I am very hesitant spraying cold water on a hot running engine. I would never do it personally.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

I'm slowly cleaning everything on my 240D since there's not much I can do while it's running. Soft bristle brushes and tooth pics/bamboo skewers help cleaning out tight areas.

WD-40 won't prevent water from entering hard to reach places and staying there.

Good idea though, but to me not worth it. If I'm going to dry it with my shop vac set to exhaust (I don't have a leaf blower) then the blast of air will be sufficient to remove the water.

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http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7...144c3fc1dc.jpg

we did it all the time in them 70s with cast iron engines,even gas.The trick is a local carwash,and drive with heater on full blast so engine won't get that hot.My car wash is two miles from me.

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

How about using a power washer on a cold engine while your car sits in your own driveway? Plug the air intake first. No muss, no fuss and certainly very little risk of damage. Replacement costs for a new 617 engine is around $7,000. I'll invest in a $200 power washer to not risk $7K.......

If these engines were not designed to withstand being drenched with water when hot there would be a line of cars sitting along the highway after every rainstorm. I would not worry too much about it. Cover the intake, spend as little time as you can on the alt. Drive away and it miraculously dries... I like the wd40 idea.

Well, there is a difference between soaking a hot engine and soaking a hot hood... you definitely should NOT get cold water on a hot IP.

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Leaving a large amount of water spots...

I'd still wash the engine COLD on my driveway, after covering the critical items, then spray with degreaser, brush as necessary, then rinse off and dry as you please (blower or towel).

I've been able to successfully go to the car wash and keep the engine cold (very short drive), shut it down immediately then hose down the engine bay. But I would not perform this on a regular basis.

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http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7...144c3fc1dc.jpg

in my experience biodiesel beats any commercial engine cleaner.

LA's Totally Awesome is available from the $ store for $1. I've heard people say it works really well.

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Waterspots on your engine I was talking degreasing here not detailing.

I drive the burma road quite a bit during the spring and summer in the f350 and fj60 with the engine at operating temp and water up over the hood and all over the engine and it has caused no issues just a lot of steam. This is a non issue at Normal operating temps IMO, overheating is another story. This is cooling from 175F to ambient not 600F and such a cooling event has been engineered into modern engines. But caution is the better half of valor so wash it cold and watch out for spots...
Cheers,
Michael

Castrol super clean and an assortment of brushes/tooth brushes, power wash. Be sure you remove the air cleaner and plus the intake manifold itself, as the air cleaner might have broken mounts and let water in underneath when pressure washing. I spend a full day on an dirty diesel engine it takes a lot of work and sometimes you have to remove certain parts to reach the block to clean well. Then you can find the leaks! Follow up with a coat of wax to the inner fenders and any metal parts to shine it up. The hoses will need a good wipe, the brushes are not enough.
Wear gloves (nitrile) or your hands will dry up fast, these products are hard on the skin!

You are right, Awesome works great, $1 a quart. I noticed Dollar General has it in the 1/2 gallon size for $3, not a good deal.

I have used the Steam Cleaner at work over the years and haven`t had any issues. Just keep the water blast cold/hot off the IP. a quick swish over it won`t hurt anything, but don`t hold it on it. It is built with close tolerances, and I read that this can cause problems with the sudden temp change.

I use an air hose from the compressor to blow off the excess water. A paper towel works good to soak up the damp areas.
I didn`t think about using my back pack blower.

I found a Paint can or other aerosol type can lid fits on the turbo if the air filter is removed. check the fit, some are larger than others.

Be sure to cap off the Oil Drain Tube from the Filter housing to the Pan.

After the engine is clean, the Awesome works good to give the engine a quick spray down and wash off with a garden hose sprayer as you see little areas of oil seepage show up. I may spot aluminum specially if it is polished out to a brilliant shine.

I have a 240 engine hanging on the Hoist. It was a greasy mess when I dragged it home. Scrapped off the thick stuff, then using a Home Depot sprayer and some gas, NOTE: (highly flammable, may want to use Mineral Sprite or??? do not smoke) spray it on the engine in small areas, and using a Toilet Brush , the one like a large bottle brush. It can get in behind the IP and other areas to really loosen up the grease/oil. then spray down with the gas.

DO NOT use gas on your under hood engine

After wards I spray it down with the Awesome and wash down with a garden sprayer and it is squeaky clean.
I have a large pan under it to catch the residue washed off.

X2 on wearing Nitrile Gloves, Awesome will dry out your hand also.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Off course you should cover all openings like the intake and alternator before spraying water all over. But for a wet IP and hard to reach area, spraying WD40 will displace the water like magic. I wouldn't use it for drying a whole engine either. I'd just take it for a drive after washing and and let the heat and moving air do it's job.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

I wouldn't flood it with water but consider this:

Rain and snow sometimes splash on exhaust manifolds from below in wet weather, yet the exhaust manifolds do not crack.

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Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6