Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hey guys, I'm referring to the car washes where you pay $1 for 1 minute of pressure spray/ de-greaser/ soap etc.

Ok so my engine bay is filthy and all dirty.. Can i just pressure spray it and degrease it without damaging anything.. is it something i can do? how else would i clean it?

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/237640-1-per-minute-car-wash/
Share on other sites

Mixed responses you will have for this.

I have used this technique for a friends r32 gts-t at those carwashes and all we did was put a plastic bag over the pod filter.

my ex bmw i used to hand wash all the time as i would was the car and hose it down

my ex r33 i would spray citrus based degreaser in a can over the tough spots and hose down

never had a problem but i would use a chammy to dry as much water as possible then start the car and drive it for at least 15minutes to evaporate any water left

hope that helps

it can be done, but you have to be careful. It wudnt hurt to cover a few things such as Pod, Alternator, Sparkplug cover and the electrical connectors. Thing is, you dont necessarily NEED to cover them, however it will just attract rust. Im sure you dont want your connectors/plugs/pins do develop rust.

This is what i do. I spend say 1 weekend and clean 1 area of the engine bay. I try to take out as many parts as i can, then i give it a good clean with some "Prestone Bug n tar remover" and then polish it off! squeaky clean. The bug n tar remover works wonders on the rocker covers too. I know its a pain but that way i dont compromise my engine in anyway, esp water damage.

Safest option is get a can of degreaser and a cloth and go nuts. Will take you a while, but its better than having water in any electrical system under your bonnet.

+1

This is what I do, only takes 15min if your not too pedantic

You'll be fine :cool:

Most car dealers get a waterblaster, spray the bay with it, then once it dries spray it with silicone, plastic bag over the pod might be a good idea though

If you have an oil squirting air compressed gun, you can put degreaser and water into it and spray your bay, I did that to mine, no rust 4 years after

I did it with my 33, was fine till you hit 4000rpm then it would not rev any more and if you put your foot into it below 4k it would break down all the time, happened for about 5 mins parked it at a mates for about an hour and never had a problem since.

So long as you dont direct and pressure for prolonged periods it will be fine.

As in just spray your degreaser over everything, let it soak for a min then just gently hose it off with the garden hose.

Maybe give certian areas a scrub with a brush if you need to.

Basically avoid hard sprays at areas such as fuseboxes, pods, alternator (although it is low and probly gets wet frum underbody water in the rain anyway) and the lead cover/leads.

If you jam the hose under the lead cover to clean it out then your just asking for trouble.

I used to do this all the time on my Integra Type R, and never had a problem once with cutting out, rust etc etc. Just a nice clean engine! ;) Will be doing this on my R33 today when i was her. As i did a coolant change/flush last night so theres a bit to clean up.

If you put degreaser on and not wash it off properly it stinks like shit though...

In my 33 I spray the shit out of it with degreaser then just hose it off... looks brand new after 5 minutes at home

If you put degreaser on and not wash it off properly it stinks like shit though...

In my 33 I spray the shit out of it with degreaser then just hose it off... looks brand new after 5 minutes at home

Not if you use "Simple Green" :(

That stuff smells good hahaha, and its the best degreaser out!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Cheers. Skyline is back on the menu, can’t get rid of it. It’s like a child you don’t want, or herpes 
    • I got back to Japan in January and was keen to get back on track as quickly as possible. Europe is god-awful for track accessibility (by comparison), so I picked up a first-gen GT86 in December just to have something I could jump into right away. The Skyline came over in a container this time and landed in early January. It was a bit battered after Europe, though—I refused to do anything beyond essential upkeep while it was over there. The clutch master cylinder gave out, and so did the power steering. I didn’t even bother changing the oil; it was the same stuff that went in just before I left Japan the first time. Naughty. Power steering parts would’ve cost double with shipping and taxes, so knowing I’d be heading back to Japan, I just postponed it and powered through the arm workout. It took a solid three months to get the car back on the road. Registration was a nightmare this time around. There were a bunch of BS fees to navigate, and sourcing parts was a headache. I needed stock seats for shaken, mistakenly blew 34k JPY on some ENR34 seats—which, of course, didn’t fit—then ended up having the car’s technical sheet amended to register it as a two-seater with the Brides. Then there’s the GT86. Amazing car. Does everything I want it to do. Parts are cheap, easy to find, and I don’t care what anyone says—it’s super rewarding to drive. I’ve done a few basic mods: diff ratio, coilovers, discs, pads, seat, etc. It already had a new exhaust manifold and the 180kph limiter removed, so I assume it’s running some kind of map. I’ve just been thrashing it at the track non-stop—mostly Fuji Speedway now, since I need something with higher speed after all that autobahn time. The wheels on the R34 always pissed me off—too big, and it was a nightmare getting tires to fit properly under the arches. So I threw in the towel and bought something that fits better. Looks way cleaner too (at least to me)—less hotboy, less attention-seeking. Still an R34, though. Now for future plans. There are a few things still outstanding with the car. First up, the rear subframe needs an overhaul—that’s priority one. Next, I need to figure out an engine rebuild plan. No timeline yet, but I want to keep it economical—not cutting corners, just not throwing tens of thousands at a mechanic I can barely communicate with. And finally, paint. Plus a bit of tidying up here and there.  
    • Nope, needed to clearance under the bar a little with a heat gun, a 1/2" extension as the "clearancer", and big hammer, I was aware of this from the onset, they fit a 2.0 with this intake no problems, but, the 2.5 is around 15mm taller than a 2.0, so "clearancing" was required  It "just" touched when test fitting, now, I have about 10mm of clearance  You cannot see where it was done, and so far, there's no contact when giving it the beans Happy days
    • It's been a while since I've updated this thread. The last year (and some) has been very hectic. In the second-half of 2024 I took the R34 on a trip through Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland - it was f*cking great. I got a little annoyed with the attention the car was getting around Europe and really didn't drive it that much. I could barely work on the car since I was living in an inner-city apartment (with underground parking). During the trip, the car lost power steering in France - split hose - and I ended up driving around 4,000kms with no power steering.  There were a few Nurburgring trips here and there, but in total the R34 amassed just shy of 7,000kms on European roads. Long story short, I broke up with the reason I was transferred to Europe for and requested to be moved back to Japan. The E90, loved it. It was a sunk cost of around EUR 10,000 and I sold it to a friend for EUR 1,500 just to get rid of it quickly. Trust me, moving countries f*cking sucks and I could not be bothered to be as methodical as I was the first time around.
×
×
  • Create New...