I have a 2008 civic coupe. The engine has become quite dirty due to the salt and sand that gets added to the roads here in Canada over the winter. Does anyone know a good way to go about cleaning the engine off? Is it safe to gently hose off engine and the inside of the hood or is this a bad idea? A friend of mind suggested getting some "gunk" brand engine cleaner spraying it on the leaving it for a few minutes then hosing it off. Are there things inside the engine that shouldn't get wet? I"m assuming these things are fairly well sealed up these days.

Any suggestions would be appreciated

 

Don't quote me on this, but it may get you in the right direction.

Simple Green, an environmentally friendly but quite powerful spray (from what I've heard, no personal experience) will do quite a number on grease and dirt and probably salt buildup.
Spray it on, let it sit for a moment, then wipe it off or hose it down?
Anyway, from my understanding, you could even take your car to a self-service car wash and use the power spray on a low setting from a distance in the engine bay, but you definitely want to make sure everything's secure before/after and put bags over the electrical units (sensors and stuff)

someone correct me, I'm probably wrong

 

I pull my car up to the self service wash and use the chemical free water. I always wondered about it before and when I saw someone else do it, I gave it a shot. It doesn't get all of the grease off, but it really makes it look better. Just remember, that when you do that, you want to keep your engine running for a few minutes. Don't rinse out the engine and then shut it off and let it sit. Keep it running. If you don't want to do that, then get it done professionally.

Just my .02

 

you don't leave it running during the washdown, do you?
just after, to help burn off the water?

 

No...you keep the engine OFF when you do it. Like, I wash the car fully and THEN wash off the engine. You just keep it on for a few minutes after you do it and then you'll be fine. It'll steam up, which is normal because the engine will still be hot. The same is said for undercarriage wash.

 

http://www.gunk.com/webassets/word_d...e_10_24_07.jpg