Hey guys I just gotta say that I love this site its my home page and I love it... and I am always lookin at the members photos and I am seeing some kick'n trucks out there... and the one thing that gets me is that how do you guys clean your motor so good like do you pressure wash it or what.. I'm allways scared of cracking the turbo or somethign else under there with just water.. but I am just wondering what is the best way to wash or clean the engine compartment... thanks guys

 

I just pressure wash mine with a bit of soap after the engine has cooled off. Generally I just do it in the summer so everything dries out good after.

 

I just pressure wash and wipe it down 2-3 times a year and no problems so far.

 

Every time the truck body gets washed the engine gets washed.

I pressure wash the engine if possible but normally the garden hose does the trick unless I've been out in the mud. Make sure you do all the wheel wells to if your a mudder type. This will keep the body rot down to a minimum.

Make sure you engine and turbo is cool. Then have at it. Just don't spray directly at wiring connectors and the alternator if you can avoid it. Sure does does make weird thing happen like ABS lights coming out for no reason... (Wet / Corroded connection)

Simple Green work great at cutting the grease and grime on the engine as well. Slightly warm engine and spray in down with simple green and wait about 5 - 15 munutes to work and rinse it down. At the worst you might have to scrub a bit on the really dirty spots but it will cut the grime!

Use garden hose and make sure to clean the A/C, Air to Air, and radiator faces. They wil stack up with bugs quickly. This will help cool down your engine temp and Exhuast temps.

I still get comment from friends and the dealer on how clean the engine is after 3 years of work!

 

Everytime I clean mine I get the WATER IN FUEL light. Have to drain filter and hand prime it then restart and all is well.

 

Check the sensor wiring I bet you money that the wires are wet...

 

Goop some dielectric grease on the WIF connector while it's apart and it won't do it again.

 

About two or three times a year I will take a buffing wheel and a Dremel and polish the drive line, trans and engine components. (Usually coincides with the waxing of the truck)

However, the undercarriage and engine does get washed every time the truck does. This is usually once a week.

Rich.

 

WOW!

A guy that really likes it clean! That a bit farther than I want to go...

 

I don't have the stock filter on the truck and the pigtail just hangs there for the WIF. When I wash the engine the WIF light comes on till it drys.

 

Yep.
I dont go as far as dismantling anything. I clean around the injection lines, trans cooler lines, etc.
However, when Im done with the polishing, the engine/drive line is clean. Then, the weekly washing just maintains this.

I found that this helps with a couple aspects:
1) Finding leaks when they first start. Making it easy to see the origin of the leak.
2) Provides the chance to go over everything and tighten and/or inspect. (Boost tube boots, oil lines, radiator hoses, battery cables, vacuum, etc)

The guys at the Cummins shop grumble when they see my truck in for servicing because they have to clean their tools BEFORE they work on my truck.

I also have a problem with the WIF light coming on after I clean the engine. A quick blast with the air compressor takes care of this every time.

Rich.

 

I do have open wires at the bottom of the sensor where they connect to the filter, need to get some tape and patch them up.

 

yes , simple green and a warm engine with a garden hose is the trick. Cover alt. and elect connectors with grocrey bags and spray away . Get rid of the puke bottle ,extend the hose and all will be well.

 

DD,
Your right about finding leaks this way. But I've been lucky and not had any bad leak on the truck yet... (Knockin' on wood hard!)

I do a monthly inspection of the entire truck bumper to bumper. So I look for the failing parts, dirty fluid, bulbs (Interior and exterior), etc... Basically check everything I can.

I'm in a area where there is a lot of dirt roads, mud, snow, etc. So I really am not going to polish the underside of the truck. But I will washing it down with a pressure washer to remove mud piled up in the frame and skid plates.

 

If ya' want that Cummins to really glisten, after washing the engine and engine compartment down use a little of that clear spray-on Tire Shine stuff. It is a light petroleum based product with silicones or something that makes that CTD really look nice AND it keeps the corrosion down.
After mine came back from the body shop for front end repair, they did me a "favor" and pressure washed my entire engine compartment with that strong, highly alkaline engine cleaner... Yep, it was clean, but it made a lot of the zinc iridite plating on fittings and tubing lines to start corroding. I was doing my tires and I thought, Why not?...
It goes on easily using the fine spray nozzle, and it doesn't take much to make it shine. Although if you overdo it, it will eventually attract a little dirt over time, but it and the dirt come off really easy at the car wash and it gets reapplied when I get back home.

Avoid spraying it on the serpentine belt, or you'll lose your famous Cummins "chirp" on shutdown until it wears off...

Keith