Proper engine wash procedure?

[kamrhee]

I've been meaning to do this but kept on reading how it won't start after the wash. Is there a proper procedure for this. I have about 130k+ mi. on a I4 98 LE. I'm going to fix a leaky valve cover gasket and wish to do the wash after it. I know it slowly leaks because of the gunk behind the engine and the underside is always damp. Recently, I've been smelling something like burnt oil. Changes to the fluids/oil have been maintained so I know it is not that. Anyway, inputs would be appreciated. Thanks.

kamrhee

[Your Uncle Moe]

Theres tons of threads on this but when you wash it, dont use a pressure hose. Use common sense. If you see wires, dont shoot 'em with the water for minutes and instead of trying to push the dirt off with the water, spray it with degreaser and scrub it off with a brush or rag. The most important thing though is to let everything sit and dry before trying to start the car.

[kamrhee]

gridlyne,

Thanks for the input.

do I need to cover anything particular? Also, is tap water ok or it has to be hot / warm water?

Engine has never been washed before so It has about 8 years of whatever on it. I see alot of sand on the lower front part of the block where there is a ledge. Thinking of using a brush to dust it off and remove the sand.

Already bought a engine degreaer (Gumont orange..I think). Is this too harsh? Or should I try to use Simple Green or something equivalent to this?

kamrhee

[Your Uncle Moe]

Simple green is fine. Thats what I used. Cover anything that looks like water shouldn't be on it. I would cover the fuse boxes and wash them seperatly with a damp cloth and cover the alternator and distributer. Go easy on and around where the spark plug wires are because a lot of people who tell horror stories do that.

Tap water is fine. Dosn't matter. After your done they sell this stuff "Engine shine" or spray on armor all. When everything is clean, spray that on and it will give it a shine like you never seen.

Edit: And remove or cover the battery!

[TTercel]

^ Cant forget that battery....yeah just do what Gridlyne said everything sounds good. One thing i would also suggest is to do it on the hottest/dryest day possible so you wires and other electronics can dry up very quickly.

[Toysrme]

Simple green with a 1/2 a cup of acetone in it. Don't kill yourself, stay away from rubbe / plastics.
Once clean take the thing apart & paint it. Repainting > cleaning. It's also vastly easier.

[Isaac-1]

Personally I follow the advice you have seen above with the excpeption of always warming the engine slightly first ( I only run the car for 5 minutes or so before washing as cold water on hot metal can be VERY BAD), use simple greeen or similar in a spray bottle, liberally apply with a spray bottle, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then apply a second coat. Hose down with my garden hose using a misting spraryer. Most importantly I leave ample time for everything to dry out before I try to start the engine as wet electrical connections can fry things when energized .

[kamrhee]

Thanks everyone for your tips.

Toysrme, I didn't get the repainting part.

As for the battery, If I remove it, can I set it on the floor. I've alway heard from other people not to do that. It will drain the battery or something. Myth or truth?

Hopefully I can change the valve cover gasket this weekend. I'd like to see what the condition of the engine is after 8 years. I just got interested in the last 2 years or so about cars. Prior to that, it was just gas up and go. Camry is my wife's car. It's now mine as she's using the other Toyota. Go figures. Anyway, thanks again for the inputs.

kamrhee

[Toysrme]

Wipe the thing of grit, buy a can of paint & paint the engine the cleanlyness you want it to
be.
Unless you plan on busting out the sand paper & buffer. You'll never get the engine cleaner looking at you can paint it. It's a waste of time.



Painting > killing yourself cleaning.

[Toysrme]

People use to think the contents would just wick throush the plastic into porus concrete. Then when that became obviously false they believed that if the concrete were cooler, it would cause the chemistry in the battery to go out of wack & they would vent faster. It's just old people BS. Batterys have a discharge rate regardless of where you put them. It's that simple.


You can set the battery on the floor. Just make sure you don't throw it on the ground & break it. LoL!

[Your Uncle Moe]

I'd just put the battery in your trunk. And as for the painting, forget about that right now. I know what Toys is trying to say but painting is another story.

Just spray and wipe. If your still not satisfied with the cleanliness, then take the parts off and paint 'em.

[kamrhee]

Toysrme, Gridlyne,

I see what you mean. That's sure a clean looking engine. I just want to remove as much crap as possible for now. After seeing that pic, I might just muster enough to do it...later ofcourse.

kamrhee

[VietGuhTrippie]

cover up your fuse boxes with a plastic bag and take yr battery out then use engine degreaser and that super green solution let sit for 5-10 mins then rinse yr car off... i'd go to a do it yrself car wash and do all that there so it goes down their drain not yrs... heehee

[Your Uncle Moe]

^Thats a great idea but remember, your gonna have to sit there for a while to let it dry off. I dunno if you can sit there that long. Maybe you could go late at night or early. I dunno.

[VietGuhTrippie]

i went early in the afternoon to a car wash not too many ppl see cuz it's behind a gas station and there's hardly anyone that's ever there and that's where it was done.