Thread: Engine clean
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Old 10th September 2019, 10:07 AM
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moltuae moltuae is offline
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I usually just spray degreaser sparingly wherever it's needed (greasiest) then rinse off with a hose or (very occasionally) a pressure-washer. I'm always careful not to aim water at electrical connections and I usually get the engine to temperature before and afterwards to reduce the drying time. After a more thorough wash, I sometimes spray a little water-displacing lubricant (WD-40 or similar) around any connectors that may have gotten a little wet.

I've used degreaser and a hose to clean the engine bay of every car I've owned; never had any problems with anything remotely modern (ie distributorless). I had a couple of cars with 'dizzies' when I first passed my driving test in the late-80s, which would sometimes cough, splutter and even backfire after a thorough engine-bay clean. But once everything had properly dried (which didn't take long if I popped the dizzy cap off and had warmed the engine before-hand) there were no detrimental effects. As long as you're careful not not direct water into any connections or orifices, you shouldn't do any harm with degreaser and a hose. A pressure-washer requires a bit more care of course.
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