Cleaning the engine

[Submariner2]

I try and gently wash the engine bay from time to time, but a good deal of dirt and mud has accumulated in the engine bay of the G.  Can I use soap and a hose to clean it?  Do I need to worry about the alternator at all?

[giant_mtb]

Disconnect the battery and put a microfiber or whatever over things that probably shouldn't get hit directly with water (alternator, major-looking exposed wiring harnesses, coil packs, etc.).  Low pressure, and use as little water as possible.  Allow to dry as long as is reasonable.

I always start by spraying/washing the underside of the hood, as that allows water/soap to fall down into the engine bay itself and pre-soak. Then douse everything engine bay with degreaser of choice and rinse. Feel free to use brushes to scrub things, especially the plastics and exposed metals.

Always spray water from above. Let it dry for a while, wipe down anything you had covered, and say a nice little prayer when you go to start it. Good to go.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Try not to get water in the spark plug holes, or be prepared to remove the coils and blow the water out.

Dawn dish soap saves baby ducks, so it's is fine for your engine. Manual scraping and brake cleaner works better for any caked on oil residue. Do not apply brake cleaner to ducks.

[giant_mtb]

Try not to get water in the spark plug holes, or be prepared to remove the coils and blow the water out.

+1. Killed a coil on my buddy's 4.6L Ferd FTeeenthousand one time. Never again. (granted, there were many beers involved and I was just "supervising" while he was the one spraying the water because he wanted to do it)

Having some compressed air to make sure water is out of the nooks and crannies is never a bad idea.

[Submariner2]

Disconnect the battery and put a microfiber or whatever over things that probably shouldn't get hit directly with water (alternator, major-looking exposed wiring harnesses, coil packs, etc.).  Low pressure, and use as little water as possible.  Allow to dry as long as is reasonable.

I always start by spraying/washing the underside of the hood, as that allows water/soap to fall down into the engine bay itself and pre-soak. Then douse everything engine bay with degreaser of choice and rinse. Feel free to use brushes to scrub things, especially the plastics and exposed metals.

Always spray water from above. Let it dry for a while, wipe down anything you had covered, and say a nice little prayer when you go to start it. Good to go.

Thanks. 

Both batteries are located inside of the vehicle (underneath the rear center tunnel) so I'm good there. 

The alternator is located pretty far down on this engine, probably above the max fording rating for the truck (unofficially, anything below the two air intakes located on the side of the hood).  So it must be able to be submerged for some amount of time.

But yes, I will make sure to stick a fan or two above and beneath and fully dry it out before I start the car. 

Thanks.

[giant_mtb]

It's not about where the batteries are, it's about disconnecting power so that when things get sprayed, it lessens the chance of shorting something out that has power to it (which would be rare, but it's just a precaution I always take).

But yeah, you'll be fine. Rinse 'er down and stick a fan in there for an hour and you're golden.

[Submariner2]

It's not about where the batteries are, it's about disconnecting power so that when things get sprayed, it lessens the chance of shorting something out that has power to it (which would be rare, but it's just a precaution I always take).

But yeah, you'll be fine. Rinse 'er down and stick a fan in there for an hour and you're golden.

Okay.  That makes sense.

[giant_mtb]

Okay.  That makes sense.

As a "professional" detailer, doing engines is the only thing I still feel uneasy about sometimes (maybe 1-2 people a year ask me to clean the engine bay). Taking precautions and making sure everything is dry is the best thing you can do and you'll be just fine.