prep for engine bay powerwash

[stayalert]

Next weekend I hope to push my car of the garage and powerwash the engine & engine bay. In preparation I have

- removed the radiator and oil cooler (for more room and I'm going to re-tap the lower oil cooler fitting anyway)

- removed the air cleaner housing
- removed the alternator
- removed the fan
- protected the ac "radiator thing"
- removed the battery

I plan on wrapping any accessable electrical fittings and capping/sealing any open hoses or tubing, or fittings (valve cover breather for example)

Are there other precautions I should take or be familiar with?

looking forward to a fresh look at where all the leaks are coming from.....

[rg2098]

I would take off the aircleaner and seal off the turbo inlet. Better access to that side of the block.

[Pete Burton]

I would repeatedly soak in kerosene and then use a small amount of pressure only - like a garden hose. High pressure will drive moisture deep into wiring harnesses, sensors, vents, seals, etc. You get the engine really clean and you'll soon have surface rust on the block and head - believe me, I know.

[kip Foss]

One of the best engine cleaners I have found is oven cleaner. It is relatively high in caustiic, which is what really cleans baked on grease, is sprayable, and the new stuff doesn't have much smell. It also works great on soap scum in the shower which things like Lime Away won't touch.

I get 50% caustic from work and aside from the fact that it will eat your fingers off it is really good for any kind of grease/carbon that has baked on over the years, driveway grease, paint stripping. etc

[Pete Burton]

I would not use oven cleaner because there are a lot of rubber parts under the hood. Ovens generally don't have rubber. Almost every engine degreasing spray product you find is basically spray kerosene. I've tried a number of different products for degreasing engine parts and keep coming back to kero. Cheap, safe and effective. No matter how you do it though, it's messy.

[kip Foss]

You can wash your hands with oven cleaner without much discomfort so I doubt that it will effect rubber in the short term. I have had no trouble rubber and 50% caustic.

If you choose to use a petrolium based solvent save your money with kerosene. It is usually expensive and hard to find. Diesel is only about one step below kero in the cracking process and will clean as well as kero. There are soaps that you can mix with Diesel which enable you to rinse with water. It turns the Diesel milky when the water hits it.

But for baked on oil/grease I still recommend caustic.

On the top of the transission there is a vent. When the engine is washed the water runs right down from the rear of the engine along the top of the trans and it can run into that vent and into your trans, turning the inside into a strawberry milkshake.