Washing Engine Bay and Underside of FJ62

[CaptHamster]

Hey all, weekend coming up here, and everybody's going to Comicon in San Diego except for me (and for good reason), so I'm going to need something to kill some time. That of course means, time to clean the Land Cruiser

Anybody have tips or experiences with washing or powerwashing the engine bay and the underside of our trucks? I'm about 99% sure the underside could stand a good washing and be okay, but I'm not sure about the engine bay...I'd rather spend my weekend admiring my work, rather than fixing all the electrics that got wet or damaged from the water. So, tips or ideas? How should I actually go about washing it? Thanks guys...gotta say, even though I ask goofy questions like these, I still love the fact that I actually get answers and useful information out of it!

 

[shancerlelby]

I work for a detailing shop and daily we use a pressure washer running hot water and just hit motors left side, front the right side to get all angles and have never really had an issue. Ford trucks like to get wet coils and run like poo. Old cars sometimes like water under the dizzy. 99% of vehicles have no issues at all. Buy some of that foaming engine brite or degreaser of some sort and spray the engine down hard from all three angles then get to er.

Let the engine dry while your cleaning the inside or whatever if your worried.

 

[Gurr]

Yea I would just watch for the distributor, use a cover like a plastic bag or seal it up with some electrical tape, put some di-electric grease on both ends of spark wires too. I don't have any experience with this though, just things I've heard and what I would probably do.

 

[BG_TX]

I powerwash my engine bay and under carriage fairly often and I've never had an issue with it running rough, not starting, etc after blasting the engine. The distributor should have a weather cover on it which does a good job of keep it dry.

 

[Front Range 4x4]

x2, I wash mine entire engine compartment with a power washer and never have any issues. If you do there's something wrong so it's a good thing to do so you know your next water crossing won't cause any problems.

 

[jemezcrusher]

When I bought my 88 FJ62 three years ago, it had a good amount of crud on the engine and drive train. I started by using some diesel based engine cleaner after scaping off the heavy stuff, then used simple green mixed at 50/50 to take off the residue of the engine cleaner.

The distributor does not usually have much crud on it, so just the simple green there. You can use a pressure washer, but I have never had to resort to that and you could eat off the dang thing now.

I have used simple green for years on all my engine bays and even after putting 200K on company cars, the engines look like new. I squirt it on liberally and let it sit for 5 minutes or so, then garden hose it off. Never had any problems starting, but if you did, a shot of WD40 or CRC556 in the cap would solve the problem.

I do this regularly on all my vehicles (cars, dirt bikes, quads, tractor, etc) every 3-6 months and keeps them looking good.

 

[slcfj62]

Seems a shame to wash off all that rust preventative grease and oil.

 

[Gurr]

I'm glad to hear no prep is needed, I'll have to do this more often.

By the way, nice cruiser front range, that thing looks sweet!

 

[Granite Grinder]

Front Range has his own pressure washing going on there

 

[Front Range 4x4]

By the way, nice cruiser front range, that thing looks sweet!

Thanks, 99% done

Front Range has his own pressure washing going on there

It's rare to find any water so when it's crossing a trail a guy's gotta play!

 

[haryv]

I wonder if steam cleaning would take off everything other then the paint?

 

[Cabrito]

what about covering the alternator? I was just watching some videos on line about this subject and some folks say it's a good idea to cover the alt.

What is the consensus here on MUD?

 

[Granite Grinder]

My thought is, if there is no charge going through a circuit a little water won't hurt. If its wet and you add charge there could be trouble. I wash the engine bay regularly, but I let the engine bay dry out before starting.

 

[Off Duty]

My thought is, if there is no charge going through a circuit a little water won't hurt. If its wet and you add charge there could be trouble. I wash the engine bay regularly, but I let the engine bay dry out before starting.

Wouldn't that be the same problem with a water crossing?

What do people here do with thie alt's in that case?

 

[brett76]

i always just pop the hood while its running and hit it with the hose at the car wash...

 

[BG_TX]

For better/worse... I've powerwashed the engine bay while the engine is running and I've also powerwashed the engine bay while the engine is off and then started it up without letting it dry with no issues (starts right up, runs well, etc).

 

[haryv]

BMW makes a alternator that is encloses in a water jacket. But I think it cannot be used because it is also bolted on the engine. Dont expect to afford it. The alternator cost like 700 dollars

It would be interesting to totally enclose a alternator in a seperate cooling system so should you do extensive water crosses, no worry to see the alternator light come on.

 

[Front Range 4x4]

For better/worse... I've powerwashed the engine bay while the engine is running and I've also powerwashed the engine bay while the engine is off and then started it up without letting it dry with no issues (starts right up, runs well, etc).

Water crossings, power wash with truck running or not running and I've never had any issues either.

 

[Mark W]

Doesn't this thread belong in the 100 series forum... the FJC forum... The Jeep forum?


Go crazy... short of sticking the pressure washer in the intake ducting or trying to blow the wires off of the distributor with it, it will be a non-issue


More wrenching, less typing.


Mark...