BY BENJAMIN JEREW / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 16, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / You probably wash your car regularly. Some people wash and wax weekly — even do…{"id":10053,"date":"2017-09-20T12:00:19","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T19:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=10053"},"modified":"2017-09-20T12:00:19","modified_gmt":"2017-09-20T19:00:19","slug":"how-to-wash-an-engine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2017\/09\/20\/how-to-wash-an-engine\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Wash an Engine Properly"},"content":{"rendered":"
BY BENJAMIN JEREW\u00a0\/ ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 16, 2017\u00a0\/\u00a0NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION \/<\/span><\/h5>\n

You probably wash your car regularly. Some people\u00a0wash and wax weekly\u00a0\u2014 even do interior detailing \u2014 but many forget the engine. After all, it\u2019s out of sight and out of mind. Before picking up a pressure washer and just blasting away at the engine bay, however, you need to know how to wash an engine the right way without destroying anything in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can you destroy anything this way? You absolutely can. The truth is, while there are many durable items under the hood, there are plenty of things that you could ruin by not using the proper tools, particularly electrical components and electronic sensors and controls. Here\u2019s a look at how to avoid damaging those things and get the job done right.<\/span><\/p>\n

Engine Cleaning\u00a0<\/strong><\/b>Steps<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
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  1. Some covers can be removed by hand or by removing a couple of bolts, so you can clean under them, too. Use your fingers and a hand brush to remove dried leaves and other debris. The air gun works great for blowing this stuff away.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Run the engine for a few minutes until it\u2019s warm to the touch, but not to full operating temperature. This will help the degreaser work better.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Cover the distributor, alternator, and fuse and relay boxes with plastic bags to prevent too much water from causing short circuits. True, they get wet on rainy days, but nothing like what comes next.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Coat everything with a\u00a0<\/span>foaming engine degreaser<\/a><\/strong>. You can try to get at the engine from under the vehicle, as well, and ramps or jack stands will improve access. Let the degreaser soak for a few minutes and reapply it in dirtier spots.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. From the top down, use the garden hose or pressure washer to rinse the engine. Use the 40- or 25-degree pressure washer nozzle for cleaning and rinsing, but never the 15- or 0-degree nozzles. The latter won\u2019t affect metal, but could strip the paint off parts or cut through plastic and rubber parts, wires, tubes or hoses.<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Remove the plastic bags, and use degreaser on a rag to surface clean the parts underneath. Use a damp rag to wipe degreaser residue from the surface.<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. After thoroughly rinsing, use rags or compressed air to dry the engine. Remove fuse and relay box covers and use compressed air to blow water out of them.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Be<\/strong><\/b>nefits of a Clean Engine<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

    Keeping your engine clean comes with several benefits:<\/span><\/p>\n