So, after 161k my radiator started "leaking". I use leaking with quotes, because gushing is more like what it was doing - there was residue all over EVERYTHING. It stayed like that for a few weeks before I tried to wipe everything down with a damp cloth. How bad is antifreeze for the various hoses, etc under the hood? Should I be looking at replacing some of the more encrusted ones, or if they arent leaking and its all cleaned off, is it not something to worry about?

 

coolant in the engine bay wont hurt hoses or anything, just cover your airbox and electrical components with grocery bags and spray off the engine bay. coolant/coolant residue harms nothing

 

Agreed... Covering important components and gently spraying the engine with water will wash away the coolant. Just remember NOT to do it when the engine is hot.

 

i was told that too but ive seen guys at work spray down hot engines and nothing has happened. hell they dont even cover anything before spraying it down and nothings happened, but i dont wash hot engines myself

after you wash the engine, let it idle for 15 minutes too so all the connections and whatnot dry off

 

Spraying water on a hot engine defeats the purpose. It creates a lot of steam (which gets into places water doesn't usually go). and you can't really see what you are spraying very well. No point to it....

 

Yup i'm not a hot engine washer either. Idling 15 minutes is a good idea. If I have access to compressed air, I like to give the engine compartment a blow-dry as well.

 

If you cover electrical components, use a good degreaser followed by a low pressure rinse, then let the engine run 10-15 minutes until fully dry, you'll be fine. Plus a clean engine will make any future leaks easier to find.

 

Yea you can wipe hoses off but it may stain painted surfaced or polished items