Washing dirty engine bay

[RaysRunner]

I did some off roading and playing in the mud and the engine bay is now pretty dirty. Is it safe to wash the engine bay with a hose with all the hybrid components in there? I have a ORP Hybrid.

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[Wikaa]

There's a thread somewhere about this, Hold on

 

[Lamuncha]

I am told the air mass flow sensor could be damaged if it is washed down.
Located on the air intake.
I do not know how reliable that info is but might be a good idea to avoid hosing down that area.
If you do damage to it you will know right away with 200 flashing lights and an order to go to the dealer.....

 

[127.0.0.1]

I am told the air mass flow sensor could be damaged if it is washed down.
Located on the air intake.
I do not know how reliable that info is but might be a good idea to avoid hosing down that area.
If you do damage to it you will know right away with 200 flashing lights and an order to go to the dealer.....

not any more damage than any other electrical connector in the engine bay,
which is, you won't damage anything as long as:

do not use high pressure spray anywhere in the engine compartment
(you can likely get away with it but definitely not recommended)

just use low pressure water as a rinse and do not focus it on any
orange wiring connectors, fuse boxes...just do not focus on connectors

 

[Lamuncha]

So this is the "expert" AI guy as to why-

Inside your Mass Airflow (MAF) Sensor are delicate hot-wire or hot-film elements that measure airflow by sensing the cooling effect of air passing over them, telling the car's computer how much fuel to add; yes, they are extremely sensitive to water and contaminants like oil, dust, and salt, which can damage the sensor or cause incorrect readings, leading to poor engine performance, so only use specialized MAF cleaner if needed, never water or harsh cleaners.
But then his cubicle mate says:

• IP Ratings: Common Ingress Protection (IP) ratings are IP67 (totally dust-tight and can withstand temporary immersion in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes) or even higher, like IP69K (withstands high-pressure water jets).

Not sure what is true but best not doing it.

I wonder If you are on a 5 hour highway trip in a constant downpour - does the engine bay stay dry? Or flying through a foot deep puddle.

 

[Dead Horse]

All sorts of things in the engine bay will malfunction if you hit them with a high pressure stream of water.

But also, everything in the (stock) engine bay is fine with being sprayed down with a reasonable amount of soap and water at the car wash. Soap it up, let it soak a minute or two, then spray it down taking care to not hit anything with a direct stream of full pressure...Stay back 3-4 feet or so.

Don't worry about it being a hot engine either (this always comes up in these threads). Engines are always hot and you can drive through an ice puddle and they don't explode or crack.

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