I have a 2004 F150 5.4L with 86k on it. It is very dirty and was thinking about taking to manual car wash bay and using the engine clean selection to clean it off.

Is there certain areas I should protect or avoid spraying?

Should I leave the engine running or shut it off to clean?

Any pros/cons on cleaning the engine?

Much appreciated....

 

I would prefer to not use a pressure washer under the hood with all the electronics there. I would use a good engine cleaner like Kano Labs 'Floway' and rinse with regular garden hose nozzle. You probably will have to do it several times on an engine that has never been cleaned, and you have to get under the truck to do it right.

 

What I use on mine is a thick, rather stiff 2" paint brush. Dip it in soapy water and scrub away. Then rinse with a fine mist from a water hose. I do this fairly often and my engine has never really get gunked up so if yours is really bad, you might spray with a cleaner or Simple Green