engine detail (or steam clean)

[modidia]

has anyone ever done an engine detail or a steam clean of the engine? is it normally done? my engine looks a bit dirty from the harsh NY winter we had..i am wondering how to clean it.

btw, i am not so tech savvy so i will probably have someone more professional do it for me.

thanks

morris
86 911 targa

[snbush67]

How bad is it? Pictures will help.

Get the engine good and warm, Pressure steam on the bottom won't hurt, but, use low pressure if any thing on the top side, cover the electronics, I recommend not using water on the top side just start at the top with some damp rags and work your way down, once you get the layers of crud off then use some detailer spray and clean rags. Be careful unplugging things, old brittle plastic has a habit of breaking. If you find something(s) that are unplugged and you don't know where they go post some pictures we can help.

[CCM911]

I periodically spray the bottom of my engine with Gunk(original formula) to keep it looking fresh and clean.

For the top, I generally use Purple Power or Simple Green, a rag and some water. I would not reccomend blasting water on the top of the engine, unless you don't mind drying stuff out for a while.

[Justin@Athens]

Use plastic grocery bags to cover distributor, ignition coil, afm, and isv. Use some kind of tape to cover other electrical connections, then go at it with the hose and some Gunk engine degreaser. Just be cautious with the hose pipe and it'll be fine. I have done it several times--once it was a little hard to start afterwards but came to life easily enough. Like the above user stated, don't park it behind your other vehicle in case you need to go somewhere and she won't start.

[Uncle Enzo]

And don't hose it off and get oil and grime all over your drive, staining it for years. My wife still wont let it go.

[tocobill]

^^^^Thats what neighbors driveways are for, lol. The best route would be to rent a steam cleaner. If you are in the military or have DoD you can try to go to a base and use the auto skills center. They usually have one and its super cheap. They will have just about any auto tool youll ever need and pro help to guide you. Steam clean would work well. Buy a cheap blue tarp and lay it under the car when you do it. The steam will melt the crud off without giving you the full blown issues with water on electronics. The crud will dry on the tarp and can be sweep up later and tarp reused.

[FastCarFan]

Quick story to serve as a warning...Years ago my daily driver was a 1982 Mazda RX7 GS. I kept it very clean. In fact, someone once asked, "How did you get your engine so clean!?" I replied, "I never let it get dirty."

The story...One Saturday I ran a few errands & then parked the car in the driveway so I could wash it. I got out the hose, filled up a bucket with soapy water & then opened the hood to spray on Gunk. I planned to let the Gunk soak while I washed the car & then hose off the engine as I was finishing. However, a second or two after spraying Gunk on the engine it burst into flames! Thankfully I had the bucket of water at my feet, so I quickly doused the flames - no damage done. I remember reading the label on the can of Gunk after the near-disaster. It said "spray on warm, not hot, engine". Lesson learned.

[porschenut]

Originally Posted by Justin@Athens

Use plastic grocery bags to cover distributor, ignition coil, afm, and isv.

I read that advice all the time, but no one seems to acknowledge that it is impossible to cover the distributor and coil with a plastic bag without removing all of the spark plug wires first. You can do that, but it's a PITA, and you better stuff a rag into each valve cover hole to keep water out as well, because those are very deep recesses. All of that requires removal of the heater plumbing on the left, and the air filter cover on the right in order to get at the plug wires and stuff the holes. And I don't know how you can cover the AFM or the ISV with a plastic bag, because they're both connected to other things. Great advice, but I've never once seen an explanation of how it's done.

[Flojo]

Originally Posted by porschenut

I read that advice all the time, but no one seems to acknowledge that it is impossible to cover the distributor and coil ....

yes you do.
need two "bags".
take the cap off with the wires on, cover it tight.
cover tight the dizzy.
done.

though to think about: the seal of the dizzy shaft sits way below.
dont hit that area too hard to avoid water to penetrate there.
especially if you cant guarantee the fitness of the (old) seal.

important too:
- cover the intake openings where the fuel valves sit (k-jet)
- dont aproach the engine with the steamer too close, 's why pre cleaning with an enginecleaner is important for full and quick effekt.
- for the gunked grime below use baken oven cleaner (wow)

but if one is "scared" by the thaught of steaming its engine:
- work foreward bit by bit
- pre-degrime with wd40
- use tons of ready-soaked baby wipers ;-))

[NY65912]

Morris,

I would rather see you do it than some caveman with a steam wand. Bag electricals. I'd used Purple Power or another HD degreaser/cleaner and have at it with a garden hose. better if you can get hot water to it. This is something you can do.

[jimtweet]

I always feared spraying water or steam into engine bay, esp at high pressure.

For the most part, knock on wood, the bottom of my engine is dry and fairly clean. I will buy a few cans of brake clean and spray the bottom after its been warmed up.

I also use Dawn, dish soap, cuts grease pretty good, and a wash mit. Warm engine up and wash top half of engine not going near electricals and hose down with really low pressure

[porschenut]

Originally Posted by Flojo

yes you do.
need two "bags".
take the cap off with the wires on, cover it tight.
cover tight the dizzy.
done.

No, not done. By removing the distributor cap you are going to get water inside the cap, even if you cover the distributor with a bag.

The distributor cap is only the tip of the iceberg. What about all the other problems I mentioned? Water in the valve cover holes? All the electrical sensor connections, relays and fuses on the left side, fuel injector connections, AC compressor connections, cruise control connector, engine blower connector, and on and on? Electricals are EVERYWHERE inside that engine bay, and there is no way to adequately protect them from high pressure water (or steam, even worse) in my opinion.

I think the only way to properly detail your engine is to disconnect everything and remove it from the car. That way you can easily access all the little places where most of the gunk is, without risk of frying any electrical components. After you've done it once, keeping it clean from that point on should be very easy if you include wiping down the engine as part of your normal car wash routine.

[PorscheAmateur]

Use zep orange degreaser fully concentrated. Covers everything with bags, plastic wrap and tape all connections. Then low pressure rinse and allow plenty of time to dry before turning in.


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[aoncurly]

Has anyone tried squirting degreaser through the cooling fan while the engine is running? I read that this is a trick some use to get their engines running a bit cooler as it removes grease built up on the piston cooling fins.

[kidrock]

Originally Posted by aoncurly

Has anyone tried squirting degreaser through the cooling fan while the engine is running? I read that this is a trick some use to get their engines running a bit cooler as it removes grease built up on the piston cooling fins.

I read something interesting a while back where one poster stated that he would spray a cleaner through the fan (motor not running) to clean the gunk that accumulates on the cooling fins under the air shroud. After letting it set for a bit, he would start the engine and spray into the moving fan with low pressure water. He claims that it works well for him.

Sounded interesting, but I've never had the balls to try it. If it ever gets bad enough, I'll just drop the engine to take care of business.

[Reiver]

I spray a degreaser thru the fan when it is running at 2k rpm steady.....then wand it thru the fan at the same rpm with lots of water. Does a great job of cleaning the fins etc.
I was told to do this by my indy P shop (in business for 30 years) as he does it to all dirty motors prior to any major work.
I have to drive a dirt road everyday so do this every 6 months. ever a prob.
I do not pressure was the exterior block etc. as it can/will force water past seals depending on the psi.

[Tidybuoy]

Originally Posted by aoncurly

Has anyone tried squirting degreaser through the cooling fan while the engine is running? I read that this is a trick some use to get their engines running a bit cooler as it removes grease built up on the piston cooling fins.

I've done it this way for years without any problems. The only thing is I don't use harsh degreaser as it oxidizes the aluminum. Instead, I use simple green. I usually spray thru the fan with the engine off and let the soap soak in. I also spray the engine from the bottom and get it covered with soap. I have also done with the engine on but ever since I got the engine clean, I have not needed to use much soap. I then rinse with the hose spaying directly into the fan with the engine running. I may do for many minutes till I feel the engine is clean.

I try not to hit the distributor but everything else can get wet. I wipe down afterwards.

Lastly, I always wipe down the engine at every car wash so the engine stays clean.

[Bill Douglas]

I live at the beach so the engine gets a lot of salt and sand. I usually just hose it down for a few minutes. I don't cover anything, just lots of hosing. Probably once a year I spray it all with degreaser then hose it down. Once or twice it's had a miss on one cylinder but it comes right after a couple of minutes of driving.

[rusnak]

Just be careful when using a pressure washer. Don't spray case seams, and turn the pressure down. Stay well back with the pressure tip. Don't try to blast grease or dirt off by pressing the wash tip right up against your motor.

[turbo951]

You could also find a vendor with a dry ice cleaner.They can make it look new without any damage.Plus no moisture in the process. The results are fantastic. Down side a little pricey but a nice job. Good luck