Is it safe to pressure wash the engine bay on my R53?
What should I cover up?
Can I use tar removers and anti deg?

 

Just plug the intake for the air cleaner and get a bottle of soap and water.. Spray with the soapy water and hand wash with a rag and then lightly rinse.. Pressure washer would be a bad idea IMO

 

the paint under the hood isnt clear coated and is soft like waterbased paint. If you use strong degreaser or scrub hard or pressure it your going to strip it to the base coat,,,,,,ask me how i know lol.

 

I have pressure washed the engine bay with the front end off, I just covered the alternator.
Just take care not to directly spray connectors or anything water can get into but not get out and you should be ok.

 

I do it all the time. Just stay away from all electrical and anything you can put fluid in, and go easy.

 

I would avoid it....ok to spray with little or no pressure to rinse...but any real psi will force water into places that are normally protected...like the ecu, electronics connections, plugs...could become a nightmare. When driven in a salty area with sand, the engine bay will look dirty....but remember, it is a car...and made for it....when you add moisture to hidden salt deposts that may take days/weeks to dry.....you will start corrosion......in places not normally seen. Dry salt...no issues...add water...mess.
If you are ocd about s clean motor...use a rag.....

 

I will then just use a garden hose and some degreeser and a pencil.

 

Hopefully you haven't done this yet. As was stated above, be careful with the degreaser and try not to get it on your paint. The paint under the hood is easily taken off by strong cleaners and degreasers. I did not know this before I tried and took off some of the paint. I used a rag and regular soap to finish after my first mistake, and used the degreaser with an old toothbrush to do my engine.

 

It is tempting to use a degreaser on some of those tough spots that have been neglected, but Simple Green and a soft brush should work fine. (A few repeats may be necessary.)

 

Dont worry. I havnt done anything yet. Just doing some research first

 

Wouldn't Simple Green be gentle, yet strong enough to clean an engine bay?

In High School, my dad and I rebuilt our old Peugeot 505 - the pistons were just baked in varnish...we accidentally left them in a Simple Green bath overnight, and the submerged side was as clean as new in the morning.

Edit: whoops, didn't see ofioliti's post. I second the Simple Green treatment :-P