How to wash the engine
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How to wash the engine

The question of whether it is necessary to wash the car engine is rhetorical. Yes, it needs to be washed, but the point is how intensively and in what sequence to do it. Let's look at the nuances of such cleaning procedures.

When to wash the engine

In theory, the engine compartments of modern cars are well protected from pollution. However, if the car is not new, drives in heavy duty, especially off-road, you should pay attention to cleaning the engine compartment.

How to wash the engine

Here the radiator is most polluted, in the cells of which leaves, sand, salt and insects fall. This creates a kind of blockage in the airflow path, causing the engine to overheat, and the often humming cooling fan is a sure indicator of this process.

Auxiliary radiators (oil coolers and automatic transmission radiators), which are usually installed deep in the engine compartment, also need to be cleaned. So, if your car is more than five to seven years old and you often drive on uneven and dusty roads, they should be washed.

You need to clean it regularly, and if it is very dirty, thoroughly wash the battery and dirty wires. The thing is that oiled electrical equipment provokes current leakage, which leads to poor engine starting and rapid battery discharge. Of course, you also have to deal with the formation of oil leaks on the engine walls, because these contaminants can ignite. With a clean engine, leaks are immediately noticeable, which allows you to quickly respond to the first signs of a malfunction.

How to clean the engine compartment

Probably, many have seen such a picture - a car wash employee sends a jet of steam to the engine and begins to wash it under a pressure of 150 bar. With such sheathing, it is very easy to damage electrical cables, various relays and sensors, although the latter are usually covered with protective covers. Another danger is the ingress of water into the area where the spark plugs are located. And if the generator is flooded, the insulating material can be damaged, which will lead to corrosion of the diode bridge, oxidation of the diode contacts and, ultimately, the device will fail.

How to wash the engine

Hence the logical conclusions. Before washing the engine compartment, insulate its “delicate parts”. The same generator, wires and sensors need to be wrapped in foil or at least covered with nylon or something waterproof. The contacts can be protected with special water-repellent chemicals.

This will protect the joints of non-ferrous metals from corrosion. And as it turned out, the engine compartment cannot be washed under high pressure - no more than 100 bar. Then everything should be dried and, if possible, blown wet parts of the engine with compressed air. Electrical contacts must be dried very carefully.

Alternative Methods

If you don't want to risk flooding or damaging critical components and electrical cables, you can resort to a steam engine flush. The essence of the method is to supply dry steam with a temperature above 150 degrees Celsius under a pressure of 7-10 atmospheres to contaminated external engine elements. In this way, dirt and oil stains are effectively removed, and moisture does not accumulate in places of electrical contacts. The disadvantage is the complexity and high cost of the procedure. In addition, steam washing should only be performed by qualified personnel due to the risk of thermal injury.

How to wash the engine

Another effective way to clean the engine compartment is chemical. Auto parts stores have a huge selection of chemicals - various sprays, shampoos and cleaning solutions. Or, if you prefer, you can use household products, such as regular soap diluted in warm water. In the latter case, you need to warm up the engine to about 40 degrees, apply the solution with a rag or sponge, wait a quarter of an hour and then remove the dirt without using a lot of water.

Dry cleaning is also used. Namely, a special liquid or foam is applied to contaminated parts. It is not necessary to wash off the applied substance with water, the chemistry will do everything itself. However, before using such a tool, it is necessary to warm up the engine, but again not to a hot state.

Finally, experts recommend not cleaning oil stains on the engine casing with gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene and other flammable substances. Although such substances are effective solvents and can be easily removed from the engine surface, they are highly flammable, so you should not play with fire in the truest sense of the word.

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