Cleaning the engine

Don't use a hose - too many electronic components. Get some spray on engine cleaner and squirt it one ; leave it for a few minutes, and then carefully rinse off with a brush dipped in water and a sponge.

Dave Milne, Scotland '99 TJ 4.0 Sahara

Approximately 9/23/03 13:32, Saigoncal1 uttered for posterity:

I normally use Saran Wrap and a bit of masking tape after a good dusty desert run. In addition to the obvious like the distributor, keep water off the injectors, the A/C pressure switch, etc. Pretty much any connector you can see with wires.

If the dirt is baked on, you may have to let the engine cool and then wet it down with something like Simple Green and let it soak to soften the dirt. I usually then use those doityourself pressure sprays, no problems....yet.

There are two schools of thought on this. The other is that only defective components will object to water being sprayed on them, and you might as well find out in your driveway as on the road or trail.

Earle

Dip your hands in water and then stick them in the wall socket; might as well find out if your heart is defective now than on the trail :-)

Seriously, hot and wet engine bays are a nasty environment for electronics ; I have seen too many cars fail expensively after a good pressure wash / steam clean to want to soak them gratuitously.

Dave Milne, Scotland '99 TJ 4.0 Sahara

: > Dave Milne, Scotland : > '99 TJ 4.0 Sahara : >

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Spray it down with simple green or even a simple degreaser, let it sit for a couple minutes, then rinse with water (not a pressure sprayer). td

That costs, if memory serves, about $3.75 to get the first squirt... almost as bad as a hand job in the tenderloin.

Approximately 9/23/03 17:10, L.W.(ßill) Hughes III uttered for posterity:

That is my school of thought.

I regularly hose down my engines. I wait until they are cold though.

I even took a pressure washer to the CJ once not long ago. I stay away from direct hits on connection plugs, but still wash them good.

I also opened every plug and socket I could get my hands on and put a rub of dielectric grease on all the sealing parts. (spark plug boot protector is a cheap version)

Works well, I can run my CJ7 with a bow wave over the hood and a wet butt and still keep on going....

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Earle Hort>

Hand job in the tenderloin???? is that safe?

Leave the grit on. Sometimes it the only thing keeping the engine's blood(oil) in.

2003 here... My seals are still working. td

off-roading?