This is the process I use when washing and degreasing an engine before returning the vehicle to the customer after major engine work was preformed. This is not a proper method of engine washing and should not be followed as a guide. Pressure washing an engine is dangerous and should not be done unless you are willing and have the ability to fix and problem generated in the process. Ther
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Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not South Main Auto Repair.
If an SMA Video has helped you out please consider giving using "Patreon" to help support us. The videos take real time to create and pull us away from real work that pays our bills. CLICK HERE: https://www.patreon.com/southmainauto
THANKS A MILLION!!
--Eric O.
WANT AN "SMA" STICKER OF YOUR OWN!?!
Simply send and E-mail to SMAstickers @outlook.com including: your shipping address and e-mail address in the text, I in turn will send you a paypal invoice for $5 each USA or $6 each international. Let me know how many you want and as soon as the paypal invoice is paid I will ship them out ASAP! Thanks for your support of our channel!!
--Eric & Vanessa O.
Feel like sending some swag to SMA because you love the videos but don't know where to send it?
Just ship it here:
South Main Auto Repair
47 S. Main St
PO Box 471
Avoca, NY 14809
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not South Main Auto Repair.
Nice! Nice results, and it didn't take 2 days….
Awesome clean say.
Very nice to see someone who cares about their customers. A very honest and trustworthy shop owner. Truly a fan.
What a scumbag! Just kiddin…getting ready to do mine. Thanks for the video 😀
Solvent based , not good longterm for plastics and rubber . I use Zep Heavy Duty Citrus Degreaser . , biodegradable and not harmful to plastics and rubber . There are so many other different varities .
Great job was going to clean my engine but not worth it Thanks for the video!!
I have been DIY wrench turning since the early 1960s and I have always sought to keep the engine, transmission, differential and all the undercarriage clean as possible. I appreciate a clean car when you have to work on it and a clean car is easier to monitor for fluid leaks and broken parts. Back in the early days all you had to worry about was condensation in the distributor cap, these days it is a mine field under the hood and your comment "should you wash it" was accurate. A pressure washer is a dangerous weapon of mass destruction in the hands of the average motorist, they just do not know how to move that wand around to get a good cleaning job without damaging sensitive electronics. I always use a leaf blower right after washing and blow everything bone dry before starting. And I wash on average no more than once a year. Too many washings can lead to corrosion build up in connectors so limit the exposure to the water is the rule. Under the hood is engineered and designed to withstand a harsh environment including temperature extremes, water coolants and various petroleum fluids but not to tolerate ultra high pressure force of these materials where they do not belong. Negative comments don't have the facts behind them, they are passionately defending only their misinformed opinions.
I've been told by every mechanic I've ever known to NEVER spray water under pressure under the hood.
Distributor cap was 1 thing I had a problem with .Back in the day used a plastic bag to cover it no more problem wasn't hard to dry the inside of cap. Don't have that problem these days I don't see any problem with washing engine bay
Do you cover the mass air flow sensor or alternator?
68 yrs old and have washed engine compartment on every vehicle i have ever owned and i have never had a problem caused by cleaning it,,,once i cleaned my girlfriends car that had a fuel pump going out on it and the engine was covered in grease and oil,when i took it to the mechanic for the pump replacement he asked me when i was picking it up did i clean it off before bringing it to him and i said yes it was terrible and he laughed and said i really appreciate it as no one has ever done that for him, and he actually cut $10. off the repair because of what i had done….oh and by the way my dodge journey 2014 with 122 k on it, the engine bay and everything else is so clean you could eat off it…..
As with motor bikes, cleaning is one of the most important parts of maintenance…it’s when you spend that little bit more attention to things and notice little issues.
"Make it look like you care"
No, pal. You do care.
I had to go through the comments just to see if anyone took the bait on the WD40 comment. What a radical idea, using a water displacement product on a freshly washed engine, I can see how that might send some people rushing to their keyboards to set you straight.
There's the right way, then there's the shop way. Love it 😁
Plain , and simple the way it should be. Nice 😊
"Don't be a dummy" ..pretty much all that needs to be said. When I was a young pup, I used to wash my engines with some sort of foamy engine de-greaser and a regular spray hose. These days, with all with wiring and electronics, I don't.
A dewalt 20v blower would work great to get some of the extra water out of unwanted areas…it's the smaller blower not the leaf size blower..heck yah cleaning it up…also a thought if dielectric grease was used when all the connections where put together would be like extra insurance… I was taught in auto shop a clean engine is a happy cool running engine.
Great DIY video! Thank you!
My pressure washer is 3,200 PSI with no secondary pressure control valves, so all I could see is to use a wider fan. At 15 degrees or less it cuts concrete and at 25 degrees it chips paint. But pulling it further back has dramatically reduced effect as the water completely vaporizes over distance.
However.. I'd think a 40 degree fan would probably be safe for the engine bay.
I've got half my car in my house as both are undergoing major renovations. Throughout theweekend I intend to a lot more grinding, a handful of minor welds and a full undercoat…
May as well just degrease it while I'm at it but my pressure washer is notably overpowered for the task so we'll see if a wider fan can be used.
Btw I bought the washer for use as a sewer jetter to clear concrete from our building drain when we moved in, and it worked for that purpose. But it's not like I'd ever spend money on a second one just to get a more reasonable pressure out of it.
Hey, seen you cleaning engine . When clean 2016 explorer and 1973 montego i use Back to Black it dries nicely
That is how you do it suckers!!
People used to panic about getting water in the alternator with the jet wash. Do we need to worry or not?
I use to clean the engine compartment right after removing old engine. Clean the replacement before installing the engine
Looks great
I remember back in the day( 60's and 70's) we had curbuerated engines I would cover the carb and the distributer with shower caps. I used thick rubber bands to secure the shower cap.
Dude, this could have been edited down to about 8 minutes without compromising content.
I have always just sprayed the engine bay down with gunk, and then power wash it after a half hour or so. I just stay away from obvious areas (that you have summed up). The belts have had a few squeaks but they usually go away after a bit of running… Then I idle it for awhile and drive it to dry it off. I like to spray or wipe the engine with something that leaves a protective good looking finish too.
I like the way you operate; it's realistic🐶
I used to think you said "Self Made Auto" like self made man but then remembered I know how to read. I appreciate your expertise and your attitude… way better than mine but I ask for forgiveness. Thanks for your work and assistance.
Sealed (non-vented) opti-spark distributor systems on early 90’s LT1 engines are also a problem with water
Another Great video.
Always get the throttle position sensor real wet. OK
That definitely makes for a customer experience that makes a customer glad they chose you to have an expensive service done. That's the stuff that makes them brag to their friends!
She looks mint Clark!!
As a detailing fanatic and someone who ran a detailing business for 8 years. You did everything spot on really. Only thing i do different is i use a water based shine, spray it on while the engine is get, it will level out to a dark matte finish, no need to wipe down and no nasty silicone for the next mechanic! But the fact you wiped it down is the next best thing 🙂 Im now a mechanic, and for my own car, ill degrease it if need be, i wash the engine bay after a day at the beach ( its a 4×4), just foam it with car wash, then take it for a run and let it air dry, good enough for me.
Hey man I got a question. I'm working on a 2010 GMC Acadia there's a power steering leak somewhere and I can't find it. I want to know if cleaning its engine bay would be a good idea to go further with finding the leak?
I don't use the shiny stuff for exactly the reason Eric mentioned: everything sticks to it! If the min/max markings aren't legible on cloudy plastic fluid bottles, I use PlastX (or any of the big guys like 3M & Turtle have a good equivalent) to wipe them down and take the haze off. PlastX has a similar 'wet look' as the shiny goo when used on black plastics, but stuff doesn't stick since it's designed for headlights and windows.
I use Armor All to cure belt squeaks & place shine on anything I have never created additional belt slip and it seems to make rubber and plastic last much longer.
Jesus, that intro is so gay.
Just breaking your balls Eric O
Two words for your engine wash cleaner. "Simple Green".
I'll put it up against any Degreaser you have and it's biodegradable
And after major work a clean engine lets you see if a gasket is leaking. Had to power wash daughters 99 hondooo and found valve cover leak and a leak at the distributor which was worse than the valve cover gasket. A lot easier to replace that $4 o-ring.
Hey Mr O… Binge watching your older videos!
Believe it or not… For the shine/dressing… You can use Pledge furniture polish or a cheap knock off. Works great. Lasts just as long and doesn't attract dust.
In the eyes of the customer if it looks good it runs good. If it looks like crap it runs like crap….
Can’t just use brake cleaner ? LOL 😂
NEVER, EVER use Gunk on an asphalt driveway…. It will melt the asphalt where it lands…!!
Shiny
I use to always pressure wash my engines and engine bays, then one time I washed my 2000 Ford F-150 and when I started it up again two of the cylinders were dead. I did a full tune-up and replaced all the spark plugs and coils since two of the coils were fried and causing the misfire on two cylinders because I guess I got them wet and they shorted out? I also replaced the belt while I was at it. My truck has ran great ever since and I got better gas mileage but I am too scared to get my engine wet like that again…
BTW: I went to a self serve car wash and pressure washed my engine, I dried what I could and started her up and she was misfiring..
Unfortunately some of these big shops like Goodyear or Sullivan tire don't care as long they get their money. Can't find too many auto mechanics like you around. You really show that you care about the customer.
Cheap Steam cleaner off amazon.. Some Dawn and water spray bottle..They look like new…
In the heavy duty industry, we pretty much pressure wash everything before we even bring it in.