I know a few if not alot of you power wash your engine after a run or if its just dirty..
whats the proper way to do it without damaging anything?

Ive heard horror stories of damages that could happen so I figured i'd ask here so I wouldnt become one of these stories.

Any help would be great!

I now try to avoid the mud when possible. You just can?t get it out of the radiator fins once it has dried in there.

That said; I would never ?power wash? any part of the inside or under the hood of the truck. Pressure washing any thing risks blowing apart some connection or bending something out of shape. Years ago a guy I was wheeling with tried to pressure wash the mud out of his radiator, bent most of the fins and over heated on the way home.

When I did venture in the mud and needed to clean up I would cover any electrical connections with dielectric grease. It is best to do this before going into the mud but if you have not I?d clean the connections by hand and then cover them with the grease. I cover the bunch of electrical connections on top of my 1st gen with a rag before spraying or rinsing anything near them.

Then I?d spray Simple Green on the parts of the COLD engine I wanted to clean (not the whole thing) and let it sit for a bit. If the mud was caked on I?d loosen it up with a bit of water, a soft brush and/or wet rag. Then using a hose with NO NOZZLE and MINIMUM PRESURE let the cold water wash over the mess still taking care not to get the full weight of the water on any electrical connections. Even when you take this much care there will still be a chance of fucking something up so my advice is to try and keep the need for engine cleaning to a minimum (stay out of the mud my friend, stay out of the mud ).

Like Tom said..
Simple Green on a cold engine, gently running water..

A brush, like a dedicated toilet bowl brush, can help to get the stubborn stuff off.

I don't like the mud and avoid it when possible. But, when the engine does get dirty, I use the procedure above.

I pressure wash my engines all the time and always have. I know what to avoid putting pressure on and keep my distance on some parts. I also do it on a warm, not hot, engine with the engine running. I have never had a problem.

I have used all sorts of cleaners, from Simple Green, to Engine Brite (aerosol) and have had good luck with them. Simple Green with help get the dirt and grime off, while Engine Brite will get off the grease.

I pressure wash my X, the Element, My Tundra and my sled engines with no problem. Again, you have to know where to direct the spray.

If you're careful, it's the best way to do it.

i've pressure washed the engine a bunch of times already, mostly after pine barrens trips

i usually let the engine warm up a bit, then i spray with some non-toxic engine degreaser (engine-brite from autozone)... grab some plastic bags and rubber bands, and cover the major electrical parts(distributor, battery, etc)...hit it with the pressure washer with the nozzle a few feet from where i'm spraying

i've done the radiator too, never a problem

I pressure wash my engine a few times a year with no problems. I have a II Gen (2005) and as long as I avoid extremely heavy pressure and the sensitive, electrical area of the engine I have had no problems. I recommend it to clean up the heavy, grimy stuff that sticks to the engine.