Engine Cleaning

[Soopacharged]

Are there any special precautions that need to be taken when cleaning my engine? Are there any compnents that need to be covered? Can I use a pressure washer? Any recommended products?

 

[SHOtimer]

I have never put water on my engine, let alone a pressure washer. The people who have, have always had problems after they do. This engine does not react well to being washed with water, you can do it damage, make it run bad, and make a bigger job out of correcting the damage you did. It is best cleaned by hand, I found it easiest to clean when I did my 60k and just cleaned every part that I removed, and now I just wipe them down every oil change. If you don't need a 60k, just get some simple green and a lot of rags and just start cleaning.
Doug

 

[yamahaSHO]

Best thing to do is to get some engine degreaser(I use Gunk from AZ) and spray that on per directions. Then use a tap water hose to spray water on it. If you have a cone filter make sure you cover it. I do not recommend a pressure washer, you can spray hard enough with a hose nozzle. Just be cautious when spraying on electrical connectors. If you get the stuff on the paint(body of car, not engine bay paint), just lightly rinse immediatly.
Good luck.

EDIT: I even mist ArmorAll in the whole engine bay afterward. It makes everything shine and also makes the dirt and oil come off easier the next time you wash. It is also good to lubricate the throttle cable afterwards.

Here is what you get when you are done.

<small>[ March 09, 2003, 11:27 PM: Message edited by: yamahaSHO ]</small>

 

[yamahaSHO]

SHOtimer:
The people who have, have always had problems after they do. This engine does not react well to being washed with water, you can do it damage, make it run bad, and make a bigger job out of correcting the damage you did.
Doug

Not true, I have never had a problem. I have cleaned my motor with water many times(in fact every time). I also did it this way my Camry and my Dads Monte. I think people who have problems afterwards probably had problems to begin with.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

The SHO engine is not amenable to being washed with water. While many people have done it without noticing any major immediate side effects, many more have found themselves with a dead SHO afterwards which is often not cheap to repair.

Aside from the obvious potential to damage the many electronic devices and sensors as well as the hundreds of electrical connections, you will also invariably get water in the spark plug wells which will degrade the integrity of the wire to plug connection, and probably result in misfires and poor performance. There is nowhere under the hood that you can safely spray water, even at the lowest flow rate, and not get it in, on, and around electrical devices or connections. Just look at all the wires and connections under the hood! eek!

The best way to clean the engine compartment is to use a rag with the cleaner of your choice (many folks like Simple Green or Greased Lightning) and wipe the various underhood components clean. It can take longer and be more labor intensive than the spray-and-wash products, but in the long run you'll get better results cleaning it by hand.

 

[SHOZ123]

I've used the engine degreaser and water before. when washing off with the water start the engine and let it idle for 20-30 minutes to get good and dry. The Gunk degreaser is basically diesel fuel and will help keep the electrical connectors free of water.

 

[yamahaSHO]

It can be washed with water. I, and my friend, have done it on our 95 and 90 for a long time. If you are worried about electrical connections, do like I did, disconnect everyone of them and put in some dielectric grease then reconnect. If you have a good seal on sensors and plug wires then you have no worries. If you are still worried, spray directly on top of the plug wires not at an angle.

There is nowhere under the hood that you can safely spray water, even at the lowest flow rate, and not get it in, on, and around electrical devices or connections. Just look at all the wires and connections under the hood!

What do you do when it rains??

The best way to clean the engine compartment is to use a rag with the cleaner of your choice (many folks like Simple Green or Greased Lightning) and wipe the various underhood components clean. It can take longer and be more labor intensive than the spray-and-wash products, but in the long run you'll get better results cleaning it by hand.

Good luck getting the top of the block, tranny, and small areas.

<small>[ March 09, 2003, 11:48 PM: Message edited by: yamahaSHO ]</small>

 

[SHOtimer]

Well, there are always two sides to an argument, and there they are. Some people wash there engine with water (everytime) and don't have a single prob. Others, have had disaterous effects from it. So, it is simply your choice I guess.

When you drive in the rain, water is only getting on the bottom half of the engine, it never gets on the top half of the engine, and if it does, the water is too deep.
Doug

 

[yamahaSHO]

When you drive in the rain, water is only getting on the bottom half of the engine, it never gets on the top half of the engine, and if it does, the water is too deep.
Doug

You would be suprised.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

yamahaSHO:
What do you do when it rains??

I drive with the hood closed...

There's no point getting into an argument here, so I'll leave it at this: Wash your engine with water at your own risk. You may not have problems the first time, or even the tenth time, and you can consider yourself lucky. The conventional wisdom here, from many people much more intelligent on the subject than I, is that risk of major damage far outweighs any benefit or time saved.

I personally enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done by cleaning it by hand.

 

[RStalveyARFF]

you could always do what I do, and go under the hood with metal polish and a buffer, but then again, I have a polished intake. I personally go in with a soft terry cloth and Wenol, and do everything by hand, and the intake gets a buff treatment. I've known too many SHO's that don't run right after being washed with water to do that myself.

 

[BeatDaSHO]

oh man.........simple solution my friends. Let's see, so you can take a risk and wash it down with a hose and there is a 50/50 chance that something will get screwed up. Or you can use a rag and simplegreen and clean it by hand without any risk at all. A 100 percent guarantee that nothing will screw up. It's your decision.

Greg

 

[sdpatt]

Water on SHO (or any electronically controlled) engine? Bad idea.

 

[yamahaSHO]

Here is the other electronically controlled motor that I used water on. No problems here either.

Ohh.. And this one too.

Just don't go crazy with the water.

<small>[ March 10, 2003, 10:53 AM: Message edited by: yamahaSHO ]</small>

 

[marbs]

If you are conserned about it I would just pay somone to Steam Clean it for you. It will get a whole lot cleaner.

 

[sdpatt]

marbs:
If you are conserned about it I would just pay somone to Steam Clean it for you. It will get a whole lot cleaner.

And guaranteed to have electrical problems.

 

[Jon Klein]

I don't want to touch any nerves here or anything like that...I'm only 17 and have just barely scratched the surface of the automotive world. But I know that my SHO (93' ATX) was steam cleaned before I bought it with 120,000 miles on it and it really looked impressive. Now I have not had any problems that I'm aware of except that my ABS does not work. (no big deal). Not even the idiot light. Also, my CEL doesn't light up, ever. Is there anything I can do to aid the recovery of these two systems if they were damaged during the steam cleaning? even though the seller swears on a stack of Chilton's manuals that they weren't funtional before the cleaning? Also what does the steam cleaning do thats bad (I know steam is water vapor but only small concentrations of water right?). TIA

Jon

 

[89 Gary]

I clean all my vehicles at least twice a year with simple green and low hose pressure. You just have to be sure no water gets by the plug seals into the plug wells. I always pull off my wires after cleaning and use high air pressure in well to blow out any water and dirt. Don't go crazy is the important thing. I have been doing this since 1973 with no problems.

 

[projectSHO89]

Steam cleaning is just fine....as long as it's a bare engine with no electical wiring.

The steam, sprayed under very significant pressure, will work its way into electrical connections and will cause problems, either immediately due to water infiltration, or later due to corrosion in the connectors.

Steve

 

[Dr.Evil]

DO NOT USE WATER ON THESE ENGINES!

I learned that the hard way when my car would die and fire back up by itself after a couple seconds, and idel between 400 and 2500 RPMS and would suddenly die when it was moving and in gear. I had to put a big fan in the compartment for a day to dry it all out before it worked again.
If anyone wants to wash their engine with water, go ahead. THis is what happened to me. I will never spray an engine with the hose again. Just use a damp cloth with some cleaner and don't risk it.