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I am thinking about power spraying my engine but was wondering are there any parts that I need to cover up so water wont damage it? Or can I just pop the hood and spray away?

 
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I'm pretty sure this has been posted on this site before...but.. I may be thinking Club Civic...

You need to cover your battery and intake..I think there is one other thing...but read up on it and you'll find out how to do these things...

From what I heard, using simple green is the best way to give your engine bay the brand new look again...I use it to clear up almost anything I can.

 
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No need to cover the battery. And simple green is about the worst thing you can use. It will turn your bare aluminum and metal parts white looking and will make your rubber parts dull and faded. Also, I highly DON'T recommend a power washer or high pressure spray. What you are going to want to use is a good CITRUS based cleaner. Spray it all over a COLD engine and let it soak for a few, work the dirt and grime away with a parts cleaning brush. Then lightly spray the engine off with a hose. You may need to do this a few times but it will look much better and be much safer for you in the long run. Then, when it is all clean you are going to want to put a protectant over the rubber and plastic peices. Here are some pics of a 2002 Civic we did.

http://www.danase.com/gallery/album01

 
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^ frickin' beautiful work!

 
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what kind of protectant should I use when I get finished cleaning? And So basically I dont need to cover any thing before I start spraying? And what is a good citrus cleaner?

 
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here's an awesome write-up/makeover on 1993 honda civic, that they did at the meguiars hq's in irvine, california. go to page to page 3 for the before & after on the engine! http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...?threadid=3196

 
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damn that pic looks as good as the first day I had my car..

 
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As long as you don't go nuts and use high pressure you will be good to go.

Any rubber/plastic protectant should do the trick. I highly recommend staying away from AmorAll though. I can't stand that stuff.

Your local parts store should have a good citrus based cleaner. I forget what we use but it comes in an orange see thru bottle.

 
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Wow, I wish every engine bay I see would look like that.. it'd be so much more pleasant working on that than the nasty ones I see.. not that I should talk cuz mine is dirty than all hell.. I've had the car for over 2 years and I've never done more than use the meguiars plastic/rubber protectant stuff on the stuff I could reach with my hand. ha

 
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The guy that used to dow ork on my hatchback used to always give me a price break because the engine bay was so clean he never had to get all greasy and dirty. LMAO

 
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Just out of curiousity, is there anything I would need to cover up? I was thinking maybe the tranny dipstick since it is kind of flimsy and I dont want water to get into there, but is there anything else I should definelty cover up?

 
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don' tyou need to cover your alternator?

 
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intake and alternator are the only things you need to worry about.. but even then.. as long as the car is not running they should be fine..
you might want to NOT blast the fusebox and dipsticks with a pressure washer for hours at a time.. but going over them in a side to side sweaping motion wont do anything as long as they are closed..
for a cleanter citrus is the way to go.. it wont dull the rubber and wont oxcidize metal.. but it will eat oil and grease.. cuz thats what citrus does.. and it smells good..

citrus carwash soaps in general are great.. but just a capfull or you will have to rewax yer car.. it wont hurt the paint.. but it will try to clean the wax off yer car cuz when you get down to basic elements wax is just fancy oil (for the most part.. with other stuff added in)

 
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yeah I haven't washed my engine yet, but there are some good tips listed above. I washed my other cars engine every time I washed the car at home every week or two. never had any problems, however one time I got water in the connector for my A/C, and it wouldn't work anymore, took it to an auto shop, they told me the connecter was damaged by water, replaced it, all good. I still think it's good to wash the engine, just do it when the car's cold. if its' really yucky use engine brite on all the greasy parts first it foams it all up, and cleans it pretty good.

 
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what about the distributor?...

 
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Our cars dont have a distributor, We are DIS.