At 06:08 PM 11/18/95 -0600, Claralw@aol.com wrote:
>steveh@emu.com (Steve Hoge) wrote:
>
>Actually, I could use general advice: after dirt-roading it for a few
>days down in Panamint, Saline and Death Valley, the inside of my engine
>compartment looks like someone spilled a box of talc.
>
>I like to take my bus to the car wash every so often.  No, not to wash the
>outside,  that might damage my bug collection.  The engine is happier when
>clean.  I stick a plastic bag over the distributor cap and secure it with a
>rubber band,  and avoid the cardboard hoses.    It' so much nicer to tune up
>a clean engine.  Or to pull it out especially if changing a bad oil seal.
>
>

You may want to consider not washing a hot engine! In the good old days when
we only had a carb, a coil, and a distributor we could let the soap and
water fly. Nothing like a good scrub to keep that engine tidy. When we were
done we dried out the distributor and off we went, wet, dirty, and happy, at
least I got dirty doing this.

Now we have sensors on top of more sensors, connectors of all description.
The connectors are affected much by the wet if they have been cleaned and
sealed with a good dielectric and you have directed the spray staight into
them. BUT the SENSORS are another matter. Sensitive little things these can
be. They don't like violent shocks either mechanical or thermal. That simple
means that is the sensor is very warm and you spare it with relatively cool
water there is a chance, hows your luck, of stressing it. Will it fail
suddenly, maybe, next week, maybe, sooner than it would have, most definitely.

Many of the non-moving (solid state) type of sensor has the possibility of
lasting many many years if they are not abused. The mechnical type such as
most oil pressure, air flow, thermostats, etc have a finite life and can be
expected to fail during the vehicles life, sometimes more than once.

The moral: would you take a shower with water that was a hundred plus
degrees colder that you are? And like it? Wait till the engine is completely
cooled down or risk sensor damage.

Dan