I recently did an engine shampoo for the first time, and every time I turn on the A/C / heater blower, the smell of shampoo is really strong. I probably need to re-rinse the engine a little more thoroughly. What section of the engine should I focus on; I don't want to spray more water than I need to in the engine compartment.

Where about is the blower intake located ('03 350Z)? I'm guessing that's where I need to focus on rinsing.

Any other tips?

Thanks,
Mike.

 

Cowl, base of windshield.

 

It will probably clear out by itself soon enough.

 

When I did it to my Civic it smelled for a few days then went away.

 

Remove the plastic cover over the battery compartment, and the plastic cover between it and the windshield.

You will be able to see directly into the squirrel cage.

Mine was full of screen, leaves, fur, seed husks, and feathers !!

 

And that stuff traps the smelly water forever!

 

Thanks for all the replies! So I removed the battery cover, and the plastic part between it and the windshield and could see the blower motor - that area was clean (no debris). Since engine cleaner wouldn't have gotten down there anyway, I'm thinking the smell is coming from the exposed cowl "grill" on the other side, which may have gotten a bit of cleaner on/in it.

Possibly a dumb question, but can I safely spray water over/into the cowl grill to rinse the grill? I don't feel like removing the entire assembly including the wipers.

Thanks,
Mike.

 

Best bet is to just let it run its course. The smell will go away. The trick is to eliminate the source and that's the smell on/around the engine. And the only way to do that is to run it for a while.

Before doing so, get masking tape and tape off your intake vents.

Then give your car a long workout with the windows open.

Do this until the smell is burned off.

Once that's done, remove all the masking tape and then run the car with all vents open.

To help it along, let the fan run full blast while you drive.

If that's not sufficient and there's any smells lingering in the vents, either use pressurized air to blow back through the vents (with them open of course) or take it to a detailer who does this kind of work. 9 of 10x you won't need that.

 

leave at idle and pump ac at max for about 15-20 min worked for me.

 

Sounds like I should just keep driving it (any maybe run it at idle for a while), and hopefully the smell dissipates on its own.

Thanks for all the advice,
Mike.

 

def will go away on its own...