Engine Cleaning

[SquareOne]

I've personally been pressure washing every engine I own probably for the last 20yrs or better...including this ISX. For me, under the hood is part of a wash and I take pride when any of my hoods come up ----- PLUS, it's nice to work on a clean engine!

I believe the issue is this: 95% of people have no clue how to pressure wash anything...especially an engine! Without a solid presoak regiment, even the stronger pressure washers will have trouble removing certain grease/oil mixes. Hell, road dirt will come off with a finger wipe, but won't do much at all with a pressure washer and no presoak.

-- I'll mix commercial degreaser, water and cheapo laundry detergent in a sprayer and mist everything down before pressure washing. I'm not exactly sure what the ratio is, but start with 8-10 parts water, 1 part commercial degreaser, and about a laundry cap full of detergent. I make about a 2 gallon mix at a time.

The degreaser works well, but alone its too strong for many applications (unless needed in really greasy/oily situations). The water will cut it down obviously, and the detergent will take the 'sting' out as well as allow the presoak to hold onto the surface for much longer, with more consistent coverage, and without streaking. I'll coat the whole truck with this concoction and after I'm finish pressure washing, it literally looks like a hand wash.

A good presoak like that will allow the dirt, grease and grime to break down enough where you truly don't need to use the wand close to anything. The widest tip and a good distance will work just fine and keep you safely away from all electronics while still providing a thorough cleaning in all the areas you just cant reach by hand.

[JimT]

I agree, I like to keep my truck clean too. That's why I posted this, because when it's time to clean the engine, I want to make sure it's done right. We spend a lot of time making sure our engines and trucks work optimally and I want to make sure I wash it in a way that won't undermine all that effort.

I recently picked up a small gas pressure washer. Unfortunately where my truck is parked I don't have access to things like water and electricity. I need to come up with some setup that i can load in my pickup and transport to the site.

[Mattman]

JimT get you one of those liquid totes may could even use a barrel to haul your cleaning water. Gravity feeding pressure washer should be sufficient supply for your pressure washer.

[Magard]

Why has no one mentioned super clean or purple power. That stuff in a spray bottle and a garden hose spray nozzle goes a long way. Wash thoroughly with water when done. I’ve done this for years. I don’t use pressure washer. I don’t like the high pressure blasting around my electrical it gears up looms and lines also. High volume and low pressure is what I like.

[Rawze]

Power-washing the engine areas is well known for causing problems, has its risks. - A lot of places, the power washer is way too powerful, and they have no regard for the electrical system. -- those seals on those plugs are designed for spray... not pressure from a power washer. <- some get away with haveing it done at truck stops, etc.. ,.. some have nothing but problems... -- for me, its not worth the risk of ending up on the side of the roads because of laziness of not doing it myself, or some moron with that spray wand, 3 inches away from major wiring harnesses. ... -- I just wash mine with de-greaser, or gasoline (or charcoal lighter fluid) in spray bottle and toilet brush, let it sit a bit, then rinse well w light garden hose spray,.. works just fine, keeps it clean and oil free.

here is some related info, seen this plenty of times, as much as there are guys claiming they have never has issues ... ... there are those who have,. and regretted letting others wash their engine compartment. ...
http://rawze.com/forums/showthread.php?t...1#pid12551

[JMBT]

I agree with Rawze....no pressure washing!! Not only terrible for the electrical, it’s also terrible for all sealed components, like the input and output shafts on your steering box, any greaseless joints, like u bolts on many steering shafts, hood mounting pivots.... the list goes on and on. I spray mine down with a strong mix of simple green in a spray bottle, then turn the garden hose on it, then wipe down anything I can get to with a microfiber. Engine looks like new with 745K.

Best thing to keep stuff under the hood from rusting is to paint things! Paint all new parts, and when you have old parts off and plan to reuse them repaint them as well.

[SquareOne]

(01-23-2020 )Rawze Wrote:  Power-washing the engine areas is well known for causing problems, has its risks...

... A lot of places, the power washer is way too powerful, and they have no regard for the electrical system....

...or some moron with that spray wand, 3 inches away from major wiring harness...

Without a doubt, pressure washing has its risks. For the OP (or anyone else interested), be sure to understand the consequences and learn proper technique BEFORE shooting it with a 4k psi wand.

However, IMO, the underlined portion ^^^ is the biggest issue at hand. $9/hr guys hired to slam through a cleaning of a customers truck with 0 liability on his 6 figure income generator!

Improper application/insufficient information of anything will get you into trouble, whether it be as simple (supposedly) as pressure washing, or as complex as an ISX rebuild. I'm sure there are more than a handful of people on this site alone whom are very good mechanics, but insufficient information/improper application of technique has gotten them into trouble with their first ISX rebuild...

[tree98]

I turn my pressure washer all the way down so it's the equivalent of a garden hose. Just because someone says they are using a pressure washer doesn't mean its set at 3500 psi.

[rolling18]

what has worked for me (so far) in 2017 2018 truck motors
are a "foam cannon" using degreaser, letting it all soak for 15 min or until its all runn off dripping. (including electrical) cause it like shaving cream...

then, I hit the electrical areas with low hose pressure spray (similar to splashing through a rain storm)

then Ill hit the rest with pressure washer about 15/ 2500 green spray tip.
any super stuborn areas ill hit directly with 100% degreaser (purple),
then garden hose that off.

all on a cool motor so it does not evap the cleaners off so fast.
the areas I avoid all together are alternator openings and wire harness plugs and connections that I can see.