How to clean an Engine/Battery area

[Jeff Watt]

First the background, I live 3 miles from a paved road and to get home I travel on gravel roads. So anytime I leave for whatever reason, I have 6 miles of gravel to cover. This creates some problems, i.e. dust in the unit (even when traveling at a snail's pace - any ideas to help better seal it), dirt and/or mud around the wheel wells and step, dirt and grass/straw (I live in a farming area) collecting on the radiator, etc. Also, this gravel driving leads to a fair bit of dirt buildup in the back compartment and around the battery bank.

This may have been discussed previously, however my searches haven't really found what I am looking for. Given the information above, I have a dirty engine and battery bay. So I am wondering what is the best way to clean the area and specifically how to clean the batteries. The unit will be disconnected from electrical. A few questions:


Should the switches be turned off?
Should the batteries be disconnected?
What to use to "wash" the tops of the batteries - a solution of baking soda and water? soft brush?
What is best to wash off hoses?
Rinse the area and/or batteries with regular hose water and pressure or is that too strong? High pressure water or air shouldn't be used on the rad.

Seems pretty straight forward and if it was a tractor I'd use a pressure washer on some areas, but the coach is not as robust.

Appreciate any thoughts and comments.

Jeff

[Frank Bannert]

Jeff, I usually spray my batteries and the posts and the compartment, with Simple Green, and let it sit for a few minutes, and then wash it off with a water hose. I do this about every 6 months or so. I use the same method to clean my engine on my cars, and start them up as soon as I am finished, and let it run for a few minutes.  That way, if the alternator or anything get any moisture in it, it will dry.  I turn off the power to the chassis and coach, while I do this. Some may disagree with this process, but it has worked for me for a long time. But I do live in town, so I don't travel dusty roads, but when we come home from a trip and run into rain, that compartment with the batteries, is always filthy, and I was it. I also spray the post, with a battery corrosion preventive product, which can be bought a auto parts stores.

Frank

[Ken Buck]

For my battery compartment, which is open on the bottom to all the road debris stirred up particularly by the rear tires, I spray with either straight water from the garden hose or a little 409 type cleaner, then the hose. I don't find I need much scrubbing to keep the area clean if I wash every month or so. We're out for 7 months each winter, so it just is part of the routine. What I also do, is leave the door open to dry well, and then re-lube the tray sliders, door hinges and latch. The mildly acidic air probably is more corrosive in this compartment to those items than the other compartments. For reference, I wash the inside of the doors and re-lubricate hinges and latches on the other compartments, every 6 months. That may be too frequent or too far apart for the way you use your coach, but its what makes me happy.

Ken

[Gerald Farris]

Jeff,
If your coach has by-directional Fantastic Fans, you can prevent dust from entering the coach on dusty roads by turning both of the fans to blowing into the coach with all windows closed. This will create a positive pressure in the coach that will stop the dust intrusion.

Gerald

[Edward Buker]

Jeff,

To add to Gerald's comment at the same time assure that the dash fan is off so it is not fighting the positive pressure from the fantastic fans. If the dust is being raised to the point where you are getting significant dust at the roof level, while you travel this road, then the positive fan pressure will also be bringing in dirt and dust. You might be able to fashion a washable dust filter that fits over the screen of the fantastic fans if that is the case.

The biggest dust concern is plugging the engine air filter to the point where it breaks down from the engine suction and allows dirt into the engine itself. Hopefully you have a good handle on the engine air filter maintenance.

I also clean my batteries several times a year using a small amount of soap, simple Green or car wash soap and plenty of rinse water. I am careful not to get much soap on the cell caps and get most of the soap on the top and case. I avoid the Echo Charger area and switches. I may wipe those areas with a damp towel. If any corrosion is present I will use baking soda on the terminals followed by a spray terminal preserver by Napa.

Later Ed

[Jeremy Parrett]

I wash my batteries with RainX.  I use a soft scrubber to loosen the dirt, then gently hose the soapy residue off, and then dry the batteries with a towel.  I use plastic bags and masking tape to cover the electrical items in the bay like the Echo charger, relays, etc.
I have not washed out my engine bay yet.  It is caked in red mexican dirt right now.  I am considering spraying GUNK over the whole engine /compartment and then power washing the area clean.  I will tape off the alternator with plastic bags and masking tape.  Are there any other items I should be wary of

[Edward Buker]

The Engine CPU board is well sealed and I know that Cat themselves pressure wash the engines. I have done mine but do not linger too long in any one area with the wand. I worry about the wand tip getting too close to wiring items that could be damaged by the power of a close pressure wash tip at several thousanp PSI so I keep the wand back a reasonable distance.

  I think the alternator is the main issue from a moisture point of view and you have that covered. I would probably not linger on the solenoid and starter also if you are going to do underneath.

 I would have a completly cold engine and shut off the battery switches before I started the wash. When I am done I would use a leaf blower to blow off all the excessive moisture before I started the engine and then let it warm up until it until it is dry. Then refrain from playing in the mud with your RV...

Later Ed

[Jeremy Parrett]

Hi Ed,
  thank you for the heads up on pressure washing my C12.  Everyone here in Baja California Sur explained to me that "it NEVER rains here"........or" it hasnt rained since 2009 !!  "
 Well since Nov 3rd when we set off from San Diego we ran into 2 storms that dumped over 6 inches of rain on my coach and of course the red mexican dust.......this stuff is used to build Adobe Houses with. It has a clay content !!!  My mini 1400 psi  Karcher washer had a tough time cleaning it off the wheel wells and body sides.
 Jeremy

[Edward Buker]

You never know what you will find for conditions on the road....I dread hail but I will add adobe clay to that fear list now along with snow.

As long as your spray is targeted on things that look rugged enough you can linger with the spray. When you get to electrical sensors and wire connections on the motor I would go easy. Check the compressor air inlet and see how yours is set up. I think there is a tube coming from the air cleaner and maybe some rubber couplings but I have not looked lately. If you had an external air inlet filter I would cover that and consider changing it for fear of driving dirt into the compressor. Good luck with your cleaning.

Later Ed

[Jeff Watt]

Gerald, Ed, et al,

Thanks for the info and suggestions. The coach is parked in my shed now and I can wash it sparingly - water drains into a sump pit and is pumped outside. Nevertheless, I can clean the battery and engine area somewhat and given the next time I drive it out it will be February and chances are there will be a bit of snow covering the gravel.

Regarding dust, the suggestion of operating the fans is interesting and I'll give it a try; seems counter-intuitive and I guess if, as Ed mentions, the dust is really bad then all it would do is blow more into the coach. I had thought of turning on the A/C but I don't know if that would work. The bedroom area is what is subjected to the greatest amount of dust. I have kept clothes up front and covered the bedspread with another sheet while traveling. I don't know if the dust is coming around the slide seal (doubt it) or the windows (more likely), somehow through the seams in the walls or possibly up through the engine access?  The worst is during hot days when the gravel gets broken down and the result is a talc like dust - too many heavy trucks, tractors and combines beating the roads into oblivion. (on a side note, its not a lot of fun meeting a combine or 4wheel drive tractor, although they are more capable of pulling off the road and will do so if possible)

I'll again show my ignorance here, is there an air filter meter or gauge such as I have on my F250?  I bought this coach in June and the previous owner changed the air filter prior to delivering it to me. He also provided me with a replacement. I have taken the coach over the gravel 4 times since then. If it is a relatively simple task, I may take the filter out and clean it before February.

Jeremy's dust/mud sounds worse than what I am dealing with, although the stuff here has some clay as well.  

Jeff

[Edward Buker]

Jeff,

Gerald's point of keeping a positive pressure inside the coach, that is working to flow the air from the outside of the coach to the inside is a sound one. We used that same technology in a semicondustor plant that I worked at to keep contamination at bay. The issue is that you need a clean air supply to do that. The cleanest outside air that would be available would be at the roof level using the fantastic fans. The issue is whether or not it is clean enough is something that you will have to sort out. I added a little better filter material to my air conditioning system and I bought the material at one of the big box stores. It was green and white, maybe 1/4 inch thick. I cut it with some scissors to fit. One could envision pulling the screen down (unscrews) on the fans and cutting a piece to cover the screen to help filter the incoming air. When the poach is pressurized all of the points that leak around the slides etc. now have outflow so the air cannot carry dirt in.

The air conditioners would not help given that they just recirculates the inside air and do not pressurize the coach. The coach dash air can pressurize the coach some but the air inlet is coming from underneath the coach where a lot of dirt is raised and it generally is not filtered. You would want to leave that system completly off while traveling the dirt road.

In one of the side bays there should be a red/yellow/green indicator telling you the filter status. It mesures the vacuum being pulled by the engine in the filtered air stream going to the intake manifold. The higher (yellow going to red) that you are on the scale the more plugged the filter is. You need to keep that in the green to yellow scale and avoid the red by changing it hopefully before it becomes red. Mine runs in the yellow with a new filter so knowing where you start out with a new filter helps you understand how much things are changing. If you press on the bottom of the little clear cansister with the gauge scale it will reset it. You would do that normally when you replace the filter but you can also do that at anytime to see the starting point and where the filter monitor settles after you have run the coach.

Later Ed

[Jeremy Parrett]

Jeff,
 in the engine bay if you look up there is a raised area between the engine door hinges and the area above the engine. I found the seam where this level drops  down to the area over the engine had seperated. I used   mono foam to fill this area until it oozed out along the whole coach width.  This has almost stopped the talcum powder red dust getting into the bedroom. This could be the floor of theclothes closet at the rear of the bedroom.
I am working on rerouting the engine air intake to the roof as per Donaldson's website. City buses and Interstate coaches all have this set up. Not an expensive upgrade to prevent the side wall intake sucking up the red dust when we travel down dirt roads. A  neat mushroom cap is all you can see at roof level.
If I can re route the engine exhaust to roof level I will do this too. That will stop the exhaust from blowing all the red dust up around the rear end. Again ,city buses all have this feature.

[Edward Buker]

I like the intake at the roof idea but there is a lot of heat to deal with piping the exhaust up there. Not sure that would be safe given all the combustables around. It would be a trick to get it to be safe without engineering it in the design using air flow over it and a lot of safe insulation. All of this would add some extra heat load into the coach

Later Ed

[Jeremy Parrett]

Hi Ed,
 every city bus I drove over 28 years had the exhaust exit and engine air intake at roof level. The exhaust pipe is double wall with insulation. A small air space is all that is needed. All buses are now glassfibre. Donaldson make most of the equipment  needed. It is actually quite a neat conversion. One big draw back is noise in the bedroom......if you like driving while  your passengers are sleeping !!

[Edward Buker]

Jeramy,

Looks like you are on top of this....you never know for sure when someone proposes something like this. We used dual wall stainless pipe with insulation between the layers in VT for woodstoves. Certainly the technology is out there to handle heat with minimal clearance requirements.

 I have always believed that the air inlet on the side of our coaches was small and restrictive but it would be a trick to change that also. Good luck with your project. Like myself, it looks like you want to improve your coach where you can. If you go ahead with this, take a lot of photos and post this project.

Later Ed