Is it really ok to blast the engine with all that water? I mean, rain is a factor when driving, but I never like actually used a hose to wash my engine bay....

 

Pressure washers are usually in the 1500 to 3000 PSI - that is like supersonic rain, not the same thing,

 

HAHAH dang, so I gotta work the air compressor somehow to push some psi into my water hose.. nice...

 

With the DIY pressure wash booths my detail shop has for customer use, of the three settings I use for the engine compartment only one is high pressure - the other two are a gentle spray.

With the high pressure setting I am cautious not to unnecessarily spray the fuseblock or other areas that might be bothered by high pressure clear water. (I back off and hit those areas from a greater distance just to make sure that all the detergent is washed off/out.)

I do use the full high-pressure on other areas: block, head, head cover, firewall, etc.

Protecting areas you don't want wet is a good idea, and the only engines I didn't worry about pressure washing to an extreme were the ones in my old Land Cruisers (which forded rivers and had pretty much been in water almost up to their intakes, anyway...).

Plastic shopping bags and either masking tape or large rubber bands have always worked for me - especially for distributors on those cars with 'em.

Tom

 

Well guys, it rained pretty hard today in Seattle both on my way to work and on my way home. Doesn't it always rain right after you wash your car? I opened up the hood as soon as I got home and the first thing I noticed is that the weatherstrip was soaking wet. So I opened it just enough for me to peek in (wanted to make sure that nothing drips into the engine bay), the result was a dry compartment. All I can say is that initial "test" result looks promising! If the weatherstrip can block water from coming in through that gap, it should perform even better blocking sand.

 

So did you use open cell or closed cell foam tape?

 

Closed cell.

 

I think we were being rude here. First things first.

WELCOME TO THE FORUM !!

That was a great first post and a mod I would have never thought of. My engine gets dirty also, so often so, that it makes my CAI look bad.

Guess I'm off to Lowes this weekend.

Thanks again.

 

Thanks for all the warm welcome that I've received. You guys are the only online site I trust and would recommend to anyone.

Thanks again

 

Awesome.. totally awesome!

I gotta check the xA .... we also may be in need of this very thing! I do have a fairly dusty/dirty engine bay ..... I'll see if I can find the source/cause.