Alternatives to engine steam cleaning

Anybody knows some that can be done at home?

DB

 

you should never contemplate such an activity. it ruins electrical
connections because it blasts moisture under seals, and ruins bearings,
because it blasts dirt in. not to mention the water it gets into your
brake master cylinder...

if you have to "clean" under the hood, and reality is that you don't, as
above, use a scrub brush and a gentle hose. nothing more.

 

That's interesting because after I bought my car from a bank with some
30+K miles in it and took it first time to a Honda dealer for service,
they recommended and actually performed a steam cleaning on the engine.
I drove over 200K miles since then without any major problems. As I
recall the early '80s, several car washes used to have an engine steam
cleaning station where I used to have my previous cars cleaned, also
without any problems afterward. Did engines changed since then?

DB

 

no, but i've done failure work on systems that have had exactly these
problems and the facts are as stated before - electrical, seals and
hydraulics.

 

I clean my engine with that green liquid at the car wash place as well. It
gets rid of the grease and dirt pretty good.

 

It's a weird idea, as nobody gets to see the engine so why is it so
important ?

I don't know if engines have changed since then, but the idea of
squirting pressurized water and/or soap around all those exposed
mechanical and electrical parts just does not seem sensible at all, no
matter what way you look at it.

 

probably a "2ner" that wants to lay about in a parking lot with the hood
open letting the sun's uv rays destroy all his electrical and plumbing.

 

That is very interesting warning, because I own 1995 toyota camry with
246 thousands miles on the odometer and it gets once, sometimes
twice a year engine cleaning with the pressurized soap and water...
And guess what - no problems.
I am sure nobody is putting the pressurized nozzle into the alternator
vent holes or under the spark plugs covers aiming with the nozzle into
the metal engine parts only keeping low pressure for the rest of stuff...

The reason I do it is not for people look at my clean engine and admire
it, because as some of you stated it is under the hood and not visible.

The reason is for my own convenience to work on a clean engine so
I will not look like a grease monkey after just replacing the air filter or
so.
I think that cleanliness is the condition for any good work on your car

Other reason is that on a clean engine without a gray layer of dirt on all
parts unexperienced mechanic like myself can easier recognise parts
and spot some potential problems in advance just by looking at things.
If something starts leaking you will have a better chance to notice it
on a overall clean engine than on an engine which is normally greasy...

 

I hope in your home you clean not only rooms where you invite guests ;-)

 

I do, but I don't clean my unconverted roofspace, or the space beneath
my ground floor boards.

 

See... this is a bad analogy, because I am also not cleaning between
the doors panels or inside permanently closed suspension profiles...

I clean the engine compartment which I *often* visit to do my visual
inspections, regular maintenance and possible repairs and I want
this area to be relatively clean and in order.

Dont get me wrong - I am not telling you why you should clean your
engine and risk this horrible destruction to your wiring harnesses,
bearings and seals I just state what I do with my cars and why I do
it...

 

You described exactly my reasons for cleaning the engine. I figure that
was also the thinking of that Honda service shop when they suggested it
about 10 years ago. But I believe they used steam which is not as risky
as using water under pressure.

DB

 

wrong - steam is much worse.

 

based on your performance here to date, you wouldn't know a problem if
it bit you on the ass.

that's "inexperienced" and "recognize". don't you have spell checkers
where you come from?

other than that, inability to recognize parts is simply ridiculous.

"clean" engines rust. ask tegger.

 

Let me put it this way - I got this car when it had 47k, now it has 246k.
If there is a problem there and it still allows car to make happily 200k
with the problem there than the problem is not that serious, agree?

No, I do not. Do you have a problem with that?

You are fee to have the opinion.

Where do they rust? Can I see this rust?

 

Why do you think is it worse? Because of temperature?

 

They corrode wherever exposed metal is (steel, iron or aluminum). In a
North-eastern climate you will get LOTS of corrosion on a clean engine.
It'a actually better in those cases to leave oily grime on to prevent
corrosion, especially on electrical connectors and bare aluminum.

My engine bay has been treated with the "drippy" rustproofing every year
since new. It's a horrible mess and filthy to work on, but there's zero
corrosion wherever the oily film has managed to stick. It's that fact which
prevents me from getting the engine bay cleaned, as much as I'd like a
clean engine bay.

 

vapor [steam] penetrates where liquid can't. temperature can be a
factor also, but the effect of that depends on the material in question.
the steam used for cleaning is typically super-heated and many
electrical insulator vinyls tend to have problems once you get above 100'C.

 

aw, you're spoiling his fun...

 

And? How is it a problem?

I would not be surprised if the temperature in the engine compartment
crosses 100'C on a regular basis (every sunny summer Nevada day
during iddling in the traffic). Cables will survive steam just fine, no
problem.

p.s. is what you have written here a guesswork or you have a reputable
source of this fears of yours?