Degreasing the engine bay

[jstone4646]

Is it ok to degrease the engine bays on these older trucks? I am thinking of a spray degreaser with a few heavy coats then rinsing it down with the hose. I do this to my Jeep all the time but I don't know how these older trucks would respond. I assume the engine needs to be cold, and cover up the carburetor....is it ok to do or should I cover all the electrical before I do it? I would assume these older vehicles are less picky than new ones but then again there are some open components such as the voltage regulator and what not.. thought I would ask before doing.

[Gary Lewis]

If you protect the carb and distributor then a spray with the hose after the degreaser should be fine. But not a high-pressure wash from a pressure washer or a car wash.

[Steve83]

https://supermotors.net/getfile/1117500/thumbnail/170630_wash.jpg

As Gary said - you certainly never want water going into the intake manifold, including via any of the vacuum lines or vacuum-operated devices. But the engine bay is expected to get completely wet when you make a long drive in heavy rain/slush/snow, so it's designed to handle water everywhere (under the force of gravity). Pressure-washing is OK as long as you pay attention to what you're blasting. Don't shoot it right into a rubber seal, or against thin metal or plastic, or something hotter than ~190°F from closer than ~8". Just like your skin, high-pressure water can cut soft rubber; and it can deform thin metal or break thin plastic. The distributor is sturdy enough to handle the spray, even if you have to really blast it to clean the grime off. But water WILL get inside, which will interfere with the spark, so have plenty of paper towels (and silicone grease or alcohol, such as brake cleaner) available if you'll need to drive it before it has time to air-dry (with the dist. cap OFF). These explain how to apply the grease to the cap when it's dry:

https://supermotors.net/getfile/833749/thumbnail/distributor8791.jpg

https://supermotors.net/getfile/1146568/thumbnail/distcapgrease.jpg

Never blast the fins of a heat exchanger (radiator, condenser, heater core, etc.) with anything stronger than a WEAK stream from a garden hose. Bending the fins over is worse than the dirt being in them.

https://supermotors.net/getfile/1068855/thumbnail/finstr.jpg

This is the quick way to check one:

https://supermotors.net/getfile/1074225/thumbnail/08hxs3.jpg

The first several pics in this album show how I cleaned my mother's most-recent car:

https://supermotors.net/getfile/1138858/thumbnail/20180814_115337.jpg

[Ray Cecil]

I won't say its the right thing to do, but I have pressure washed my 99 silverado engine bay. No problems occured. But, late model vehicles have nicer water proof electrical connectors. I pressure washed it with no mercy, or regard for water getting in anything. Fired right up and ran just fine. That was a year ago.

For your older ford, I would let the engine get hot, then spray the degreaser, it'll work 10 times better if the grease is hot. Then use a steamer to blast it off if its real bad. But who has a steamer?

[PetesPonies]

I won't say its the right thing to do, but I have pressure washed my 99 silverado engine bay. No problems occured. But, late model vehicles have nicer water proof electrical connectors. I pressure washed it with no mercy, or regard for water getting in anything. Fired right up and ran just fine. That was a year ago.

For your older ford, I would let the engine get hot, then spray the degreaser, it'll work 10 times better if the grease is hot. Then use a steamer to blast it off if its real bad. But who has a steamer?

If you don't pressure wash, it won't get that clean. I have pressure washed so many vehicles in my life :) carbed, or EFI. If EFI, just keep the hard spray from connectors, but random spray is fine. For a carbed engine, keep the top of the carb covered. I wouldn't worry about covering the distributor cap. You're going to have top pull it off and dry it out anyway. .

[delco1946]

If you don't pressure wash, it won't get that clean. I have pressure washed so many vehicles in my life :) carbed, or EFI. If EFI, just keep the hard spray from connectors, but random spray is fine. For a carbed engine, keep the top of the carb covered. I wouldn't worry about covering the distributor cap. You're going to have top pull it off and dry it out anyway. .

the degreaser i just used said to apply to a cool engine to avoid a fire, so i would read the products instructions. Also, it didn't do much so don't get too excited :(

[ArdWrknTrk]

I won't say its the right thing to do, but I have pressure washed my 99 silverado engine bay. No problems occured. But, late model vehicles have nicer water proof electrical connectors. I pressure washed it with no mercy, or regard for water getting in anything. Fired right up and ran just fine. That was a year ago.

For your older ford, I would let the engine get hot, then spray the degreaser, it'll work 10 times better if the grease is hot. Then use a steamer to blast it off if its real bad. But who has a steamer?

My buddy Bill has a Steam Jenny!

That thing is a beast and will blast off all kind of grease, grime and gunk.

Be sure to keep it away from tie rod ends and ball joints because it WILL soften the boot and blow out the grease and replace it with hot water.

I usually put engine degreaser on a more than warm engine and use a cheap dish or vegetable brush to loosen any tough deposits before rinsing.

Get under and scrub before you start hosing so you don't have to lay in a greasy puddle.

If it's really bad just go after it every weekend until you finally find clean metal.