I just spent a week in the desert at Burning Man, through lots of wind storms, and my engine is covered with a layer of desert dust, with a high alkali content.
Do I just leave it? or clean it? If I clean it, what’s the best way?
Cover electrical components and steam clean it.
Depending on the year, make, model of your vehicle, you can expect the same results you would get if you high-pressured or steam cleaned the inside of your television set…Computer controlled engines and ignitions don’t tolerate aggressive cleaning very well…
I would cover the electrical components and clean it with cold water from a garden hose. No high pressure cleaning. High pressure can drive the grit into places it shouldn’t go. Just wash it off.
There’s a chance that water (a component of steam) will still get into electrical connectors and components.
What’s wrong with a blow off and a wipe down? The term “flood cars” comes to mind. OH! What the heck! We can take chances, can’t we? A sparkling clean engine is worth a lot, isn’t it?
Just desert dust? Alkali content? A garden hose will take care of it. Cover the battery.
No need to get fancy here.
Cover the electrical components and use one of the new foam sprays (low pressure) from a can (works like oven cleaner). Let stand for a while and then just hose off with a garden hose. I would not steam clean a modern car with expensive computers and other electronic gear!