As with most cars of age mine has more that a couple of leaks. I want to clean the motor to see what is leaking so I can fix it. So I come to all of you for advice on the best way to do it. Thank!!

In the words of my dealer dont. I got my car and just wanted to clean it a bit from the previous owner it was a littel dusty sprayed it down with the hose, next moring my engine running rough took it to the dealer they said on the C280 inline you shouldnt wash it, i dont know why long story short the drove the piss out of my car and it fixed it self got it nice a warm.

I usually apply a little elbow grease for mine. I have been considering a "steam buggy" or whatever they are called for my engines.

I know one big issue to watch out for, at least with our diesels, is the alloy case for the injection pumps. Most engine cleaners like "gunk" require you to spray the cleaner on the engine, run the engine to warm it up, then rinse the still warm engine. Rinsing the still-warm engine can cause the IP to warp. Proably other components too.


Good luck.

Thank you both. My concern was warming up the motor then hitting it with a shot of cold water. Still sounds like a bad idea. Elbow gease and a little creativity will have to win out. THANKS AGAIN

I just cleaned mine the other day and have done it a half dozen times over the years. I have the engine warm, turn it off. I spray GUNK on it, keeping it away from the alternator, air intake, and anything electrical including the battery. I spray it down with water, and it comes out damn clean.

Thanks. I just don't wany to do anything to put it out of service for a few days. I'll give it a conservative try.

You might try using brake parts cleaner and compressed air. This is normally how we clean off area to check for leaks. This is not what you'd want to do if the clean up is more for aesthetic purposes, but it works great for leak detection. Make sure the exhaust manifold(s) are not hot as I've seen brake clean ignite on a hot one.

Phaedrus, sounds like what I use for my mountain bike.

I sometimes put a towel behind the area that I am cleaning to catch the blown off grease/dirt. (Is there a word for grease/dirt combo? lol)