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  #1  
Old 11-19-2006, 07:56 PM
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Steam power washing the engine

I want to steam power wash the engine and compartment. Is there anything to be careful of? I know not to do it hot. Is there any place I should not direct the water?...The engine is covered in oil and it's has gotten all over the fender wells, etc. I want to clean it so I start tracing down the leak sources...Thanks...

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Old 11-19-2006, 07:59 PM
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?? not hot?? how can you use steam that is not hot?

Quote:
Originally Posted by dezul313 View Post
I want to steam power wash the engine and compartment. Is there anything to be careful of? I know not to do it hot. Is there any place I should not direct the water?...The engine is covered in oil and it's has gotten all over the fender wells, etc. I want to clean it so I start tracing down the leak sources...Thanks...
with my car, I sprayed the degreaser foam and let is soak about an hour, then rinsed off with a hose, no pressure, then used pressure to blast off the cake from the front and sides of the motor... pressure in the fenders and such with care. stay away from the brake master cylinder. while you are at it, blow out from the inside out the radiator and condenser.
John
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Old 11-19-2006, 08:24 PM
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Not hot being the engine not hot...
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  #4  
Old 11-19-2006, 08:27 PM
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never spray a hot IP... or engine...
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Old 11-19-2006, 08:42 PM
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I would recommend the gunk type spray process mentioned previously, maybe with the addition of hot water.

I recently used my power washer on it's lowest setting (i get 60psi from the hose, low PW settting is ~100) and had it hooked up directly to the hot water heater (~130F) for its water source.

Was a waste of time. Cleaned off dirt but nothing remotely greasy or oily.

This was on my 99 which really wasnt dirty anyways so chalked it up to expirience and called it a day.

IMHO if to be used w/o some sort of cleaner you must have steam (i.e.: under pressure and above 212f) and lots of it.
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Old 11-19-2006, 09:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TMAllison View Post
I would recommend the gunk type spray process mentioned previously, maybe with the addition of hot water.

I recently used my power washer on it's lowest setting (i get 60psi from the hose, low PW settting is ~100) and had it hooked up directly to the hot water heater (~130F) for its water source.

Was a waste of time. Cleaned off dirt but nothing remotely greasy or oily.

This was on my 99 which really wasnt dirty anyways so chalked it up to expirience and called it a day.

IMHO if to be used w/o some sort of cleaner you must have steam (i.e.: under pressure and above 212f) and lots of it.
All you need is a couple cans of WD40 and a toothbrish, Does a marvelous job!! wipe it off then a light spray from simple green or similar degreaser Voila!
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Old 11-19-2006, 10:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dezul313 View Post
Is there anything to be careful of? I know not to do it hot. Is there any place I should not direct the water?...
Put a baggie over the glow plug relay.

Make a drawing of your vacuum hoses, in case you blow some of them loose.
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  #8  
Old 11-20-2006, 10:27 AM
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Don't do it. Use Simple Green Extreme, it's the truth, I bought it at Autozone.

I've used lots of Gunk foaming engine brite, STP, lots of others, they're okay at best. Brake cleaner works for tough stuff but most engine cleaners are pretty weak.

Went in to buy some more Gunk a month ago to clean my daughter's engine, decided to try this Simple Green Extreme, it works SO MUCH BETTER!!

I ended up with a clean engine, clean white fenders, and not as caustic as most of the cleaners.

Spray on a warm engine (trigger sprayer), hose off after a few minutes, repeat for areas missed or heavy buildup. Stay away from fuseboxes etc. if possible. On my car I sprayed directly on the IP, since I was using low-pressure hose water to rinse it isn't as likely to damage or drive water into electrical items.

Good stuff.

- Jeff

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'87 300Dt
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  #9  
Old 11-20-2006, 01:21 PM
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I ran my car up to operating temp., left it running, hooked the hose to the hot water heater, and sprayed the engine with a pressure washer with a nice fan spray (no 0 degree needle sprays). This worked great. It blasted all the oil and grime off right down to the bare metal. I didn't worry too much about electrical stuff, I just didn't hit it directly.

I also used a can of gunk engine cleaner, but I'm not sure it was really needed. You could probably just spray it with kerosene or diesel fuel a lot cheaper, that's what the gunk smelled like anyways. I think a warm engine, hot water, and a strong spray was sufficient though, unless you want a truely detailed job. Then you may need a toothbrush and a good degreaser.

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