Should it be alright for me to fire up my 6-HP power washer to clean the underside of the car? I have the entire rear end disassembled to the torque tube, and I figured it was as good a time as any to remove grease and road grime that in spots is almost a half-inch thick. Is there anything on the underbody that I should avoid with that kind of spray? Anything else I should know?

Dumb question, but I'd rather ask than destroy something with a blast of water. I'm just too lazy to scrub by hand.

Shawn

 

Don't mistake the factory undercoating for that undercar crud and grime.

If you are serious about the cleaning, protect the end of the torque tube and have at it. My guess is that you'll quickly discover that a bit of work with a brush, detergent, and the garden hose will end up being a lot easier. Unless you have a lift, crawling under the car with the pressure waher wand is a ticket to a serious mess with you right in the middle. BTDT, know better now.

BTW, I have used foamy engine cleaner on the oily stuff that blows back from the engine area. Car on tall stands, spray with cleaner, brush any serious deposits, rinse. Follow that with a stiff mixture of car wash soap and the brush, rinse, dry the painted stuff under there. Keep the engine cleaner away from painted parts in the engine bay! The silver on the intakes and cam covers will be damaged by engine cleaners and harsh detergents. Car wash soap is as serious as I'll get on those. More experience speaking!

Get everything clean under there and it's a snap finding and fixing any little leaks that might happen in the future. Don't forget to clean and wax the wheelwells.

<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

 

Wax the wheelwells? Yer kidding.

 

dr bob,
Do you, by any chance, use a proctoscope on the tailpipe?

 

Watch out for the O2 sensor. Some of them apperently have a vent for their outside air sample, and well, getting water in there can't be too good.

Probably won't hurt it though.

 

Did ya hear about the Ob/Gyne fellow that had had enough of working with "people" and decided to become a mechanic. On his final exam for the Journeyman's Certificate he got 110%. <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

He went to the instructor to query math on his exam mark and was told...... "As expected, you did an excellent job reassembling the engine, for the exam, so you were awarded 100% for the work. I felt I had to give you another 10% for doing it through the tail-pipe!" <img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />