I need to power wash the engine on my 2008 Mustang GT.Any suggestions as to safe procedure?

 

get the engine hot, then wash, being carefull not to blast the sensors, and ignition coil area, then drive the car so that the water evaporates. also use the widest spray pattern possible and dont get the tip of the washer too close, you dont want to blow stuff up

 

Hot engine...cold water...uh no. That's a good way to thermally break something.

Get it warm, then clean it. Personally I wouldn't use a power washer. Too easy to blast water into areas you didn't want to. An engine clearner/dressing and a simple hose with a light spray pattern will do.

 

i didnt mean get it glowing red, drive it till up to operating temp, then have at it, no different then driving through a puddle.

 

If you are talking of spraying from the underside, I agree, no different than a puddle but, I don't see water coming in from the top as normal under any circumstance.

 

I've been wanting to clean the engine compartment on my '05 GT ever since I got it. Been dragging my feet, haven't done it. At motorcycle shops they carry a product named "S-100" I used that many times on my cycles over the years. Never screwed up the finish on any of them. I'm thinking of using it on the GT, spray on, let sit for maybe 15 minutes (I think) and hose it off without heaps of pressure. On bikes they always warn you about getting high pressure streams aimed into the wheel bearing area.

I had a BMW for 269k miles. Kept it ALL CLEAN. Used a engine cleaner without issue for years. Used a different one once, didn't appreciate the way it looked, best I recall it made the bare metal parts look wrong. I had the engine pulled for mods at 132k, wrench was pulling it out, a friend of his came up, it was so clean the friend thought the wrench was putting the engine back in.

 

A bunch of simple green works pretty well

 

A couple of good videos at YouTube. Basically protect all electronics and be careful if using a power washer or you will damage stuff.

 

I warm mine up just a bit (not up to operating temp or hot) and spray on Engine Cleaner/Degreaser and let it soak for a while to let it penetrate any dirt or oil. Then once cooled off (about 1/2 hour), I spray it off with a power washer avoiding the alternator, fuse block and other electrical components. I really don't want to spray cold water on a hot engine.

 

I like to finish up by going over the whole thing with compressed air before going for a drive. A lot of water can pool up under your intake, and you definitely want things like the alternator as dry as possible. With all the excess water gone, a short drive can dry off remaining droplets.