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Beware of high pressure water and the electrical system Posted by REM in Seattle [Email] (#4) [Profile/Gallery] (more from REM in Seattle) on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:47:56 In Reply to: DI Cassette and engine cleaning, sibelus, Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:05:59 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
It sounds like you plan to power wash the engine bay. The modern 9-5 and 9-3 SAAB vehicles have lots of electrical connections and sensors located in the engine compartment. I would be very leery of using high pressure water around those electrical connections for fear of driving water into the connections or causing a connection to come loose.
I clean my engine compartment about twice a year using a garden hose and Simple Green soap. A clean engine makes doing engine work much nicer and it is much easier to spot coolant and oil leaks.
Simple Green works very well as an engine cleaner. I stay away from the “Gunk” type engine cleaners because they contain caustic soda (lye) and can cause corrosion problems if not rinsed away completely. Working on a cold or barely warm engine, gently wet the engine. I wipe clean everything I can reach using some Simple Green and a cloth. Then I spray the inaccessible parts of the engine with Simple Green and apply a little agitation with a long handled brush or a cloth taped to the end of a stick. A gentle stream of water or soft spray of water from the garden hose will wash away all that accumulated engine grime. Be a very careful about spraying the water directly at the distributor, battery, ABS, or other electrics. Remove the plastic engine covers (if any) for better access. Don’t use a power washer or a high-pressure hose as you could easily drive water into some of the electrical connectors and relay/fuse boxes.
After the engine has been made nice and clean; spray the hoses, wires, and plastic housings with a little Stoner ‘More Shine Less Time’ or Griot’s Garage ‘Vinyl and Rubber Dressing’ and wipe dry to add some nice shine to the rubber and plastic bits.
REM in Seattle
2005 Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible; Steel Gray metallic; 5-speed; 26,000 miles
1998 Saab 900SET; Silver metallic; 5-door; Automatic; 111,000 miles
1984 Saab 900T; Cherry Red; 3-door; 5-speed; 242,000 miles (RIP)
_______________________________________ REM in Seattle Current: 2013 Volvo XC60 R-Design, Rebel Blue, 3.0L 6-cyl turbo, Automatic 2024 MINI Cooper S Convertible, 2.0L 4-cyl turbo, 6-speed manual Former: 2005 Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible, Steel Gray metallic, 2.0L 4-cyl turbo, 5-speed 1998 Saab 900SET 5-door, Silver, 2.0L 4-cyl turbo, Automatic 1991 Alfa Romeo Spider convertible, Alfa Red, 2.0L 4-cyl, 5-speed 1984 Saab 900T 3-door, Red, 2.0L 4-cyl turbo, 5-speed
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