A gentle wash won't hurt anything, if you do it correctly...I make sure the engine is still warm (NOT HOT) and spray a little gentle mist while rubbing down with a soapy rag/long bristled brush..Taking care not to directly hit electrical connections with the water spray...Then once I've rinsed it all down..I give it a blow dry with a leaf blower.. Finally topping it all off with a spritz of Aero-tech 303 vinyl spray protectant....I also leave the hood open for a while to allow any water I missed to air dry.

 

Take this for what its worth

Left this morning with cover off air temp 95° IAT 127° @ 70 mph

Put cover back on air temp 102° IAT 138° @ 70 mph

A difference of 32° with the cover off and a difference of 36° with the cover on.

What I need to monitor now is how hot the engine bay gets when stopped at a light with the cover on and off.

I also discovered the fuel flow decreases by 10 cc/min when idling every little bit helps I guess.

If anyone wants I can put together charts.

 

That's Impressive stats..

 

You'd need to perform the cover on/off test with constant air temp to get accurate differentials.

 

That's extremely good info. Thanks for grabbing it! So you're seeing that without it on, the temperature is increasing, but fuel flow at idle is decreasing or am I reading this wrong?

 

The temperature differential was lower with the cover off. I also looked at the log from my trip home the ambient was 82° it was raining and the IAT was 118° again a 36° difference with the cover on.

The fuel flow rate has nothing to do with the IAT temps at idle it was something I noticed while sitting at stop lights. I see that was a little confusing I threw it in for a fun fact.

If I can remember in the morning I will do half the commute with the cover on and half with the cover off to take the temp change out of the equation.

 

Sorry my bad.......i removed the resonator tubes.....3 off from the air intake......i drilled 4 off 38mm holes in the bottom of each air box.......i'm actually increasing this today to get some more box material out so will post some pics up......

 

General rule is don't. If you feel you have to make sure ALL electrical components and connectors are sealed up. Cleaning an engine is pointless and potentially damaging.

 

This is not good advice and could cost you a ton of money. "If you do it correctly" isn't very helpful and the description of this as how to do this correctly is, how to put this in words easy to follow.

Nutty.

 

No hose. Please.

 

Let me add since I was called NUTTY by Mr. Know it All...
Unless you have actually lifted a finger and got off your pompass *** and washed an engine that resulted in problems, other than type your unsolicited opinions and comments...Shut up!

I'm 60 years old and have cleaned and washed every engine in every car I have ever owned (without issues)...Knowing each engine and their own vulnerabilities, I avoided getting those areas wet..So I speak from many years of experience...I am almost certain I've been driving longer than Mr K-I-A has been alive..Hell, he probably still lives at home with Mommy and Daddy.

True, I should have added a disclosure to do it at your own risk... but knowing how the electrical connections are made, they are basically waterproof with rubber type seals in the connectors, so getting them wet with low pressure water should not be an issue...Aside from shooting water up the intake and that would take some doing, washing the engine as I briefly describe shouldn't harm anything.

 

Be careful not to spray water at the alternator. It may short it.

 

Got up off your pompous ***, would be correct English though misdirected vitriol even if corrected. Also, "nutty" does not describe a person but his actions. Now were I to call you a nut that would be personal, but I haven't. Grammar is important even on the Internet.

I have not and never would waste my time washing an engine. It serves no useful function whatsoever and, since the engine is always concealed, no esthetic function either.

Why anyone would want to wash an engine is beyond my understanding.

 

The resonator tubes cannot adversely affect airflow, they are there primarily to damp out unwanted sound waves. What advantage are you seeking by drilling big holes in the air-boxes? Aren't you just sucking hot air into the engine through those holes instead of through the dedicated air intakes above the radiator?

 

Well for one when you work on your own car it is immensely helpful to work on a CLEAN surface. Obviously you do not care if your mechanic has to wade through a foot of dirt to fix your car.

 

Let's stay on topic please!

 

You get more intake noise that is about it. I would rather focus on lowering the IAT if I were to do anything with the intake.

 

And here we go again with Jagular!!! You really do try my patience........
Not sure i really feel the need to answer you....in fact tbh i don't but for others benefit.......intake tubes were deleted so i can get some more super charger noise......yes this is desirable to me......i guess you will not undetstand and i for one do not care.

Drilling holes in the airbox......an old school trick to increase the intake CSA to allow the filter to breath easier...........you assumed incorrectly......again.....and i refer to a previous thread where you done the same......i actually think you may be a stooge on this forum to annoy people......holes are on the very underside of the airbox......right by the wheel arch.......no engine heat in this area.

And as far as engine cleaning goes, just because you do not get it does not make it wrong.......sorry to burst youre bubble!!! have you heard of concours?? And shock horror i clean my engine bay too for shows.

please feel free to check the above for gramatical correctness and punctuation.......

 

It has been proven in most cases (not all, I'll give some credit on subjects that only suit you) that you have a VERY limited AND NARROW MINDED understanding of most things people are discussing, so stop treading on subjects that you don't understand and obviously that's most of them on this forum. I have to somewhat agree with Damien, if were not for your post count, you are nothing more than an annoyance in most discussions and counter productive..


Oh by the way..stick your grammar book up your nose.








My apologies to the thread starter and for being off topic again.

 

If my mechanic deems it appropriate he can clean my engine. I've never had a mechanic recommend cleaning an engine much less actually doing so.

Since engines are designed to be sealed from the outside it hardly matters that the exterior accumulates dirt. Apart from fluid leaks which are pretty obvious clean or dirty there is no advantage to a clean engine. Since fluid leaks are easy to see regardless I fail to see your point.