Cleaning Under The Hood

[avp12304]

is it safe to pop the hood and hose it down with water to wash the mud off? will it ruin my alternator if it got wet? anything is appreciated thx

 

[B-Cack]

Ummmmmmmmm.... I have done it before, I was just careful not to use high pressure and I covered up the major items I thought would get ruined if they got too wet..... Definitely cover the distributor cap.........

 

[southerntrax]

yea don't get any of the electrical stuff wet.

 

[Seabronc]

Well, just think what happens when you are driving in heavy rain. The only thing that I wouldn't spray directly are electrical connections and the alternator. Even they are designed with a moisture prone area in mind. The problem ithe connectors is that they get little or no maintenance. I use dialectric grease on all my connections to seal out that H2O stuff. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

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[tjohnson]

I washed under the hood and that is when all went to **** from there I put in a new alternator starter relay battery then two days later my transmission went out. OK theres more to it then that I had just got my Bronco and the person I got it from did not tell me that the battery cords where put in wrong red - black + did not tell me and I put in the new stuff. well thats why I will never do that myfelf anymore. cost like 25 dollars to have it done.

Tom

 

[88pimpin]

Ya, distributor cap definitely, at least I think he said on older cars, but just do it. Also, I've been told that it's okay to leave the alt. alone, but I would just cover it, since it's not gonna hurt to do it, but if you don't, you don't know. Why worry about buying a new alt when you can cover it with a free shopping bag? Might do the starter too.

 

[avp12304]

ya thats probably the smart thing to do

 

[KCMav713]

Having worked at a dealership doing detailing (washing and cleaning the cars), I have experience washing all over the car. Using a pressure washer, I have sprayed the engine bay many times with the pressure washer and a spray-bottle degreaser. I have found that the most effective way is using the spray on degreaser, and cleaning by hand. I have not had any complaints about electrical failure from soaked components. The alternator is able to be submerged in water==not totally recommended==but it can get wet. Do watch out for the distributor cap. If the pressure washer has adjustable settings, go for the least amount of pressure. But most of all, look into the degreaser--it works wonders on anything from mud, grease, road grime, etc. I hope this information is of some help.

Tim