Would one need to cover up the sensor plugs (like the tps and IAC sensor)?

 

I washed my engine bay covering up the accessories such as the alternator and the fuse boxes and such and i ended up blowing more than 1 COP so i had to pay $90 and get 8 new ones... wasn't worth it IMO

go with good old elbow grease and a rag

this is just my personal experience and i will never wash an engine bay again. from now on i spray some solution on a rag and go at it...

 

^ Did you cover the coil pack?

 

When I worked at the dealership, every car we got it, we sprayed some hard core chemicals all over the engine and sprayed the whole things down and never had any problems, brand new cars and even during the cash for clunkers garbage. But I wouldn't do it on my own still.

 

i got a wand that plugs into my 60 gallon compressor set at 120PSI and it draws some purple power and water mix in from a hose and pressurizes it, blast it on scrub it and use water to spray it off. because it's not 1200 PSI from a pressure washer it doesn't cause any problems.

 

i didnt cover anything and sprayed my whole engine and nothing happened

 

I had no prior knowledge about washing an engine bay, so my friend said he would do it with me. I helped (but i was reluctant because putting water onto an engine didnt seem logical to me). Anyway, we covered up the fuse boxes, the alternator, and the battery i believe. We did NOT cover the COPs. He used this same method the day before with his own 2000 GT. His car fired right up afterwards. Mine wasn't so lucky...

Either way, i will never spray water on my engine again. I ended up having to scrub it all anyway. I might as well grab a rag and some cleaner next time and save myself a possible headache.