Because of the Opti, its is strongly advised NOT to hose underneath the hood.

I understand this, causes moisture, steam, ect... inside the opti. or forces water inside electronics.

My question is; what if you hose all the areas avoiding critical components.
Hose the underside of the hood, the firewall, areas around the tires and sides of radiator...and instead of starting the car a couple of hours later....just let the car sit and air dry for a few days?

We have 100* heat during the day ! 
So air drying without starting is possible.

 I'd like to cover the opti area, remove the computer components completely....then pressure wash the underside of the hood, the suspension areas, and then JUST wet, soap down, brush, and rinse the firewall, areas around the tires and sides of radiator.

When I got my 1996 LT, it was transported 60 miles through a storm....nose angled UP...on top rack of car hauler....that angle and that storm forced water from under the car all the way up to the underside of the hood...the opti dies a month later
Had it been transported a@@ end first with that end angled up, I doubt the opti would of needed replacement...but you never know.

And I know people who have hosed and even car-washed under the hood with no problems.


So what do ya'll think:

Remove vital electronics, cover opti, and air dry?



Jim

I don't know, there are many horror stories of people washing under the hood and opti failures soon following, hardly any success stories pressure washing.  It could be an expensive gamble.  And while it may be 100* there, the high humidity would cause the moisture to not evaporate in the opti.  I'd use Simple Green (the blue stuff) and elbow grease, then a spray bottle of water to rinse down.  The last thing we want to read is a "I have to replace my opti thread"...LOL. JMO.

I was thinking about using simple green. However, if I happen to get any on the paint (sometimes I get sloppy!), does it remove or damage the paint? 

Some cleaners will damage/spot the paint...just something you'll need to test on a lower panel somewhere first.
You could prolly wash under the hood with a normal garden hose sprayer, covering the Opti area very well. A little splash of water on the other electrical components won't really hurt...it's soaking them down that create problems! If you spray your cleaner on and let it sit, and do a little brush work, rinse with a fine spray(NOT full blast), and then blow it off with compressed air as best you can, then let it sit for a couple of days, you shouldn't have any problems. Having the engine HOT before starting this will also help dry everything quicker....

I wouldn't pressure wash anything under the hood....you could damage some stuff, like connectors, and force more water into areas that wouldn;t get all that wet with the gardenhose....

I've used the Simple Green (green) on the body to get a tar splash off, no problem.  I use the blue Simple Green Motorsports for wheel wells, supension, wheels and the engine.  But off the back of the green bottle: safe for use on: Acrylic windscreens and windows, aluminum parts and trailers, carbon fiber, chrome, clear coat rims and bodies, composites , engines, fiberglass, glass, and other stuff.  It really, really works well on grease.  Just rinse with clean water after use.  BUT, back on point, when I do the engine, I use a water sprayer bottle and rags. Water around the Opti = 

Thanks for the info! I guess I will tackle the grime when this heat wave breaks!

I forgot to come back and write about this....OOOOPS!...





I want to let y'all know that what I meant by under the hood, was literally just that...the underside of the hood...

And I did....I removed some of the electronic modules, bellows for the air induction unit, and a few other plastic items...

I pressure washed some areas between engine and firewall (and firewall itself), frame and suspension components and their shrouds, covered the opti area and used light pressure there (light water hose pressure)...let it dry in the sun all day....

I started it and moved it....then I let it sit about 2 weeks (just because, not to let it dry)...I would of let it sit about 4 days if I really had somewhere I was going.

Anyway; I did all that meticulously and carefully, took my time and removed all the gunk and stuff in the little cracks and corners.




So it can be done if done right....