OK to power wash engine?

We blast engines with 4,000psi the only problem is geting water under the spark plug wires, or in the distributor sp? So we blow down the engine with a 175psi of air after then dress with a water based dressing. Once in a while you will get a CEL for misfire just erase it and let it dry. vary rarely will the car take more than a few hours of drying once i had a vw that wouldnt start for a whole weekend but once it started it was fine.
 
Aliengotpsi said:
...Once in a while you will get a CEL for misfire just erase it and let it dry. vary rarely will the car take more than a few hours of drying once i had a vw that wouldnt start for a whole weekend but once it started it was fine.
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See... it is the 'once in awhile' that I avoid by detailing by hand. I never want a customer to not be able to start their car when I'm done. I certianly don't want them coming back with a CEL that was triggered by something that went wrong due to pressure washing. I wouldn't pressure wash an engine even if I had a pressure washer. I just don't see the benefit in taking the risk when hand detailing does just as good of work and really doesn't take much longer.
 
Jngrbrdman said:
Why powerwash the engine? Seriously, all you need is to spray it down with degreaser and then rinse it with a steady stream. Then bust out the shop towels and brushes and finish it up. How much time does power washing really save? I'd race anyone with a power washer and I'll bet I do a better job in less time by only using high(ish) pressure from the hose on the painted surfaces and just rinsing the engine itself. Using something like high pressure directly on the engine is just not something I am comfortable doing on a customer's car. What if you rinse a bunch of sludge into the alternator or some other important component? What if you flood the spark plug cylinders and have to wick them out while the customer waits for his car to be able to start? You'll never have that problelm if you take your time with the job.

Detailing is not about finding the fastest way to do something. That is called taking short cuts. Detailing is about finding the safe and efficient way of doing something. Any hack can power wash your engine bay, but a detailer will raise the bar and take some time to do it right.
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I have to side with Anthony he has completed several engine bays with pics to back it up..
 
Aliengotpsi said:
well when you detail the volume as us time is money and 90% is dealers and they understand if it needs to dry out..
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I agree that time is money, but quality is even more money. Power washing engines is for car washers. I prefer to be a detailer and take a little more time with it. I charge $60 - $80 for an engine detail and I have no problem getting appointments for it. I guarantee you that I wouldn't get the business for engine detailing that I get if I just power washed the engine for 5 minutes and closed the hood. I prefer my engines to win awards at car shows for something other than being the fastest detailed engine in town. No offense intended to what car washers do for engines, but I just think there is a difference between what a dealership wants when you detail 20 cars on the lot and what a single customer expects when you come to their house to prep their car for sale.
 
I have power washed engines for years as well and have had very few problems. I spary with degreaser power wash then spray with water based dressing. Most of the problems that occur with pressure washing is due to inexperience. You just have to be careful and know what you should and shouldn't spray. I very rarely cover anything...I am just very careful and aware of what I am spraying and how much pressure I am using. I do agree that you should stay away from the spark plugs. Some engines have very deep plug wells that can hold alot of water. One more thing to consider is to not try to power wash a very hot engine, that's just asking for trouble. A warm engine is best, so the grease is soft and can be removed easily. My power washer has a burner so i can heat the water as hot as i need...it goes all the way to 302 degrees....I will never try to wash anything that hot, but it will reach that temperature. I usually power wash engines around 160 degrees. Just be careful, try not to soak everything and stay away from the electrical if your not comfortable. Oh and take care with the underhood mat. It can be torn apart with pressure. I must admit that i usually do power wash the mat, but i have been doing this for years so i am comfortable enough that i can do that successfully. I wouldn't recommend it to a novice.
 
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