5.0 engine cleaning
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I don't have a 5.0 but I do detail engines on my other vehicles. I'm not a big beliver in spraying water on the engine for many reasons although I know others do it with success. To me there is too much risk of getting water in various electronic parts. I have a large supply of old rags and towels and use those dampened to wipe down the engine bay after every other wash or so. I also use a little 303 protectant on the rubber parts that look faded. I find it's a lot easier to keep it looking nice by doing this every other wash or so than to try to bring it back after it has gotten really bad. That means you may have a lot of work cleaning it up the first time but after that it should be a lot easier. You can also do a lot of reading on engine detailing by going to some of the car care websites that sell detailing supplies. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
Fleet Mechanic
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I've never washed a 5.0, but I've always sprayed down my engines a couple of times a year. I live in an urban/suburban area, so no dirt roads for me...which means my engines don't really get that dirty.
They say not to use high pressure sprayers in your engine bay, that can force water into loose connectors, etc. However, a normal garden hose should be fine...these things are designed to get wet. I've never had an issue just using a garden hose and I've been doing that for about 30 years.
A real plus to keeping it clean is that you'll more quickly notice if you develop any type of leaks, especially oil or from the water pump.
They say not to use high pressure sprayers in your engine bay, that can force water into loose connectors, etc. However, a normal garden hose should be fine...these things are designed to get wet. I've never had an issue just using a garden hose and I've been doing that for about 30 years.
A real plus to keeping it clean is that you'll more quickly notice if you develop any type of leaks, especially oil or from the water pump.
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Truck has plenty of sack, 3.31 rear
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Engine Cleaning | MotorWeek
I would be afraid of steam cleaning with today's engines. Some interesting reading.
I would be afraid of steam cleaning with today's engines. Some interesting reading.
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From: Indiana
Did my 5.0 a couple days ago. Sprayed grease remover then a light spray of water to wash it off. Then I sprayed shine then a light spray of water to wash that off. Then I used an air hose and dried like crazy. Let it sit for 5 hours and it still stumbled when starting for the first time. Something to think about...
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Engine Cleaning | MotorWeek
I would be afraid of steam cleaning with today's engines. Some interesting reading.
I would be afraid of steam cleaning with today's engines. Some interesting reading.
One should use a portable steam cleaner that has a small nozzle on the end of the hose so when you hit the area with the steam, you should use a towel to wipe away the moisture.
The type of steam cleaner that the video is referring to is the type that some of the old car washes would use or even some of the larger portable but commercial steam cleaners and I would agree that those might cause problems for an engine bay.
I`ve been using a portable one for over ten years and i`ve also used it 3 times on my 2016 Lariat without any problems.
Hope this helps.
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