Damage Detailing Motors ??

Have you ever had any damage caused to a motor that was caused by detailing it?

  • YES

    Votes: 4 14.8%

  • NO

    Votes: 19 70.4%

  • I DO NOT DETAIL MOTORS

    Votes: 4 14.8%

  • OTHER (please post a response explaining)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    27
dr_detail

dr_detail

Beautification Specialist
Calling all Professional detailers out there to help in my curiosity and what appears to be some controversy...

Please take the survey above asking if you have ever had any damage arise from detailing a motor on a vehicle that was caused by your detailing of it.
 
Good morning Doc.

I am not a professional, but I was detailing engines before "detailing" was even a term. I started on my 8 year old 1948 Ford convertible. I used a garden sprayer (the kind that you pump up by hand) for extra pressure. I polished and waxed all the painted metal and even re-painted the engine heads (V8 flathead). I didn't have any chrome goodies, but I sure had it looking nice.

I got a lot of comments from the "experts" at the time about how I was damaging the engine, because it was supposed to be dirty - it ran better that way (no lie!), about how the water I was using would 'damage the wiring' (like that could happen). All in all, I was considere 'eccentric', a nice term for 'idiot'. At the time, I didn't know anyone who cleaned their engines.

Anyway, to make a long story............, I have been doing this for almost 50 years and I have NEVER seen any damage; although, I used to always have to dry out the distributor cap (know what that is?) before I could start the car.
 
I've detailed a lot of engines over the years and I've dried a lot of distributor caps too:lmfao but I've had some vehicles that have had some severe electrical problems after washing, mostly Fords:dunno , but if you are careful and cover the main sensors and electrical components there should be no issues.
 
I do know there is a known issue with water and some late model Corvette/Camaro/Firebird LS1 engines. The Optispark unit gets wet and the vehicle will not start.

I believe this has since been corrected, but there are sill plenty of cars out there this may occur on.
 
Poorboy said:
I've detailed a lot of engines over the years and I've dried a lot of distributor caps too:lmfao but I've had some vehicles that have had some severe electrical problems after washing, mostly Fords:dunno , but if you are careful and cover the main sensors and electrical components there should be no issues.
Click to expand...

Water and Ford's Distributor Mount TFI Ignition Module don't make happy together.

Of course, ask a majority of us Ford Fan's what our opinion of the TFI is anyway, and you will get a resounding response that it is a POS. :)



I've detailed my engines since I first started detailing several years ago. I've always thought that since the engine was part of the car, that it deserved the same attention that the rest of the car did.

I don't cover a single thing under the hood when I power wash either. I just avoid spraying directly at the Alternator, Distributor, and Ignition Module.

Give it a good 10 minutes to air dry before starting, and then I drive it for 20 minutes to further air dry.

I have never had a problem, or even a hint of one.

Engines are a lot tougher than they are made out to be....


A little bit of elbow grease and time with dressing and polish next make everything awesome looking.


Nothing quite like the feeling of knowing that EVERY square inch of you ride is clean.

It's an awesome feeling!
 
Yes to both Reality and Poorboy.

I have never been in a position to need to clean anything more expensive than a Taurus, so I shouldn't be passing on advice to anyone on how to clean an 'expensive' ride - my apologies for that.

I guess the main point everyone is making is "Be careful". If in doubt, cover it up. Aluminum foil and plastic are cheap and can save you trouble.
 
just as a side note...I have found that using plastic shower caps (that i collect when staying in hotels:) ) are great to cover parts and they have elastic to help keep them in place...
 
Poorboy said:
just as a side note...I have found that using plastic shower caps (that i collect when staying in hotels:) ) are great to cover parts and they have elastic to help keep them in place...
Click to expand...

Glad or Ziploc or one of those brands sells covers like that in the food storage bag area. They're made to be resuable, so they may be tougher than the free ones from hotels. Never thought about using them that way, but it's a good idea!

I think I'll raid mom's cabinets next time I'm over there :jump
 
Never had a problem... Just STAY AWAY from pressure! Let the cleaner/brush do the work not high pressure hose!
 
The only damage I have ever caused detailing a motor was one instance when I got water on the valve cover and it got down in with the spark plugs. You'll have a hard time starting the car that way. lol I just took out the wires and wicked the water out and then it started up fine. Ever since then I have always been very careful to avoid getting the plug wires wet. That wasn't even really damage. It was more of a frustration. No harm really occured. It would have sucked if I hadn't started up the engine first before giving the keys back to the client. lol
 
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