Car Wash Under Carriage Spraying

[cmouta]

For those that drive in the salt belt, selecting the under carriage wash option in a drive-through carwash is the ticket but how do you do that with the XR with no engine splash shield? Has anyone had issues with that? Relocated alternator towards the bottom doesn't make me very comfortable either but the cosworth sierra had the alt in a pretty similar low location from the factory.

[twin turbo]

Cosworth, and all sierras/Fords had undertray from factory, but most missing them nowadays....

I Wash my cars by hand, but dont use any of my older cars in Winther on salt roads. Thats why i have a newer cheaper daily...

[hbar]

I rarely drive my XR in snow (I have a $300 Escort to beat on in the winter) but if and when I do, I always hose it down at the local "U-Spray-It" place and that includes underneath.

I've never had a problem with soaking the engine, as long as I'm careful not to blast water at high pressure into sensitive areas. In my experience, the trick is to spray with the engine warmed up and running. Any water that does manage to leak into somewhere it shouldn't be, will be almost instantly evaporated. Also, never had a problem when spraying the alternator, distributor, plug wires, or battery and connections as long as I spray those areas gently and lightly.

Keep the engine running the whole time and then the drive home will "burn off" any puddles of water that might otherwise accumulate.




Avoid spraying water on a fully heated exhaust manifild and the turbo hot side. I also never spray the fuse/relay box

[cmouta]

I always hand wash my XR but I have dreams of putting it through some snowcross in the winter at some point in my life. However, I can't bear to drive my car in the salty roads of new england but just wanted to figure out how I'd clean the car if I did. Meanwhile I drive a car 5 times its value every season happily

[John Brennan]

Meanwhile I drive a car 5 times its value every season happily

Five times its market value, very likely...

I once made a cardboard template for an aluminum engine undertray I never got around to bending up. To my thinking, besides protection, it would serve as a superior way to funnel air through and to the very back of the engine/transmission, if you did it right.

[cmouta]

Meanwhile I drive a car 5 times its value every season happily

Five times its market value, very likely...

I once made a cardboard template for an aluminum engine undertray I never got around to bending up. To my thinking, besides protection, it would serve as a superior way to funnel air through and to the very back of the engine/transmission, if you did it right.

Correct, market value! emotional value is without limits unfortunately for me!

There is actually a ford sierra part for airflow to the intercooler:



I agree, I'd be worried about creating something that ended up trapping heat.

Per the Sierra Motorsport Manual:

To prevent excessive heat build up, particularly in the case of SIERRA RS/RS500
COSWORTH models, the sump shield used should incorporate cutaway sections on both sides
behind the crossmember as the sump shield must allow the passage of cooling air through the
engine bay from the water radiator (and in the case of the SIERRA RS/RS500 COSWORTH, the
turbo intercooler); where cooling flow would be impaired by the fitment of a comprehensive and
close-fitting sump shield. In hot weather therefore, the engine's cooling water temperature should
be watched carefully at all times.

[John Brennan]

Right, the part in the illustration actually splits air between the radiator below, and the IC above it. Of course, it wouldn't work with the stock A/C condenser; you'd have to get an aftermarket, shorter one (not a bad idea, anyway, if you run A/C). The tray I was designing would run from the bottom of the rad to the crossmember, with the sides bent up to connect to the "frame rails." The area behind the crossmember would be left open as is.

[bali-high89]

On my winter beater (non-merkur) vechicles I do the under spray wash. Sometimes I put old winter gloves and an old winter coat on and use the coin operated power wash. If I bend the end towards myself I can wash in there pretty good. If I go through the touchless drive through one I select underspray and go through really slow. It does soak down the engine compartment pretty good. Wouldn't be the best for a hot turbo and exhaust manifold. Then afterwards I drive over to the side area and pop the hood. I like to at least wipe off the top of the battery. I guess you could just oil spray your XR really good. And wash it when possible at home or coin op place. It would be super embarrassing to stall out at the end of the car wash in a winter beater merkur and hold up the whole line lol.