it near any seals or bushings to prevent forcing dirt into them. I avoid doing it hot, warm or cold is no problem. Been doing this for 30 years with every vehicle I own......the last time I experienced a problem was on a car with points. Before I change the oil, or anytime I go offroad, I wash it thouroughly, including underneath. In fact, I clean the engine more than the exterior! Generally, I don't use any degreaser or anything......just the water. If it's extra dirty, I'll use simple green (best dang engine cleaner ever made). If that's the case, I'll warm it up a bit, spray on the simple green, and let it sit for 15 minutes before pressure washing.

Be careful using str8 simple green or purple power because they are corossive to aluminum I believe. Corroded up the intercooler tubs and other lines. I used this on my Ford and some wiring got wet and it ran like crap for over an hour in the driveway until it dried up but I won't wash again with a concentrated cleaner or high pressure. Learned that the hard way.

i always wash mine even if it is hot

Be careful using str8 simple green or purple power because they are corossive to aluminum I believe. Corroded up the intercooler tubs and other lines. I used this on my Ford and some wiring got wet and it ran like crap for over an hour in the driveway until it dried up but I won't wash again with a concentrated cleaner or high pressure. Learned that the hard way.
That could be the problem :D

i was also wondering what would be the best way to get it done im planning on cleaning it once it gets warmer and the roads no longer have salt every where. someone told me to use tire cleaner the foam spray and a garden hose?

I usually spray some sort of cleaner one the engine: 409, Grease Lightning , etc and then drive the 2 or 3 miles to the car wash and start rinsing the soap off. The heat from the motor usually helps break down the grease or oil that may present. I have washed the engine on every car/truck I have ever owned. As long as you use some common sense and don't hold the wand too close to an electrical connection you should be fine. Just remember that GM uses something called a weather pack on most of its electronics that may be subjected to moisture. For those that don't know what a weatherpack looks like it is basically a rubber grommet that slides over a wire ant then the grommet slides into a plastic cover with either a male or female end. These weather packs have been around for years and do a very good job of keeping water out of electrical connections.

Be careful using str8 simple green or purple power because they are corossive to aluminum I believe. Corroded up the intercooler tubs and other lines. I used this on my Ford and some wiring got wet and it ran like crap for over an hour in the driveway until it dried up but I won't wash again with a concentrated cleaner or high pressure. Learned that the hard way.
I don't believe that about simple green.............I've been using that on aluminum for too long. My standard engine cleaner for the bikes........and the engines AND frames on those are all aluminum. If simple green caused corrosion on aluminum........I'd be in deep doodoo by now, but I have never seen any sign of it, and I think I've been using the stuff darn near since it came on the market.

Might not be simple green but I used something on mine one time and the aluminum turned white with a chaulky residue and then the motor problems. I will see if I can find out what it was and let you know. I did read the bottle of Simple Green I had and it was definetely not that. Thanks for pointing that out.

I use a degreaser and a light spray from the garden hose. Never any pressure. I've had issues in the past with water getting in sensors and shorting out across the contacts. Not much fun to diagnose and replace.

Super clean is the best degreaser I have ever used but do not get it on any aluminum, leaves the white residue.

Might not be simple green but I used something on mine one time and the aluminum turned white with a chaulky residue and then the motor problems. I will see if I can find out what it was and let you know. I did read the bottle of Simple Green I had and it was definetely not that. Thanks for pointing that out.

Some carb cleaners, some tire cleaning products, and some degreasers will do that to aluminum, I've seen that before. I've also seen that when the engine was spraid with some kind of cleaner when it was really hot. SG doesn't seem to hurt any metal, IME. It's cheap, smells good, doesn't burn (my hands), and doesn't kill the grass. I even use it to clean cylinders and engine components when rebuilding.

Simple green dosnt have any acid in it . it just lifts the dirt off.we used it to rince our race quads all the time.

i use simple green on my bikes, which have aluminum all over and no problems. and so does the majority at the tracks