power wash engine
 

Wanting to give my motor a good cleaning. Would it be a problem to
power wash it? I of course would not use full force. Would like to do a little painting in the engine compartment afterwards.

Thank you.

Re: power wash engine
 

should be fine, don't get distributor wet.. any wiring may fray from the water pressure...

Re: power wash engine
 

I always warm the engine a little before I powerwash an engine, Not hot! Just warm, it dries a lot quicker and if I get water in any electric stuff it dries it.
Terry

Re: power wash engine
 

I have an Epps wet-steam washer @ 3000psi. did my engine quite nicely.
One thing is discovered though was all the crud that gets blasted off ends up all over the inside of the fenders.. now I put a tarp of them before cleaning.

Re: power wash engine
 

Great idea about the steamer. I have one of them also. Might make less mess.

Thanks for the hint.

Re: power wash engine
 

Actually, I just use Gumout engine clean, the foamy stuff, let it soak and hose it off. This works for annual cleaning but caked grunge go for the pressure sprayer. Follow the cautions already posted and wear goggles too.

Re: power wash engine
 

Still use Oven-Off to clean engines.

Re: power wash engine
 

denis ...................
Doesn't Oven-Off take the paint too ?
MIKE

Re: power wash engine
 

In all honesty, I've used it on engines that stripped them to bare metal and others that didn't even change color shade! Industrial grade engine paint doesn't seem to be affected. Same for sheet metal painted parts, works on some, not on others.

Re: power wash engine
 

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...psdd3f72e0.jpg

I use gasoline and a paint brush to clean the engine. After it's clean and dry I put a few drops of oil on each head nut and any other unpainted parts. After running the engine and getting it heated up the oil spreads to a thin coat of oil all over the engine.

I used VHT Newcast to paint the exhaust manifold, and for 3 years it looked like a new manifold, but it's ready for another blasting and paint job as you can see. This is just a temporary engine, so I don't really bother keeping it very clean.

The camera angle makes the fan belt alignment look way off, but it's perfectly straight. :)

Re: power wash engine
 

Word of caution:

Look closely at your fender and sheetmetal paint in area where you powerwash. If there are any cracks or bare spots in the paint, be careful as the washer can lift the paint right off in large chunks!

Re: power wash engine
 

Tom, what brand and Part # on the spark plugs you have pictured?

Re: power wash engine
 

Champion 1 COM.
They're the plugs that came in the engine when I bought it. They've never missed a beat and the color looks good, so I'll just keep running with them.

Re: power wash engine
 

You're missing your engine pans. According to some here, that must attribute to overheating :eek::cool:

Re: power wash engine
 

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps68deabbf.jpg

Yep, I have them in the basement and will put them back on when I reinstall the original engine. The car cools great since I did the vinegar treatment. Someone painted the cast water inlet black, instead of the correct engine green.

Re: power wash engine
 

Re: power wash engine
 

Nice Power House Generator.

Re: power wash engine
 

If I may ask....what is the vinegar treatment?

Re: power wash engine
 

Looks like your parked in the fire lane Bill. Where does Buster sit?
Dave

Re: power wash engine
 

I ran straight pure white vinegar in my engine for 30 days to clean out the rust. Here's a link to the thread:

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...+cleaning+mess

Thanks Sturgis39. I restored that powerhouse about 12 years ago. Too bad Ford didn't stick with the powerhouse for all 4 years of the Model A. ;)