Is it ok to use car wash to clean an engine?

[AspenF150]

We recently purchased a '97 Geo Tracker 4x4 with 31K miles on it. This will be the beer go getter car. The engine is not heavily grimed but only heavily dusted. I feel it will not be necessary to use my APC on it and my Hyper Wash might do the trick. I was thinking to use a scrub brush to help with the filthier areas of the engine. I will take a before pic of the engine tommorow to help everyone get a better idea of what it looks like. Thanks,,,98

 

[Mad iX]

Perfectly fine.
If you've got any serious dirt or grime in there you will probably need to use some of that APC, though.

 

[Big Leegr]

I've done it before, no problems. Some brands actually mention right on the bottle that you can use it for cleaning the engine. (The ones that do-that I've read-mention that you should use it undiluted. If you don't have grunge built up, it may work well enough if mixed with water.)

 

[AspenF150]

Thanks everyone. I might go ahead and do this tonight when it cools off. Man, it has to be 90*+ outside! Here are some before pics of the motor. It is a 1.6L 4banger mated to a 5spd. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the engine is made my Suzuki?? Thanks,,,,98