What have you done to your CX-5 today?

[paris1]

Acquired a new NOCO GBX45 jump starter. Ought to come in handy, on those rare occasions.

https://no.co/gbx45

In my experience, with a completely flat battery in a CX-5, those things aren’t much good. Only way I’ve been able to start is with a jump from another car. Just sayin’

 

[GFrosty]

In my experience, with a completely flat battery in a CX-5, those things aren’t much good. Only way I’ve been able to start is with a jump from another car. Just sayin’

Have used a couple, though not this brand/model. Haven't had issues with them. So long as they are charged-up and have well above the amps required for the given car, in my own experience a modestly "flat" battery has a good chance of being cranked.

Now, for a completely dead battery as you suggest, I wouldn't want to rely on one. But in a pinch, on the road, in a spot where there aren't others to rely on, ...

 

[N7turbo]

In my experience, with a completely flat battery in a CX-5, those things aren’t much good. Only way I’ve been able to start is with a jump from another car. Just sayin’

Right. You will have to charge it for a bit before attempting a start.

But I've used one of these to start a car a few times, and a scooter once. Very handy.

One thing prevents it from being super handy, though: I do not leave it in the car. I don't trust lithium battery packs inside a 120° F car.

Mine is not NOCO brand. I choose mine based on all of the capabilities it has, so it should ideally provide 19V to run a laptop computer, 5V to charge phones and tablets, and 12V for other things, in addition to being able to start a car.

 

[ADS-B]

Today I decided to clean the engine bay. Never done it before but after few YouTube instructions and some careless(!) considerations, I went for it. I only spent, maybe 15-20 minutes with the cleaning process. but I am satisfied with the result. The more time you allocate and the more patience you have, the better the engine will look. I used an electric hand spray pump, a cleaner called P21S and a brush. Rinsed at the end with water using a hose with low pressure and a shower like nozzle. Before the start of the process I bagged the alternator, removed the car battery and bagged the terminals and the ECU connector. I've seen some videos where they did not remove the battery at all, left it all connected. I am glad that I took the battery off because I found that the battery tray has no drain, so the water was accumulating on the tray. I would not want to have a battery sitting in water. With the engine off and hot (I did not want to wait few hours for the engine to cool off), started to spray the cleaner all over the bay and the engine block. Let it soak for 5 minutes, then used the brush to clean in tight spaces and at the end tried to rinse everything really good. Used some rags to wipe of the water and that's it. When done, went for a ride to the supermarket to help drying the water. While driving I felt an odor inside the car, probably the chemical residue getting hot from the engine and burning which makes me thinking that I should have spent a little more time on rinsing. In the end, I am satisfied with the results and next time I'll try to clean it better.

Cleaner used: P21S 13001R Auto Wash Refill, 1000 ml, Clear, 33.8 Fl Oz (Pack of 1)

Spray pump used: Electric Foam Sprayer Car Wash, 60PSI

Brush: Car Detailing Brush Kit

 

[N7turbo]

Before the start of the process I bagged the alternator, removed the car battery and bagged the terminals and the ECU connector.

I don't think this is necessary on modern cars. Pros clean hundreds of engine bays per year and never have an issue, and they are using pressure washers.

Good tip about the battery tray, though. That would be a reason to remove the battery. I'm surprised there isn't better drainage there.

 

[N7turbo]

Here are the brushes I use:

Soft Grip Wheel and Body Brush | The Rag Company

EZ Detail Brush Big (Choose Color)

For cleaner I just use my car soap with a squirt of Dawn Ultra mixed in.

 

[ADS-B]

Here are the brushes I use:

Soft Grip Wheel and Body Brush | The Rag Company

EZ Detail Brush Big (Choose Color)

For cleaner I just use my car soap with a squirt of Dawn Ultra mixed in.

That's good stuff. Next time I'll try to get some of these. On the connectors matter, the modern cars have seal tight connector and water should not make contact with the pins. But high pressure water, all the instructions I've read said no to high pressure. And it makes sense to me, considering that it might be something loose in there, maybe a weak connector, maybe a loose wire or something else and I would not want to make any damages with high pressure. Definitely cover the alternator, I'd say.

 

[N7turbo]

Everything I've seen about modern cars tells me that the alternator is designed to handle being wet, no problem. Not saying you can submerge it while driving...that is probably different. But there is no need to cover it for a wash.

But you need to really rinse the engine thoroughly to not leave cleaner residue behind.

I would recommend a strong leaf blower to blast the water out of the engine. Think about spark plug holes, etc.

This video isn't bad: