Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a '91 Chevy S-10 pickup. Is it OK to spray the water hose on the engine to keep it clean of road dust? -- Grant

Ray: Sure. Don't forget that whenever you drive in the rain, water gets splashed up from underneath the truck and comes pouring in through the front grille anyway. So a little water is not going to hurt anything.

Tom: Electrical connections can get wet, but the important ones are all "weather packed," to keep water out. So unless you're unlucky, or use high-pressure steam, you shouldn't have any problem.

Ray: I would recommend, however, just to be on the safe side, that you do your hosing when the engine is cold so none of the hot components crack. That way, the worst that will happen is that one of your electrical components or relays will get wet and will prevent the truck from starting until it dries out a few hours (or a day) later.

Tom: And that may be a good thing, Grant. If you spray the engine on a Saturday morning just before you're about to leave for your mother-in-law's house, you might luck out and prevent it from starting all weekend.

How can you tell if a used car is in good condition -- or even OK, for that matter? Find out by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet "How to Buy a Great Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know." Send $3 and a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed, No. 10 envelope to Used Car, PO Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

© 1997 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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