Should Engine be washed in Service?

[pwuser165313640174]

I know it might sound like a very basic question. But should Car's engine be washed with water during service? And if not then what material should be used to clean it. I have a 2016 Cultus Special Edition (Manual).

[capsat]

never wash HOT engine.

use only air blower, degreaser solution (washing liquid 40% + water 60%) with spray gun, clean dirty areas with cloth then wash clean with garden hose only

[krafiq]

How about steam washing of engine room? After covering the sensors @capsat

[capsat]

why wash in 1st place ?? sand / dust can be blown away, degreaser solution can be used with hand spray gun if there are any oil seepage signs from leaking seals / washers. am not in favor of engine washing.

personally i adopt above method once 30 days in dead cold of morning on Sunday only.

[horticulturalist]

Yes, never wash with water. The service stations always wash it in service, tell them not to do it. Rather, just clean with air blower.

[pwuser165313640174]

Yes, this is exactly the reason for me asking this question. Service stations almost always wash it with water using a high pressure spray gun. If this is so non-recommended, why do they do it?

[Xulfiqar]

They are doing it because their customers have demanded it since decades because their grandfathers had their vauxhalls and beetles washed like this.

And also they are hand in glove in making money for mechanics. Ever notice that there is always a mechanic and electrician shop next to these facilities.

The reason is that they also make sure those mechanics get business.

If you wish to clean and engine, do as capsat said, do it when its stone cold and make sure the soaps you are using are not corrosive to the materials its cleaning.

[pwuser165313640174]

I would like to thank everyone for their responses. It was a massive help.

[Moderator]

[pwuser165313640174]

In case if degreaser is not available at the station, is it ok to use diesel with the spray gun instead as a substitute?

[horticulturalist]

Diesel eats away the components slowly, especially wiring, plastic and rubber. Slow poison.

[horticulturalist]

And the engine bay will catch dust n grease rapidly then

[alizain5]

I am always being criticised by my nearest car wash guy because i ask him not to wash the engine compartment and use of any oil or diesel. Just simple wash. I would recommend not to water clean the engine area if you can do it with pressure air.

[engnr.mubashir]

Use water from tap/nulka to rinse any dirt debris etc then use engine degreaser and brush to loose the tough dirt/grease then rinse with water. If engine degreaser is expensive to you then buy detol multi purpose cleaner and is safe to use on plastic parts as it doesn’t contain abrasive material or any material that hardens soft plastic and pipes. I’m using this for past 5 years no degradation of any components. Make you use do it shadow place and there must be least air in environment otherwise multiple purpose cleaner will dry off quickly.
Pro tip go to any auto parts shop and ask for distributor seal which company don’t use prevent water from going into cap lead to hard or no start and that will require drying of distributor rotor from inside to make it start again.

[capsat]

i use 150 ml liquid lemon max / vim dishwashing liquid in approx 1500 ml water, (makes a perfect degreaser solution) in hand spray gun, a blower and a hose with tap water. Works very well for me.

[engnr.mubashir]

Yes that also works great but that multi purpose cleaner give good look to it.

[capsat]

if is matter of personal choice, of course all such solutions work the same way.

[Xulfiqar]

All purpose cleaner looks nice in bottle and is easy as you dont have to prepare it.

While

Dishwash detergent and water is used in commercial heavy duty shops globally to clean engines and parts.

Try it sometime, lemon max and water along with a stiff bristle brush can clean grease nicely. (Make sure engine is dead cold)

[Xulfiqar]

Diesel fuel is not an allowable material for cleanup as it can harm rubber parts. However it has its place, e.g. its used to sometimes soften gelled up oils.

But good cleanup of such is a 2 stage process, first stage is to use a thin oil like used atf mixed with kerosene and paint it on the heavily greasy parts, then wipe it clean, then a detergent is used to wash the oily coat away so dirt doesnt stick to it.

However its not advised to rub rubber parts or plastic wiring looms with such oils as they are harmful to them in the long run.

[mrkt123]

As soon as you lift the bonnet, you will see a warning label in engine bay which forbids you to wash engine bay with pressurized water.