NutzAboutBolts posted this video on YouTube, August 2017. Cleaning the engine of a 2012 Prius. I just did my 2016 and it came out very good.
Oh heck Bisco you only take a shower once a month, right? I wash my engine when I bring it home from a previous owner. Mostly, tho, the dirt is dry dust, not the oily smutz. And after the initial cleaning, compressed air pretty much keeps it clean.
To each their own. I've posted before that I use to live near one of those drive in, coin operated spray wash places. I don't know how many times I saw people spraying their engines clean, and then stranded as they tried to start their car and it wouldn't start. Therefore, I'm just very, very conservative in any manner that cleans the engine bay. It's pretty much just occasionally wipe it down, with what is visible, using as little of anything as possible. I think any time you put X amount of chemicals, and X amount of spray water pressure within your engine bay, you are taking a risk. You might do it 9 out of 10 times with no problem. But the 1 time you knock loose a wire, or damage a computer component, is it really worth it? It's not showroom spotless clean. But wiping down occasionally keeps it clean enough for me. Since I own a daily driver and not a show vehicle, my standard is not so high. It's an engine bay....it can be a little dusty.
I had no choice, as there was cat "droppings" (poop!) and urine on my engine. Terrible smell. After the wash, it looks like new again. Thankfully. When I had my 1995 and 2005 Camrys for 11 years each, I spray washed and detailed the engines twice a year. Luckily I never had a problem. They always started right up. I was pretty obsessed about keeping my vehicles very clean & polished. I actually enjoyed it. Also did my girlfriend(s) cars. It was just a hobby. I'm pretty picky about this Prius, too. Especially with the white paint that seems to attracks so much dirt. I am in a very dry/dusty area of SoCal. I get bored (retired) so out comes the wash bucket and bottle of Turtlewax. I wax it often, because it's parked in the sun everyday. And the engine was covered in thick dust, even before the cat crawled up in there... can't have that.
Is there a plastic pan that covers the bottom of the engine? Cat poop may still be trapped in there. The oil change guy will get a surprise.
I hate loose boweled, circus cats! How they can Circus Soleil their way under your hood, only to advertise their latest show,- which is always "Poop and Urine".
I just posted that video in case somebody wanted to see or was interested in nutzaboutbolts cleaning a Prius engine. Those guys are the professionals. And yes, it's very strange that a cat, assuming it's a cat, crawled up into that small engine space. Disgusting smell. If I can catch him, I will ask him to be my driving partner.....
Thanks for your comment. I would be too chicken to spray wash engine bay of normal cars with minimal electronic, never mind doing this to Prius. Cat in the engine room is common problem. Nissan in Japan had TV commercial campaign to deal with this problem.
That's a great video. I didn't think they could get up into the engine bay of a Prius, because of the pan that covers the bottom of the car? When I look from the top of the engine down to the ground, I can't see any ground! How the heck does it get up in there? Maybe nutsaboutbolts can tell us. I need to go to the dealer, and have them drop that pan down. Something might still be lurking in there.
That's actually really interesting to me. I've lived with and around cats my entire life, and I don't think I ever caught them sneaking under the hood. My friend and his wife, had a cat that liked to sleep in the wheel well of vehicles. Maybe I just never caught them in the act? Man, you'd think that would be really dangerous for the cats.
I haven't seen under my Prime up on a lift, but it does look covered pretty tight. But if you look behind the wheel there seems to be just big enough opening leading to an engine bay area through "dead cat space". You would be amazed how small of opening a cat, especially a kitten, can get through. A grown cat needs only 3 inch wide opening to get through. A kitten or squirrel, another possible car intruder, would need half of that.
Some cats can be "Lucky". Cat called Lucky was found in car engine when driver called a mechanic for breakdown | Daily Mail Online
