Is it Wise to wash Under the hood

Hey,,since nobody has ever talked about this,,,,heres something to think about...
Just wondering if its safe to go to one of those loonie operated car
wash and clean under the hood with their spray wash and soap

Would it damage any parts,,would any parts tend to rust quickly, ex. engine parts,,air filter...etc......after doing the wish washy thing,,,Should i cover any parts before spray soaping and spray washing under the hood of the car.


Any opinions,,,thoughts,,would be much appreciated
Have any one have any bad experiences doing it,,

I've washed under my hood before...with GUNK and a regular garden hose. Never tried it with a high pressure washer.

Just make sure you use plastic bags and cover up all your electrical components like the battery, alternator and distributor/ignition coil.

Also, might want to avoid direct spray onto any sensors and the belts.

Yeah, I wash under my hood about once every 1-2 months except the winter months. Soap and water imo isn't enough to get rid of the dirt that gets built up in there, so I use things like engine shampoo. You can buy things specifically for the engine bay from Canadian tire. As others have said, make sure you cover up the sensitive parts with plastic bags.

If you don't know what you're doing, no.

There are certain sensors, that if water seeped inside, would break them and your car would not start.

a safer way.. but takes way longer.. paper towel wipe..

Cleaning an engine is a double edged sword. On one hand, if you do your own maintainance, working in a clean enviroment is easier to see, and easier to take off equipment. A clean engine runs cooler too. On the other hand... the very act of cleaning can get you into electrical trouble pretty quickly and too clean and rust also can be a problem.

A few of the coin-ops have a reduced pressure trigger for engine washes.. Full pressure from these nossels can be a problem for wire connections etc. Most of the engine compartment is made to withstand water spray from the road as you travel in the rain, but items like paper air filters etc.. can be vulnerable to high pressure, not to mention rubber seals etc.

Garages charge $50 to engine shampoo's... they know what to avoid. CTC sells spray on engine cleaners, these are good if used as instructed (watch out for painted surfaces). The newer the car, the less risk of cleaning... the advantages of a clean engine compartment in a newer car far out weigh the risks of the cleaning... in an older car (8 yrs+) If it runs, don't fix it.

Arm your self with lots of towels, a tooth brush and a spray bottle with water and soap in it. Maybe a can of srpay degreaser or soemthing. Takes long but probably one of the safest ways to do it.