Cleaning mud from the engine bay

LJDC

LJDC

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After some unexpectedly deep mud holes on this last weekend’s offroad trip, I’ve got mud everywhere.

I’m cleaning by hand the electronics I’ve added. Is it safe to spray anything with a hose?

Is there a good way to avoid some of this splash in the future? The electronics on the driver’s wheel well, which I thought were safe from rain, are caked. Splash guards anywhere?

IMG_3065.jpeg
 
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Nothing in there can't stand a little splashed water. I hose mine down pretty good at the wand wash place. That being said, concentrated pressure can mess some stuff up. I've had issues with ignition components getting soaked and causing a miss that didn't get fixed until it dried out. I'd try not to spray the PCM too hard as mentioned above.
 
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I don't ever use anything stronger than garden hose pressure, just to be safe. Never had issues with giving everything a good soak with that.

I recommend keeping your speed down in the really muddy areas. That seems to help keep the mud from flying everywhere under the engine bay. I realize sometimes you gotta use the skinny pedal. Just remember what it takes to clean it all up next time. Maybe go to the winch (or Bubba Rope instead 🤔).
 
I would cover the distributor cap. I have always washed my engine but after doing it recently and covering it with gunk shine it ruined my distributor. I guess water or gunk shine got in there. I use gunk foamy engine cleaner, brushing it shortly afterwards on the bad areas, and rinsing it, followed by Gunk shine. The original formula doesn't seem to work anymore on removing much dirt and grease. They have a tendency to change the formulas over time. The mechanic told me to always cover my distributor. Although, he replaced the distributor under warranty because I had just got it with my tune-up. I now take that as sound advice. Better safe than sorry. I always carry a plastic bag in my map pocket in the Jeep to put over my distributor when I wash and shine my engine.
 
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ChasUGC said:
I would cover the distributor cap. I have always washed my engine but after doing it recently and covering it with gunk shine it ruined my distributor. I guess water or gunk shine got in there. The mechanic told me to always cover my distributor. I now take that as sound advice. I always carry a plastic bag in my map pocket in the Jeep to put over my distributor when I wash and shine my engine.
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What do you do when you are driving in the rain?
 
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jjvw said:
The entire underside of the engine bay is open. Rain gets everywhere. And lots of people drive through creeks and rivers.
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But, the distributor is not pointed down near the bottom of the vehicle, nor are other major electronics exposed down there. And everyone knows if you drive in high water you can ruin your vehicle. You probably never heard of Hydro Lock. One such reason is why people get snorkels. And everyone knows that water can short out electronics. There is a lot of electricity at the distributor. Try grabbing it while your Jeep is running and see what happens. I'm done. I don't want to argue. You do it the way you want, and good luck to you.
 
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SvtLdr said:
I don't ever use anything stronger than garden hose pressure, just to be safe. Never had issues with giving everything a good soak with that.

I recommend keeping your speed down in the really muddy areas. That seems to help keep the mud from flying everywhere under the engine bay. I realize sometimes you gotta use the skinny pedal. Just remember what it takes to clean it all up next time. Maybe go to the winch (or Bubba Rope instead 🤔).
Click to expand...

I ran most of the mud holes at a pretty steady clip, starting slow. But one required speed, in second gear.
 
I hate mud. But the OP's picture of the engine bay pretty much looks like mine after a few weeks wheeling. You just can't avoid muddy water here in Ontario on trails. It is everywhere. Fortunately, most are hard-bottom dirty water holes and not real deep mud.

Tip to the OP. Also take care to was your radiator, especially from inside the bay. That cakes on and dries and makes your radiator not work well. Ask me how I know.
 
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Rut Row said:
He has an LJ therefore no distributor.
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I have an LJ as well, and I’ve literally pressure washed my engine hundreds of times over the last 18 years and it has never caused a problem. On the earlier engines I think it may have caused a problem - I pressure washed an XJ of mine and trashed the TPS - but in my experience the later stuff seems to be pretty pressure washer proof.
 
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