Such A Clean Engine

Mine is not so clean because I have been lazy. There is no grease or oil at all but there is a lot of dust and road dirt. I cleaned it with a vacuum cleaner last week but I need to wipe it down and make it look like the owner cares about it again.

 

Wow, I wish I could say the same. Now with that said, I don't have any leaks, just road grime all over. It appears most comes through the grill openings. I was worried about the inverter but it is covered for 100K, so no worries.

I asked here about washing the engine but didn't get a real response... not sure if I should. Perhaps the dealer would have an answer?

 

I think the panels under the engine help too: less air swirling around. Give it a few years and I suspect it will start to grunge up a bit, albeit not as bad as typical car.

A decent shop vac that can be set to blow is handy: couple this with a paint brush and rag or two, and maybe one of those "boa" dusters, and you can get the top looking close to pristine.

I'm against the chemical engine cleaners, the spray-on solvent types. Just seems to me anything that can strip grease shouldn't be running down the street to the storm drain.

I noticed litle or no evidence of grease on our Prius' door/hood/hatch hinges/latches. And yet, if I press a finger on the joint, it comes away feeling very slick. I'm guessing they applied some sort of spray-on silicon at the factory. I'm going to try to keep it that way. I suspect if the dealership was set loose on it, they'd be ladling on the conventional white lithium grease.

 

I've found two variables to a clean engine compartment are: how much dust (or dried road salt residue) is in the area you're driving; and how frequently you drive with the the de-fog or a/c on, in inclement weather. In the latter case it's probably that when the compressor runs, the fans run, drawing air (plus moisture, etc), towards the engine. ...not saying to drive without your de-fog in the rain, just an observation.

 

2G Prius has a known issue where water can drip down from the cowl onto the engine valve cover, then seep into the spark plug wells, eventually causing rust on the spark plug metal shells and engine misfire. Each spark igniter only has one bolt holding the igniter to the valve cover, and the rubber O-ring does not do a perfect sealing job.

I suggest that if you decide to wash your engine, you minimize the amount of water applied to the valve cover to reduce the likelihood of a similar problem happening to your engine. Good luck.

 

I have washed the engines on my other non-hybrid cars with a garden hose and have not had any problems, but I am not sure about doing it to the Prius because of the high voltage electrical connections at the inverter and the other semi-exposed wires and connections like the small wires next to the fuse box. Also, the engine undercover has insulation which may not be entirely waterproof. I wouldn't do it unless there is salt or other corrossive material that needs to be removed. If you do wash it, I would cover and/or not spray directly any electrical parts and remove the engine undercover.

The only area in the engine compartment so far that accumulates any significant dirt or dust on my Prius is the top of the inverter which I blow off with compressed air.

 

^ exactally. I have pressure-washed with engine bright my other engines in the past, but I have a problem with those high voltage components in the Prius.