If you would like to keep your motor in tip top shape... yea- if you get anything like the distributer or anything electrical wet... even with a "water hose" you're gona be havin alot of trouble. The least little bit can cause major problems. Steam is the way to go. I had a show car- never cleaned the engine bay until a show...and I can promise you when I did...it was so clean you could eat off of it. Good luck.