Can you Pressure Wash your Engine Bay?


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So you have got the outside of your car gleaming, the wheels look brand new, and the interior looks clean and smells like it did when you first bought it, but what about the engine bay? Dust, grime, grease, and oil quickly adhere to the user’s pristine black plastic pipes, and the rubber cables and engine become sticky and filthy.

Can you Pressure Wash your Engine Bay?

You can use your pressure washer for a lot of things, but should you use it for your engine bay too?

Is it OK to pressure wash your engine?

There will be people that say yes and there will be people that just say what’s the point? If you are coming to sell your car then a clean-looking engine gives the impression of a well-looked-after car, but using a pressure washer to get this clean finish could cause more problems than you want.

Electrics – Water and electrics don’t mix. If water gets into the electrics it could cause all sorts of problems, your dashboard could be lit up like a Christmas tree or worst case the car doesn’t start. If you are going to pressure wash your engine then cover up any electrical parts, and wrap up cables in small plastic bags. When washing around that area make sure you take care, stand back and almost mist the area. The pressure could easily damage the cables or dislodge a connection.

Bolts – Any corroded bolts could easily be shot off with a pressure washer from close range. If your car is older and not looking how it used to under the hood then the hand finish is certainly advisable. Before you know it you could be making things worse without you knowing it.

Hoses – There will be lots of plastic and rubber hoses in the engine bay. Some will be covering cables while others will be pumping coolant or oil around. Care must be taken to ensure no water gets into these. Water and electricity are bad, and water in the engine itself is even worse. It really will get into every little gap and hole, and having water settling in little wells isn’t good at all.

How to Clean your Engine Bay?

Using a pressure washer may seem like the quick and easy option, however, it really could be more trouble than it is worth and actually a little time and some elbow grease is actually the better option and what we would advise.

Baby wet wipes are a great way to quickly wipe down your engine bay and plastic hoses removing that road dirt and black build-up. For tougher areas, a tin of degreaser and an old rag will do the trick,

Once cleaned down you can use back-to-black cream or spray to get those plastic parts looking like new again.

The key is to take your time and take care, you don’t want to dislodge anything or knock and make anything worse that may be rusting and corroded.

Bottom line

So can you pressure wash your engine bay? Yes. Do we advise it? No. Pressure washing is a quick and easy option, however, the risks and damage caused will quickly ruin the time saved when your car has to spend a day in the local garage. Take your time and wipe round with a damp cloth, remove any debris and leaves and use a degreaser in areas where you may have had a leak or spilt any oil, but we would advise leaving the pressure washer just for the outside of your car.

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