• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Degreasing Engine and Engine Compartment

oldbill

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Michigan
I've done this on older vehicles without all of the new electronics, but wanted to check before I do this on the 4.0L in my 2000 Cherokee and 2002 Grand Cherokee. Is it save to use a spray on engine degreaser and then wash it off with a hose? Is it save to use the degrease option in the quarter ($2.00) car washes to wash and degrease the engine and engine compartment?

Thanks,
Bill
 
For what it's worth I use the local quarter car wash and spray the crap out of my engine,I leak oil everywhere, with little or no ill effect.

In fact, my Jeep handles it better than any of the older vehicles I've had. Of course I have an 01' with a coil rail rather than a distributor.

I wouldn't be afraid of it.

My brother uses oven cleaner on his 650 hp Subaru STI engine. And it still runs in the 7s on the 1/8th. So it can't be too bad.
 
We're not allowed to spray off motors with any "degreaser" or petroleum based cleaner here at our local CW. They have an engine cop (not really a COP, but a guy) to make sure you're using Simple Green, Purple Power or 409 only. Just soap.

Can't use Gunk or any other stuff like that.

I just use Purple Power, let it set, hose it off with hose nozzle at home. It's clean.
 
i've used it a couple times on my 01 with no problems. i just use a gentle stream of water to rinse it, just to be safe.
 
I was going to respond but thought you might have the coil over plug config. If you have a distributor, you will need to opon it up and dry it out. Never fails for me. The other issue is to make sure all you sensor connectors are tight and even use a little dielectric grease on them prior to cleaning. This will keep the water out.
Many TPS are sensitive to water and may fail as a result. I am careful not to clean around them if I don't have to. My 1990 has nearly 210K miles on it and still has the original TPS. The connectors are broken from having adjusted so many times over the years that I have to use tie straps to keep them together. They should have reversed the connectors so the TPS side connector would be the easiest one to replace as it is the other one that is broken!
 
I use Purple Power to and it works well. But the only time i used a degreaser on my engine was before i did my engine swap and cleaned the used engine before it went in. Now i just spray with water and then take it for a drive to steam the water off.
 
When I first picked up my little stocker it was hosed in thick gnarley crap so I went to the dollar store and picked up 1$ cans of oven cleaner sprayed one can on drove to the car wash and left it running while I sprayed it down.Never had any issue washing any of my Jeep engine bays Ive Owned 6 now and still own the first.
 
What to cover? Cover your throttle body and throttle body electrics (TPS, IAC?) and any other sensitive stuff. Don't BLAST it. Easy on the wiring, easy on the fuel injectors. Straight Purple Power may dull paint if you let it sit too long. Read the dilution table on the container.

Start it up as soon as you're done to let it heat up and dry out.
 
I often wrap the TB, distributor, PDC and PCM with tin foil. Sometimes I don't, I've gotten away with not wrapping a few times, so far. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of headache.:) I'm pretty careful where I spray full power and how long.

I just use hot water and a pressure washer. I figure a light coating of oil is unlikely to hurt anything and may help with rust prevention.
 
I just did mine this morning. Gunk and a pressure washer, standing far enough back so only the hard blast part of the pressure washer doesn't hit the engine. Covered up the sensors around the TB and alternator. No issues, fired right up afterwards and ran like nothing happened.
 
Tin foil? You????

:eek:


LOL,

:wave:

I often wrap the TB, distributor, PDC and PCM with tin foil. Sometimes I don't, I've gotten away with not wrapping a few times, so far. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of headache.:) I'm pretty careful where I spray full power and how long.

I just use hot water and a pressure washer. I figure a light coating of oil is unlikely to hurt anything and may help with rust prevention.
 
Back
Top