How to wash a car engine and should it be done at all?

Over time, every car owner is faced with a problem - do you need to wash the “heart” of a car? There are different opinions on this matter, but most tend to believe that this procedure should be carried out periodically. The main thing is to understand the question of how to wash a car engine so as not to damage its main components and assemblies.

The main arguments of experts about washing a car engine

In principle, you need to take care of all the main parts of the car, and not just the body and interior, as most of us do. Consider the positives of a clean, washed engine. There are few of them, but they also improve the quality characteristics of the engine and the safety of the car as a whole:

1. The accumulation and build-up of oil, interspersed with dust, dirt, negatively affect the cooling of the car body from the outside.
2. A layer of oil, drips of fuel and technical fluids reduce the fire-fighting qualities, as they can contribute to the fire of the engine and the machine as a whole.
3. Electrical wiring can be damaged by a short circuit in a dirty engine compartment. And this fact can also lead to fire.
4. It is not very pleasant to repair and maintain a dirty engine. At the same time, problem areas are not visible, especially if there are leaks of technical fluids.
5. From the aesthetic point of view, it is pleasant to open the hood and see a clean and efficient unit of your car. And when selling your "iron horse" it will cause more confidence in the buyer.

The adherents of the position about whether it is necessary to wash the car engine in principle, cite their arguments in support of this:

1. First of all, these are detergents that present a certain degree of fire hazard and toxicity.
2. The possibility of ingress of water and detergents on the electrical wiring and the main elements - the generator, starter and battery, which can lead to a short circuit of the conductors and contacts.

 

Engine wash

How to wash a car engine: by yourself or in special points?

The easiest way to clean the power unit from oils and dirt is to contact a car service, where specialists will carry out this procedure efficiently and quickly, using good cleaners. If you wish, you can do everything yourself, since this work is not very difficult.

However, everyone, without exception, needs to know the basic nuances of how to properly wash a car engine so that there are no problems later when operating the car. And they are simple:

1. Use only specially designed cleaners. A simple car shampoo for manual body washing will not work, since it is not able to effectively dissolve petroleum products.
2. Before you wash the car engine, you should cover all electronic devices and wires to the candles with a film as much as possible, it is better to remove the battery.
3. Keep the power package warm, but not hot. The optimum temperature is 35-45 degrees.
4. The detergent should be applied to the main parts of the motor and wait a few minutes for the oils and dirt to soften.
5. At the end, you need to rinse the cleaner with water, but with a little pressure. Some people ask if it is possible to wash a car engine with a washer such as Karcher. Answer - not recommended due to strong water pressure, which can damage small parts and fasteners in the engine compartment.
6. In hard-to-reach and heavily soiled places, you need to repeat the procedure using a hard plastic brush, and then rinse everything off again.
7. After the engine has been rinsed with water, dry it with a powerful hair dryer or other device that supplies air, then start the engine and let it run for a while with the hood open so that the remaining moisture evaporates.
8. Usually the engine is washed after two or three years of operation.

 

Karcher K 5.55 Jubilee. Washing the engine and engine compartment.

What do you need to know about the safety when washing the motor?

The listed rules on how to properly wash a car engine should be known to all motorists, regardless of whether this procedure is carried out independently or takes place in a car service. Why, you ask? Because not every car wash and not every specialist knows how to safely and correctly wash a car engine. This fact is especially relevant in the summer, when unskilled workers can be invited to work at service enterprises.

The use of detergents is useless, and gasoline and diesel fuel are extremely dangerous - you can be left without a car and with impaired health.

Such a would-be specialist can simply flood everything with water and damage some parts and components of your car with high pressure or apply a low-quality engine cleaner. Therefore, even when washing the engine at specialized enterprises, the personal presence of the owner of the car is recommended - control is necessary. And after you make sure that this specialist has all the skills and follows the rules, you can next time trust him in the matter of servicing the unit.

In my opinion, the question of whether to wash the engine or not has been resolved unequivocally - to wash it, and even the rules have been considered on how to wash a car engine on your own, which will save you some money.