Cleaning the underside
03-18-2012, 12:51 PM
#1
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Cleaning the underside
Just bought this truck and it has got a ton of caked up mud/crud on the sides an top of the transmission (E4OD) crossmember etc. What's the best way to clean this all up?
Thought about jackin it up, spraying down with a hose to loosen it up, then scrubbing with a soft bristle brush. Then hosing down again. Is spraying up in these nooks/crannies a bad idea?
Tips/suggestions? Thanks!
Thought about jackin it up, spraying down with a hose to loosen it up, then scrubbing with a soft bristle brush. Then hosing down again. Is spraying up in these nooks/crannies a bad idea?
Tips/suggestions? Thanks!
03-18-2012, 05:19 PM
#2
Dodge+Ford = always ready
i spray under there with a hose, no power washer though. try to avoid any wires with alot of PSI if you use a power washer, better safe then sorry.
03-18-2012, 05:29 PM
#3
Senior Member
Do you have a long, old screwdriver, putty knife, wire brush, etc.? I'd use them to poke and scratch at all the little nooks and crannies first just to open them up for a degreaser to penetrate. Do you have a pressure washer too? If not, a good nozzle on your garden hose will have to do. Then, I'd get 2-3 gallons of Purple Power or similar degreaser from Walmart and a generic spray bottle. Squirt it, let it sit, and blast it. Repeat, repeat, repeat. It won't be fun. Be careful where you get some of these degreasing chemicals as they have been known to strip a little paint if left to soak for a long time...read labels.
There's really nothing that can't get wet under there (think of driving in the rain) but you may want to keep from blasting the electrical connectors too hard if you're using a pressure washer. If any gaskets are in sad shape (pan gaskets), you may want to shy away from them too unless you're also dropping fluids and changing the gaskets. Again, it won't be fun but in my opinion, the reward of working on a clean, grease/oil/dirt free truck is worth the effort.
There's really nothing that can't get wet under there (think of driving in the rain) but you may want to keep from blasting the electrical connectors too hard if you're using a pressure washer. If any gaskets are in sad shape (pan gaskets), you may want to shy away from them too unless you're also dropping fluids and changing the gaskets. Again, it won't be fun but in my opinion, the reward of working on a clean, grease/oil/dirt free truck is worth the effort.
03-18-2012, 07:27 PM
#4
Senior Member
Thought about jackin it up, spraying down with a hose to loosen it up, then scrubbing with a soft bristle brush. Then hosing down again. Is spraying up in these nooks/crannies a bad idea?
Tips/suggestions? Thanks![/QUOTE]
Works well. Take it to the car wash, jack it up (with your own jack of course) and shoot it down. Stay off the wires and careful to not hit the shifter boot or you'll get some water inside your cab too.
Tips/suggestions? Thanks![/QUOTE]
Works well. Take it to the car wash, jack it up (with your own jack of course) and shoot it down. Stay off the wires and careful to not hit the shifter boot or you'll get some water inside your cab too.
03-20-2012, 12:18 PM
#7
It's a Canadian thing eh!
Soft pressure nozzle on the pressure washer and fill the soap tank with de-greaser works for me, might do that this weekend when i fix the washer, water was left in it over the winter....