Engine cleaning for city/condo dwellers
 

I have my dad's old '82 Diesel wagon that I'd like to turn into a daily driver.

The injector pump is leaking, and the engine compartment is a mess.

In the old days, I'd use Gunk engine degreaser and a hose at the curb. But nowadays that isn't possible; I live in a condo and that sort of thing is prohibited.

Sad but true.

Any other suggestions for a DIY engine wash that doesn't require a hose? I used the l local coin-op carwash once and the high-pressure water created all manner of trouble.

Second.. I've read a bit about the wiring that Volvo used in the eighties is deteriorating. Would an engine wash make any of that worse?

I want to clean it up enough to get a good handle on where the leaks are coming from...

Thanks!

-Tom in SoCal

A lot of self-serve car washes have a "tire/engine cleaner" setting that works well and is less nasty to deal with than that Gunk stuff, or even just their regular soap does a pretty good job.

On one of these old diesels, there are no sensors, ignition systems, etc to screw up with water so using the carwash spray gun on the motor is really just fine. If you want protect more sensitive electrical bits like alternator, fragile wiring insulation, etc, you can be gentle there (stand back, or use the low pressure setting) and it won't give you any trouble. Wiring harness problems in Volvos from about 1980 to 1988 do exist and if your car still has its original factory harness, blasting it with high-pressure spray at point blank range can cause some problems and strip the degrading insulation away, so do be careful about that. However, many cars had their harnesses replaced over the years, so if yours is not original, it'll be no problem (the replacement harnesses used updated insulation material that didn't deteriorate). And if it is in bad shape, then it's going to need attention someday anyway, so what you do while washing it won't make a ton of difference long term. And, lastly, on the diesels the wiring needed for the engine to run is very minimal so they're not nearly as sensitive to wiring problems as the gassers from this era are -- there are only really four or five wires in that harness that really matter. So even if you manage some how to do some damage, you'll likely be OK.

If you do need a harness, Dave Barton plans to begin offering replacement harnesses for 240 Diesels soon and we should be supporting him by buying some anyway! Here's his site, if you need one: http://www.davebarton.com/volvoharnesses.html#240diesel I suspect if you were to express interest, it might happen sooner. He already has begun making them for 700 series.

Anyway, the coinop carwash should work well, and your local water treatment authority will be glad to have you do that rather than washing Gunk down the storm drain too. If you go easy with the high pressure you'll have no problems.

Thanks yet again for your help!