How do i do this? I want to clean it up but im worried about hosing it down and electrical frying or water getting in the engine. Tips? Articles? or should i just suck it up and do it?

thanks guys

 

i put an engine degreaser i get at autozone all over the engine except i cover the alternator, ECU, battery, and intake with a microfiber. i then close the hood and let it soak in, then wash my rims. after im done with the rims, i use the mist setting on my hose to hose down the engine, then wipe up the wet stuff with a microfiber. i then continue washing the car and by the time im done everything is dry in there and i start my car and nothing blows up lol
done it about 10 times now with no problem
if anyone else has another way tho i would like to hear it bc i just made my way up lol

 

I use degreaser aswell and I actually turn the car on and let it idle then I proceed to spray the motor down with the Hose I never had problem. For everything else under the engine bay I actually use invisible glass which is glass cleaner obviously it works well on the body panels like the shock towers within the engine bay.

 

Um, the owners manual tells you what to avoid.
Its mostly water resistant (hence being able to drive in the rain).
Avoid the airbox, the BEC and the PCM.
Otherwise, spray away...
Not on a hot engine block, btw.
Crack-age can occur in extreme instances.

 

the cheap stuff from walmart has worked the best for me. I haven't used it on my mustang because its not very dirty but it takes even the nasty oil and dirt off my truck block like nothing.

 

First time I cleaned it, I hand cleaned it using simple green, some fellow club mates told me dont be afraid of washing it. So I sprayed simple green all over and did mist it down, as others have said, some spots used a little bit higher pressure. But really once you clean it out one good time if you maintain it every month or so it will stay pretty clean.

As said before stay away from blasting the electronics.
Dont ever spray a hot or even warm engine to be safe.
Try to wipe as much down as you can after you spray to prevent water marks.

 

I typically use my pressure washer (delicately) after covering the sensitive items mentioned above. On my 6 imports, I've never had to use a degreaser and even after 35,000 miles on the Stang, there's no grime to speak of so it's just a light pressure wash to remove loose dirt.

 

+1... its described in your car manual. i use auto grade Simple Green (black container). works great and smells pleasant so no need to hold your breath. helps to have your engine warm to soften the grease but NOT HOT! or you will crack your block which is bad for your stang's health.

 

once it is clean and you are just getting rid of dust and try to bring back some shine to the strut towers and other painted areas and getting water spots off of hoses and plastic you can spray some pledge on a microfiber cloth and wipe away... it's safe to use on any surface, repels dust, has wax in it and smells lemon fresh... lol

 

Um, engine running while cleaning is bad news.
If you have a vacuum leak or whatnot, the water
introduced into the cylinders would increase compression
and thats a not a good.
Its just generally bad news to wash an engine while it is running...