Steam clean engine?

[rock883]

My mom has a GM and they send her some little coupons for stuff and I was reading it and they had a complete cleaning job, like a full detailing job and stem clean the engine compartment and all of that good stuff for like $99. I had heard of the steam cleaning the engine before but never knew exactly what it was, can someone tell me what exactly they do? Also, where can I get it one at? And the last question, how much does it cost? I am about to try to sell me explorer (but getting another Ford(Bronco)) and my engine is fairly clean, but its a pain to clean it all off, especially all the metal parts, like the manifold, alternator, power steering pump, and all of that stuff. But I would appreciate if you guys could answer some of my questions here. Thanks for any help.

 

[-=DaemoN=-]

rock883-if you have time you can clean your engine yourself. I just did mine, actually me and a friend. First, degrease your engine, I mean everything under that hood...they should have a degreaser in that carwash or find one that have and let it sit for a couple of mins. Then use hi-pressure rinse and take it for a 5 min ride to dry it up. Last step, you spray no touch (tire spray) to make it shine and it also conditions the hoses. Hope this helps on making your engine look close to brand new.

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'92 XLT 4x4
4.0L EFI
[NSFR671]

 

[mrboyle]

Steam cleaning involves washing the engine with a special machine that uses a high pressure pump connected to a waterheater/furnace (not a hosehold job either). The hot water combined with the high pressure will cut through almost any grease buildup. DaemoN's suggestion is an excelent and cheaper method to gain the same results. Just remember to avoid spraying water directly into the alternater or coil-pack. If they get wet it wont hurt them, but a direct high pressure blast could.

 

[megillet]

I keep my engine running while hosing it down/degreasing it. Helps to keep the distributor dry in case I spray it directly.

 

[GeorgeN]

Just a coment.....Make sure it is NOT illegal to do it in the area where you live. Some states have this law not allowing you to do it yourself because of the oil penetrating into the ground and then undergroud water and they want you to go those authorized places.

 

[KTMpat]

Steamcleaning often is too high pressure and takes paint or damages decals, foil coverings, etc. I do all my cars the following way and have great luck: Get "Castrol Super Clean" spray ($4) and a flexible cleaning brush ($2) at any auto parts or Kmart. Go to self car wash and squirt it all over engine, engine bay, under hood, etc. Swish brush over dirtier areas, keep squirting ( i use whole bottle per car). then rinse with high pressure soap ( or rinse), but not too close (rinse, not etch, lol). Engine bay will look brand new. Repeat on areas requiring more attention, but make sure to rinse away all the Super Clean. Voila.


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91 Navajo, 3.73 auto with TransGo shiftkit,
30x9.5 BFG Long Trails,
Gabriel VSTs, Airbox mod

91 Taurus SHO with Yamaha V6/5sp & 'stuff'
- can you say 8,000 rpm?

 

[Jayson]

Ok, you can save yourself $19 and spend all Saturday working on your engine compartment or you can hire a mobile detailer, like we have here in San Diego, and pay him $25 to make your engine bay look like it just rolled out of the showroom. It's up to you. If you're in the SD area I'll give you the guy's telephone number.

Also, steam cleaning is a thing of the past. High pressure is the way to go. That's what this guys uses and it does a beautiful job. I'm going to make this a yearly maintenance practice.

Take care,


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Jayson Woodard
San Diego, CA

 

[KTMpat]

Good point. Though, I only spent an hour on each of my vehicles doing it myself. The first time takes a little longer, but twice a year is all I do, and the subsequent cleanings are quick.

 

[rock883]

Hey Jayson, should I look up in the phone book mobile detailer or what should I look up in the phone book? I think $25 to make it look brand new is pretty good. Thanks for the help.

 

[Slick]

I wanted to bring this topic up once again. About how much is average to get it done? I want my engine to look brand new. Let me know thanks and is it totally safe?

 

[Fischer]

A real "true steam" cleaner won't damage anything. It'll barely get the area wet. I used to use one daily when I was a Mtn. Bike mechanic. They really rip the grease off. It was from the stone age and used karosene.

Now once the "steam" (about 30 seconds wide open)was gone then it was like a hot water high pressure washer, which will get into things like bearings and sealed areas. Just make sure it is really steam and not Hot water.

Take a look in Granger, the actual "steam" ones are very expensive. Most are sold as high pressuer hot water cleaners.

 

[laynlow]

I used to pay the dealership 10 bucks for a steam clean only. Most of em' have stopped offering that service so I do it myself.

Start with a cool engine. Fire it up for a couple of minutes so that it is warm to the touch, but not so hot that you cannot leave your hand on it. Next cover all of the appropriate components (alternator, wiring harnesses, and so on). I use aluminum foil because I can contour it to the shape of the object and it holds itself on. Now soak the compartment down with your degreaser. I use Meguiars all-purpose cleaner plus, but this is a professional product and you will not find it in ordinary stores. Meguiars Extra is readily available and a good choice. Let the solution dwell a couple minutes, agitate heavy areas if necessary and hose off. I use a power washer, but a garden hose will work too (just needs more agitation). Finally, dress the hoses with a water-based dressing such as Meguiars #40 or 303. I use a Meguiars product that is called Engine Kote and it is safe for all engine surfaces. You just spray it on and let it dry. I have some friends that have had good luck with a kit called the C2C (I think). It's available at K-Mart.

Cleaning the engine is completely safe when done correctly. Remember this is a wet environment to begin with!

Here are some pictures of a S-10 blazer engine detail that I did. Sorry, I have not uploaded the ones of my Explorer yet.

Before:
Dead Link Removed

After washing:
Dead Link Removed

Engine Kote dressing almost dry:
Dead Link Removed

I wash my truck once a week. A quick wipe-down of the engine compartment with a damp towel will go a long way toward keeping the engine looking good between engine washes.
-Sam

 

[leenjen]

laynlow, too bad you live so far away. i'd pay you to do my cars. that looks great

 

[biggs85]

What about getting the battery wet? Wouldn't that cause the battery posts to build up a lot of corosion later on? I guess maybe if you just covered the battery posts with tin foil it would be ok.

 

[laynlow]

Originally posted by biggs85
What about getting the battery wet? Wouldn't that cause the battery posts to build up a lot of corosion later on? I guess maybe if you just covered the battery posts with tin foil it would be ok.

As far as I have ever been able to determine, vent gasses cause terminal corrosion on a battery. I have seen weak batteries tend to corrode also. I have never seen it form for another reason, although I don't claim to be an expert in that area. My terminals are coated with dielectric grease so the one must have ingredient for corrosion, oxygen, is not present. The grease would also repel water.

At any rate, you can see all the parts I thought necessary to cover in the photo below. I did cover the battery, and made sure the foil did not contact the posts. Normally, I would cover the main wiring harness at the firewall there, but it slipped my mind until I was ready to rinse. I just stayed away from it with the water.

Wash prep:
Dead Link Removed

 

[espnfreak]

Killer pics man, ill refer to this thread when Its time for me to do my engine detail...later

 

[coolchris]

ya me too... thanks

 

[falconace]

battery washing should be ok

I work at a golf course and we are required to wash the batteries of all the golf carts every day to prevent corrosion. I have worked at two different courses and both make us do this. The cart maker, EZ-GO, claims that washing the batteries terminals will save the course thousands of dollars in batteries per year.

 

[biggs85]

So do you just wash the batteries off with water or do you use some type of engine degreaser too?