Hi all, was thinking about "cleaning up" my engine. It is dusty, and a few oil spots on things under it. Was wondering, if it is possible to take it to the car wash and "hose" the entire engine? Will this be alright to do? I was thinking I may mess up some electrical things, being the car is 22 years old, all original under the hood. I had a friend hose out his 82, and after doing so, he had nothing but problems with the "check engine" light coming on and off after doing so. Or is there an easier way to clean up the engine bay?

 

Car wash pressure or not pressure hose is highly NOT RECOMMENDED.
As a Tech who sees on a quite frequent basis a car come in for a Check Engine light only to pop the hood and see that it was detailed and then sprayed with silicone, I strongly discourage any detailing place either. My dealership had a detailer cause approx $15K in damages to a $80K car by pressure washing the engine bay. Obviously they did not realize that computers don't like water!

I have used a simple system in the past with excellent results. Depending on just how much grease and grime you have under the hood, will dictate how much you'll have to scrub.
I used Formula 409 Orange. I like more than just the name, this stuff works the best from all the cleaners I tried.
I use an assortment of brushes from toothbrushes to fingernail brushes
And distilled water sold by the gallon at a grocery store
I soak what I'm cleaning in the 409, then use the brushes to remove the crud, then wipe that off with a soapy rag until all residue is gone. Then slowly rinse it down with distilled water bc it does not leave water spots so you can let it air dry.
Of course always take caution around ANY electrical connectors or posssible exposed wires. May want to disconnect the battery before doing this.
That's how I did it in the past. Worked for me. I'm sure there are a million ways out there.

 

An easier alternative to distilled water is that Mr. Clean Auto Dry system. It filters the water to provide the same effect as using distilled water.

I'm also a fan of the orange-type cleaners. I use Greased Lightning Orange cleaner from Wal Mart. It's cheap and works better than any engine degreaser I've ever used. I clean under the hood of my Corvette regularly with it. I spray it onto a dry or slightly damp motor, give it a couple minutes then hose it off. I usually just keep the hose away from the distributer, but sometimes I'll put a bag over it if I want to clean around it. Every other connection under your hood is weather tight, provided that it hasn't degraded over time.

For the extra greasy spots, re-spray the cleaner onto the wet engine then scrub it with a bristle brush, then re-rinse. My Corvette has 80k+ miles on it and the engine bay still looks great thanks to semi-regular cleanings.

 

just use an engine degreaser from a part store or walmart. doesnt really matter if you get the name brand or generic cuz they all will work about the same. just spray it on and let it sit. then hose off and wipe and polish everything with a rag, preferrably a micro fiber rag. If you still have your A/C, use some mothers aluminum mag wheel polish on the Accumulator and the variuos metal lines on the passenger side of the car. I polished mine out to almost chrome shine. use greased lightning on black parts like the top of the brake booster, hoses, and plastic trim. then youre only problem will probably be those rusty iron exhaust manifolds, if you still have them.