I live up north & like to wash the salt from in the wheel wells with the local pressure washer. The problem is that my engine gets covered with the stuff that I'm washing off when I spray in there.
Should this be happening ? The shield isn't doing it's job. Any ideas ???

'06 XLT S-crew Black
XTR package
Leer fibreglass tonneau
EGR Chrome deflector
Stereo upgrades started

 

It's common on these trucks to have road mess get on your engine. Salt gets everywhere, and I mean everywhere!

The only thing you can really do is keep wiping down the engine since salt never does any good to be on anything.

 

That's what I'll do !
You'd think they'd close those areas off somehow.
Thanks

 

I always do my motor at a 25 cent car wash, no problem ever

 

Be ULTRA-CAREFUL. It only takes a drop of water to fry a considerable amount of expensive equipment. I, for one, don't recommend it and won't do engine compartments for clients for just this reason. I'm a small guy -- one engine screw-up and I'd be taking out a second mortgage. LOL!

RP

 

Rock, I run a big operation and we highly discourage such. I will do it, but only if the customer signs a release saying that we are not responsible for damage incurred since we don't condone engine cleaning. The best example is the 94 BMW 325 series. They can't even safely be run through the car wash for the problem that a clogged drain line can lead high pressure water to be sent direct into the ECM unit and it will immediately roast, and its $2400 to replace.

 

Yep. Again, hence the reason that I simply won't touch an engine... I think it's a good policy.

You tell the $2,400 story as if it's from experience...?

 

Actually, it was another local wash who got hammered on that one. I heard the story, and relayed it to PC&D magazine (sorry, professional carwash and detail) who actually did a little background on it and printed the story some time back. I, for the longest time, checked every BMW 3 series that came through to see if it was a 94. Fortunately for me, most of my BMW customers are leases and have new ones every two years or so.

 

I knew what you were talking about -- I subscribe.

 

That was really for the rest of the guys, I figured you knew it. It does have alot of good material in it, however some of the articles rank at just lower than crap sometimes.

 

I typically skim it... all in all, it flies more up your alley as a tunnel owner versus mine as a weekender. Maybe, one of these years, I can ramp up to something more substantial.

BTW, I might have missed it -- are you going to be in Virginia on the 7/8th of April?