95VetteMan1

What are the do's and don'ts when pressure washing an engine

Frizlefrak

Don't.

Wash it by hand, very carefully. If you have an LT1, you will kill the Optispark in short order. The rest of the electronics don't care for water either.

corvetteronw

In one of my Gordon Killebrew classes he said that is ok to soak a warm (not hot) engine with degreaser/cleaner and then to rinse it off with a gentle spray of water. Non-LT1/4 engines only.

mcm95403

I used my favorite cheap cleaner (LA's AWESOME from the dollar store) and then hosed it off with the garden hose. Worked great and no problems.

yaknow

l98's let it rip, LT1's are a different animal, do a search

popo8

When I worked in the body shop, I used to degrease and steam clean, high pressure, etc like a ****... If it came in, I went OFF on it. BAck then I did not know what an OPTI was. If I knew then what I know now..... ugh.

Chewch87

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

torchred89

Every time I wash my car. I wipe the motor down. That way it doesn't get dirty.

Nathan Plemons

Words don't really exist to fully convey how bad an idea it is to pressure wash any modern computer controlled engine. All those "weather tight" connections are meant for water splashed on them, not sprayed at 2000psi.

If you have an LT1, as the others have mentioned, it would be a miracle if you didn't destroy the opti.

I've pressure washed under the hood of my '74 pickup truck, but then again I can easily see all the wiring and keep the water away from it.

auggy

Don't do it, not even a hose. Use a rag if you must.

mmercer

But, based on Torched89's photo, I need some more Armorall on the hoses!! ...

mtwoolford

I used to pressure wash EVERYTHING...and for somethings, non eletrical like suspensions, undercarriages, its still the best way to go. with all that said now I use brake spray degreaser, brake cleaner, and a ton of industrial grade paper towels. You can probably get away with pressure washing an engine compartment if you stay away from and or protect electrical components with plastic baggies, but given how tight a c4 engine compartment is, this may not be possible. If you do insist on a pressure wash do it on a hot dry day and then drive that car long enough and far enough to allow any trapped water to evaporate.

Biker

Pressure washing forces water into places it doesn't belong. It can also flatten fins on a radiator, if you're not careful. I use a degreaser followed by a light rinse with a hose.

mike100

Besides the obvious- avoiding the distributor/optispark/alternator- never spray a hot engine. Good way to crack the potentiometer in the TPS sensor or who knows what else...wait for it to cool down to where it is merely warm before washing.

j-vette

Looks outstanding!!

Alan777

Don't pressure wash an LT-1, you can wash an L98 with low pressure as long as all the connections and hsoes are in good shape.

BSenzina

DONT DO IT ! ! ! I used GUNK engine degreaser and after taht I that spray on foaming stuff for tires to shine under the hood.....it looks REALLY good and last a long time too.

RACER 1993

I did it once on my 1993. Very bad outcome.

Blow off with air hose and leave hood closed at cruise-ins.

Mr. Peabody

There are no Dos and there is only one dont. DONT DO IT

Use some engine degreaser and some soft brushes and some rags or some simple green and some brushes then gently rinse off using a garden hose with no sprayer attached so that you can control where the water goes. Nothing on the front of the engine.