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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum Pressure washing engine bay???
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      07-08-2018, 01:42 PM   #1
krautmeister
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Pressure washing engine bay???

I want to clean up all the crud from my coolant leak (which I let persist and band-aided by refilling coolant for weeks due to work). Anyone have any insights? A lot of electronics in there....
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      07-08-2018, 03:28 PM   #2
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The main electronics are well shielded, so keep water away from the top of the engine & the alternator. Again not against the bulkhead area.
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      07-08-2018, 04:27 PM   #3
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I use wheel cleaner in engine bay to remove oil and built up dirt, rinse with water hose nozzle. I do not cover anything to protect from water but spray sparingly on passenger side windshield corner.
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      07-09-2018, 11:13 AM   #4
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i YouTube a bunch of videos as far as cleaning the engine bay and like bfleming mentioned most of the electronics is shielded or covered. i use my pressure washer real quick across the entire bay. i try not to get too much in the alternator. than use a leaf blower to blow all the water out than use CG's Natural Shine to detail all the plastic pieces. for you i would use an engine degreaser around the coolant area that you're talking about to get some of that sludge out. or you could use Purple Power. i wash the engine bay everytime i wash the car so pretty much every week and no problems after doing this for 3 years.
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      07-09-2018, 04:10 PM   #5
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Obviously, do this at your own risk, but I'm been cleaning my engine bays for years with water (SAAB, Jaguar, Mercedes, and now BMW), never covering anything, and never had a single issue.

I try to avoid using a pressure washer, but I've done it while holding it from a distance.
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      07-10-2018, 12:10 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spielnicht View Post
Obviously, do this at your own risk, but I'm been cleaning my engine bays for years with water (SAAB, Jaguar, Mercedes, and now BMW), never covering anything, and never had a single issue.

I try to avoid using a pressure washer, but I've done it while holding it from a distance.
same here...I hold it at a distance and doing short burst just to get the engine rinsed off...that's it. I've noticed over the years my engine bay doesn't get that dirty at all and I think it's just because of how well it's kinda sealed up from underneath
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      07-11-2018, 07:50 AM   #7
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Personally - I'd skip the pressure washer. But I have been cleaning engine bays with water for decades and never have a problem except for expected belt slippage for a little bit on the next startup if there's still water on belts and pulleys.

I use some kind of diluted degreaser/APC, sometimes in a hose end sprayer/mixer like is used for lawn weed spray to suds up the area. If required I agitate with a long, soft-bristle brush (even a paint brush) where there's salt, oily dirt, whatever. I rinse with lots of gentle water to get ALL of the cleaner rinsed away thoroughly. I use a "watering can" / "shower" type hose attachment. The APC and agitation cleans, not pressure, so there's no need for it.
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      07-12-2018, 04:19 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lsturbointeg View Post
i wash the engine bay everytime i wash the car so pretty much every week and no problems after doing this for 3 years.


I've had mine for 4 years and washed it..... oh ... sh.... zero times. (same for any other car I ever owned)

I did look at it the other day and though it was due, but am too worried about getting water in the wrong places, I guess these posts helped, I'll do some research I guess.
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      07-15-2018, 10:39 AM   #9
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I did the engine bay wash last summer. I used the scrubble bubble bought at Menard's. Works great. I covered the alternator and sprayed with this stuff, waited 5 min. Use regular hose pressure water. Looked like new. Don't waste money on the expensive stuff. Make sure engine is cold and start the car right after. Use blower if you have
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      11-16-2022, 03:28 PM   #10
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If you are confident in your abilities, then you can try to clean it yourself. But you should know that this liquid comes in different compositions. Some manufacturers add particular substances that will repel moisture and dust. So a dried stain will be hard to clean. Given the number of electronics, I think you would be better off using https://sparklewash.com/woodlands/. This is one case where taking the risk of doing it yourself can worsen things. And in addition to dirty stains, there will also be a malfunction of the car, especially if it is a hybrid.

Last edited by salivanjack13; 11-20-2022 at 06:44 AM..
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