Cover the alternator and then use a garden sprayer with a mixture of almost hot water and clothes washing detergent to gently wash it down. I use simple green for the stubborn areas (got a few on my '65, the '01 doesn't have any yet). Then rinse it with the same sprayer with clean almost hot water to get the soap off. I also warm the engine up a little, too. Not all the way warmed up but let it idle for a few minutes. Then I treat the rubber and plastic with the same stuff I use for the tires, polish the chorme and aluminunum if I have time and it looks pretty good. Sometimes a soft scrub brush will help. Oh, yeah, before you start, clean the battery with a paste made from water and baking soda to kill the acid. Steam cleaning is not a good idea for the reasons others have stated (in my experience). Some are lucky with it, but I haven't been....
I definately would not pressure clean the engine. I had a ignition coil go bad even though I dont wash my engine. The mechanic at the ford dealer said that there is a ignition coil under an ac line that goes bad a lot. If dripping water from condensation can cause it to go bad I can only imagine what a pressure washer would do. I have seen threads about ppl spraying down their engine and it running like crap(probably got it in a spark plug). Ford tried charging me 150+ for the ignition coil(bought a used one on ebay for 18 bucks). Personally I dont want to risk ruining expensive parts in exhange for a clean engine, if anything gently spary it with a garden hose and wipe it down. Just my 2 cents
Cover the alternator and then use a garden sprayer with a mixture of almost hot water and clothes washing detergent to gently wash it down. I use simple green for the stubborn areas (got a few on my '65, the '01 doesn't have any yet). Then rinse it with the same sprayer with clean almost hot water to get the soap off. I also warm the engine up a little, too. Not all the way warmed up but let it idle for a few minutes. Then I treat the rubber and plastic with the same stuff I use for the tires, polish the chorme and aluminunum if I have time and it looks pretty good. Sometimes a soft scrub brush will help. Oh, yeah, before you start, clean the battery with a paste made from water and baking soda to kill the acid. Steam cleaning is not a good idea for the reasons others have stated (in my experience). Some are lucky with it, but I haven't been....
Hmmmm, cool idea! Another use for the garden sprayer the rarely gets used - This is a good idea since it doesn't spray very hard and with a wand you can get in all the hard to reach places.
First I cover the alternator with a plastic bag. Then I spray the engine down with a degreaser and let it sit for about 10 to 20 minutes. Then I spray the engine down with a regular hose and regular water preasure. I make sure that everything has been rinsed very thoroughly. Then I take out my compressor and blow compressed air on the engine as to not leave water marks. Then I start the engine and let it run for a few minutes untill everything is dry and walla and clean engine.
Man that engine is clean, but doesnt the sylicone stuff leave like marks and someone else told me that you shouldnt use that stuff cause once it dries it solidifies and gets the engine even dirtier by attracting dirt and dust. Have you had that experience?