Can You Spray Your Engine Bay With Water? Best Guide to Prevent Damage

Yes, you can spray your engine bay with water with minimal precautions if your car age is less than 15 years. But if your your car is older than 15 years then you should be more conscious while washing your car engine bay with water. 

But you don’t need to worry I have washed my car engine in my home garage many times as well as more than 5000 car engines at my service provider store. So, here I am going to answer all questions that come to your mind while spraying your car engine bay such as:

• Can you spray water on your engine?
• Washing an engine bay? Is it safe for the long term? 
• Can I clean my engine bay without water?
• Why should Engine Parts be covered before washing? 

So, whether you are in your garage or at your car washroom service center, following the guidelines below can wash your engine bay safely. So, let’s first explore which type of cars you should be more conscious of. 

How Much Is It Safe to Spray Your Engine With Water? Depends on the Car’s Engine Age:

According to my experience of 15 years car models that are usually more than 15 years ago are not much safer for direct water spray. So, you can say that while washing old classic car engines, such as V8 engines, more precautionary measures have to be taken. So, I mostly check their seals first and tighten the loose seals to protect them from water. 

One of the most important things is to cover some parts such as open wire circuits, alternator, distributor, fuse boxes, battery, and any exposed air intake areas. For covering I mostly use plastic bags that are more safer. You can clean these sensitive parts with a degreaser, sponge, or brush to prevent damage. 

Mostly the Automaker put a lot of struggle to make the car engine waterproof. And they are doing very well but we know that the surety is not 100%. So, you can wash the modern car engine lightly with precautions but again be conscious. Do not use the much high pressure and make a difference of at least 1 foot from the engine while washing. 

Which Parts Should Be Covered Before Water Spraying on the Car Engine?

With years of hands-on experience, me and my team have developed a technique to cover different parts of the engine. So, by covering these parts in the best way you can safely wash your car engine. 

Parts of the Engine Bay Should Be Covered	Why Engine Parts Should Be Covered Before Washing?	How to Cover Engine Parts Before Splashing Water?
Exposed Air Filter	We cover it to stop water from getting into the engine. If water gets inside, it can cause serious damage like bent connecting rods.	To cover it, we wrap it up with plastic. We make sure to seal any openings tight to keep water out. Even if it’s in a sealed factory air box, we still cover it to be safe.
Alternator	We cover it to protect it from water. If it gets wet, it can cause electrical problems and even stop working.	To cover them, we use plastic or waterproof covers. We seal them well to keep water away from the sensitive parts.
Engine Belts	We cover them to keep them dry. If they get wet, they might slip and cause problems with the engine.	To cover them, we use plastic covers. We make sure to fasten them securely to keep the belts dry while we clean.
Sensitive Electronics	We cover them to keep water out. If water gets in, it can cause electrical problems.	To cover them, we use plastic or waterproof covers. We make sure to seal them well to keep water away from the sensitive parts.

How to Safely Wash Your Engine Bay With Water?

You got an overview of how to cover the parts now let’s explore how to wash a car engine without any damage. So, follow all the points of engine bay washing step by step. 

1. Visual Inspection of the Engine:

So, first of all, inspect the whole engine carefully. Check all the hoses or oil caps. There should be no space to allow water to get into the engine. Tight all the caps and hoses.

But here is a question arises can I spray water on the hot engine?

The clear answer to this question is no.  because if you spray water on a hot engine it may result in steam generation, electrical damage, and thermal shock. 

2. Gently Scrub With Brushes:

I usually recommend one more thing which is cleaning the dirt from the parts of the engine that are going to cover. You can use a sponge or bristle brush to clean that area before covering it gently. And then to remove the dirt I use a vacuum cleaner so all the dust particles come out. 

Then you can use plastic bags to cover all the sensitive parts that are explained above. 

3. Setting the Pressure of the Water Wall and Rinsing:

When I am in my home garage I usually use my Garden hose nozzle. Try to use the adjustable nozzle to apply the pressure of water. The safest pressure to wash the engine is in the range of 800-1000 psi. 

One more thing that should be considered is to make a proper distance of at least 1 foot from the engine. During rinsing properly notice the effect of water pressure on different parts of the engine. 

Most people also ask me many times which type of water is suitable for car engine washing. Yes, it is an important question but the answer is very simple you can use tap water for a car washing engine. Ensure the water is at room temperature or slightly warm, cold or extremely hot water can damage the engine. Also, Avoid using hard water, use distilled water or softened water if available. 

4. Drying and Inspection:

You can use a Towel microfiber cloth or compressed air to dry the engine bay thoroughly.  Before starting the engine, visually inspect the engine bay to ensure that all visible water has evaporated or been removed.

Then turn on the engine for 30-40 minutes to make it dry from inner portions as well. It works very well because when the engine turns on it starts producing heat which helps to evaporate the water and dry your engine properly. 

I found this video on YouTube on how to safely wash the engine. If you can also watch it for better understanding. 

Conclusion:

You can wash your engine with water by adopting some minor precautions. Precautions mainly depend on the quality and model of your car. Modern car engines are more easy to wash and have fewer chances of error. Follow all the guidelines to make your vehicle clean and long-lasting.