Make sure you are wearing a dust mask and some sort of eye protection before blowing that dust out.
Show us some before and after pics please.
Show us some before and after pics please.
Cleaning a DUSTY vehicle / engine
- Thread starter MVFarms
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Originally Posted by MVFarms
there is a coating of rock dust everywhere, and while it seems to have had some rust preventative quality (really) it is bugging me. I'm not just talking gravel road dust . . .
Sure it isn't from a phosphate mine? That dust is nasty.
there is a coating of rock dust everywhere, and while it seems to have had some rust preventative quality (really) it is bugging me. I'm not just talking gravel road dust . . .
Sure it isn't from a phosphate mine? That dust is nasty.
Sorry . . . no pics. Just ended up blowing it off really good. Started reading about water and the knock sensors on these engines and got a little scared.
Got it surprisingly clean and was glad to see that air filter had been kept up and downstream was clean.
Got it surprisingly clean and was glad to see that air filter had been kept up and downstream was clean.
Originally Posted by RamFan
Originally Posted by supton
Doesn't the alternator get wet when driving in the rain?
Hose stream =/= rain
I would just like to point out if the Alternator was susceptible to water in any fashion it just wouldn't work. Is it 3000 PSI strong? Probably not but I imagine they get their fair share of water from a rainstorm on the highway that would laugh in the face of said garden hose. So the hose isn't going to hurt anything.
Originally Posted by supton
Doesn't the alternator get wet when driving in the rain?
Hose stream =/= rain
I would just like to point out if the Alternator was susceptible to water in any fashion it just wouldn't work. Is it 3000 PSI strong? Probably not but I imagine they get their fair share of water from a rainstorm on the highway that would laugh in the face of said garden hose. So the hose isn't going to hurt anything.
Originally Posted by Driz
... and mist some armor all or similar all over the plastics and rubber stuff. Just let it lay as it sits after you rum it around to get the hose bottoms of hoses. Next day it'll be shining
Yes, and 2 days later it will be covered in dust again. Armor All is a horrible thing for under the hood, just attracts more dirt. There are other sprays and such to use to make it look nice but not Armor All.
My regular routine is get cold engine wet with a water hose, spray with degreaser (been using "Purple Power" for past several years, works as well as Simple Green, but 1/2 the price), let it sit for about 10 minutes, then rinse off. Keeps the engines looking nice.
If as dirty as the OP said, it may take more than that, but sounds like they got it taken care of. I would be a little worried about all that dust almost turning into a cement like shell if it was not all washed off.
... and mist some armor all or similar all over the plastics and rubber stuff. Just let it lay as it sits after you rum it around to get the hose bottoms of hoses. Next day it'll be shining
Yes, and 2 days later it will be covered in dust again. Armor All is a horrible thing for under the hood, just attracts more dirt. There are other sprays and such to use to make it look nice but not Armor All.
My regular routine is get cold engine wet with a water hose, spray with degreaser (been using "Purple Power" for past several years, works as well as Simple Green, but 1/2 the price), let it sit for about 10 minutes, then rinse off. Keeps the engines looking nice.
If as dirty as the OP said, it may take more than that, but sounds like they got it taken care of. I would be a little worried about all that dust almost turning into a cement like shell if it was not all washed off.
Originally Posted by supton
I had a mechanic who wanted me to use the pressure washer at a coin-op to clean the engine once in a while. He swore by it, as did others. I've done it a time or two myself. And I suspect many (most?) car lots (dealerships or shady places) do the same exact thing, so as to get the engine nice and clean.
What's any more shady about getting the engine clean than the body or interior?
I had a mechanic who wanted me to use the pressure washer at a coin-op to clean the engine once in a while. He swore by it, as did others. I've done it a time or two myself. And I suspect many (most?) car lots (dealerships or shady places) do the same exact thing, so as to get the engine nice and clean.
What's any more shady about getting the engine clean than the body or interior?
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by supton
I had a mechanic who wanted me to use the pressure washer at a coin-op to clean the engine once in a while. He swore by it, as did others. I've done it a time or two myself. And I suspect many (most?) car lots (dealerships or shady places) do the same exact thing, so as to get the engine nice and clean.
What's any more shady about getting the engine clean than the body or interior?
Nothing. What I meant to imply was, going from high end dealership right down to the most shady of places -- they all pressure wash the engine. Maybe only the cheapest of places don't bother.
Originally Posted by supton
I had a mechanic who wanted me to use the pressure washer at a coin-op to clean the engine once in a while. He swore by it, as did others. I've done it a time or two myself. And I suspect many (most?) car lots (dealerships or shady places) do the same exact thing, so as to get the engine nice and clean.
What's any more shady about getting the engine clean than the body or interior?
Nothing. What I meant to imply was, going from high end dealership right down to the most shady of places -- they all pressure wash the engine. Maybe only the cheapest of places don't bother.
Have lived on gravel roads since I was a youngster in the 1960's. All we have ever done is drive thru car washes and occasionally washing out the engine compartment with a garden hose. Even on my 2006 Caddy, 2015 Silverado 2500, and 2017 Equinox. Never high pressure on the engine. Dirt, mud, and dust a constant thing. I don't get all goofy about how to "properly" clean it off. I just clean it off.
I don't worry about gravel road dust either . . . that was why I referenced gravel roads in my original post.
This was quarry dust and lots of it. As in frame C-channels were packed full in some spots. It was all much easier to clean dry than wet.
This was quarry dust and lots of it. As in frame C-channels were packed full in some spots. It was all much easier to clean dry than wet.
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