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Anyone presure wash the engine?

3K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  wild1 
#1 ·
I've done it dozens of times on other cars but the Smart isn't like other cars. Any suggestions? Better to leave it running while doing it?
 
#2 ·
I wouldn't on any car. Most pressure washers put out at least 1400 psi of pressure(some are over 2000). That's enough to blow by virtually any "water tight" connector. That can lead to serious electrical issues down the road. If directed in the wrong area, it could also force water past shaft seals as well, leading to water contamination in your lubricant. Engine or trans, that's not a good thing...

My preference is to use an aluminum-friendly cleaner(I use Simple Green Extreme) to break up the dirt, then hose it of with a garden hose & spray nozzle. Definitely run the engine up to operating temp after you clean it though, to evaporate any water and dry everything out.
 
#8 ·
Here are a couple of different ideas to consider in washing an engine and bay.

1. Harbor Freight has the best deal on the purchase of a McCulloch steam cleaner. By using their 20% off cupons, you can even save more on the purchase price. You won't find it cheaper than at HF. Use distilled water in the unit to prevent any chemical build up or corrosion of the steam cleaner parts. Forget about the brushes that come with the steamer and just purchase some cheapo brushes at your local Dollar Store, instead. Spray on some Dawn dishwash soap or a Simple Green cleaner as mentioned in the other post here, and then shoot the engine with the steam. Scrub at the bad spots with your brush and again hit it with the steam blast.

2. Harbor Freight also sells a back-pack pump type sprayer that will work well, also. They just had a 50% off sale and these units were super cheap at that time. Mix up a sprayer bottle of Dawn liquid dish soap and water to shoot onto the engine or dirty area. Shoot it on and scrub the area. Then use the pump backpack sprayer to wash off the residual grease and grime from the engine. It sprays a hard enough stream to remove the grime and also clean off the engine as you spray clear water onto it.

Either of these options can work, as I have used both in the past and had good results. A hand-held water hose can also work effectively, but these two options give pretty good control of the very specific area your trying to clean. You can also use a steamer on cleaning the upholstery of a car and there are many videos of doing such. You would need a method of extracting the moisture if you did that, as the seats would take forever to dry out if you let them air dry after steaming.

I can't post links at this time since I am new to this site, but go to the official Harbor Freight and you can plug in steamer or hand-held garden sprayer to see the equipment I mentioned above.
 
#9 ·
pressure wash

I've always blasted off the dust with air then used a garden hose for the final clean-up and let the motor heat dry it off. Before I got the smart, I used to sometimes wash the engine when I was at the car wash....until a problem surfaced. I washed a hot engine with cold water and cracked the porcelain on a fuel injector. Didn't stop it from working, but it took me a long time to find out where that raw gas smell was coming from.
 
#10 ·
Yes It can be done, I live on a gravel road my 09 get washed twice a summer.
Leave engine on when you do it, avoid pressure on the hoses that have a foam rubber sleeve on them, the pressure will tear at them, for the alternator do in light blasts, every where else direct the blasts toward the floor were possible. Try not to soak the engine use the pressure to direct water and durt away from engine.
Were some goggles to!! I have never encountered any problems by doing this
on mine.
 
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