engine degreasing on an '05' wrx

[SUBARU WRX]

Should I cover up the intercooler and is it ok if the turbo gets wet? The car is a 2005 subaru wrx.

[eric96ser]

Re: engine degreasing on an '05' wrx

I've washed the engine of my wife's Forester XT, and I never covered the IC or the turbo. Don't hit the IC with a strong blast of water, and you'll be okay. You won't get water in the engine by doing so, but you can bend the fins. If you want to cover it to be safe, just use some cardboard.

[rammsteinmatt]

Re: engine degreasing on an '05' wrx

i dunno if subaru dumbs down the quality of their IC, but when it rains, the IC on my evo takes water at 60mph. a damn sight faster than my hose can deliver water. when i wash my IC, i spray the heck out of the IC to get grime and bugs out of it (although with a top mount you shouldnt have such a dirtyness problem). i never worry about bending the fins. although i suppose it depends on what fins you're talking about. theres the meaty fins that the pressurized air goes through, you probably couldnt bend those with something less than pliers, and theres the "supporting" fins that add turbulence and such to increase cooling. maybe you could bend them (like if i hit a pebble or something at freeway speed). at any rate the small fins can be unbent easily with needle nose pliers or a screwdriver. they're like .025" thickness or something.

i'd be more scared to pour water straight down on the engine than on the IC (casue that whole top mount thing).

as for the turbo, long as its cool. there should be no problem, just a piece of cast iron (or whatever subaru uses). if the turbo is hot you're asking for problems spraying it with water, but that should be common sense, and rather difficult to do when washing the car

shoot my evo hood has a hood vent that allows water (when it rains) to fall straight onto the exhaust manifold, heatshield, and sometimes the turbo. kinda makes me weary of driving in the rain because of it. but evidentally mitsu has figured it out since evos since the evo I came with hood vents. its supposed to only let out hot air, but it also lets in water and prying eyes

[onawrxhigh]

Re: engine degreasing on an '05' wrx

Before I got rid of my wrx I used to clean the engine including the intercooler and turbo area without any issues. Just use common sense when washing the engine bay( do not clean it or use water on it when the engine is hot, mainly the turbo)and you should be fine. If it makes you more comfortable cover the turbo, alt,and intercooler an you will definately be fine.

Andrew