steam cleaning the engine

A

andrew

Guest
Do you advice it?
My mates gti-r has a mag feature and he wants the car to look spot on, would there be any problems steam cleaning, then blowing it dry?
 
O

Odin

Guest
Andrew said:
Do you advice it?
My mates gtir has a mag feature and he wants the car to look spot on, would there be any problems steam cleaning, then blowing it dry?
Click to expand...
Should be ok if you keep the water off the electrics and the plug holes ;-) ;-) , I'd cover the dizzy with a plastic bag first though ;-) .


Rob
 
Last edited by a moderator:
stumo

stumo

Active Member
I personally wouldn't.

you'd be better off getting some Jizzer or Fenwicks caravan cleaner (i kid you not) and then washing it off with a hose.
 
O

Odin

Guest
AJ4 said:
That should be easy for Rob, his engine gets covered in jizz every day :lol:
Click to expand...

I worry about you two :roll: I really do :der: :der: :der: :der: .




Rob

ps get a room
 
A

andrew

Guest
come on guys be seriuos, the feature is tomorrow what do we do?
hand clean with wet cloth and polish or steam clean??
 
GTiR_Mic

GTiR_Mic

New Member
I used that Jizzer to clean up my engine block, only done a quick job on it and it came up quite good. While the engine is out im going to do the same to the engine bay as well. Might do the block again but use a better brush and use a tooth brush as well to get into the hard to reach bits.

Mic
 
A

andrew

Guest
don't know weather to take that as a joke or not?????

Anyway been looking at yahoo, seen this

so is the gti-r engine classed as a mordern engine, i thought not?






engine steam cleaning? - GazKaz new Thu 29 Jan 04 18:00

Hi all

I'm in the process of selling my Saxo, and I'm thinking of getting the engine and bay steam cleaned.

My question is, is this safe to do so?

Thanks all.
Reply to this message | Report message as offensive

engine steam cleaning? - Halmer new Thu 29 Jan 04 18:23

I was warned off doing my old Golf because the electronic connections have some sort of sealant or something on them?
Reply to this message | Report message as offensive

engine steam cleaning? - Dynamic Dave new Thu 29 Jan 04 18:47

There are several arguments to steam cleaning.

1. If you're not careful you can damage electrical components, or engine seals.

2. A potential buyer might be put off by a *sparkling* engine and wonder why it is so clean. Is the seller trying to hide something? New engine, or recent rebuild work, etc.

3. A reasonably dirty engine isn't such a bad thing - providing there are no fresh oil stains or dribbles. It can show that it is genuine, and does the job an engine is supposed to do.
Reply to this message | Report message as offensive

engine steam cleaning? - Maz new Thu 29 Jan 04 18:52

If you do want a shiny engine you might find a professional outfit to do it.

There's one near me that charges about £25.
Reply to this message | Report message as offensive

engine steam cleaning? - autumnboy new Thu 29 Jan 04 20:15

One thing to bear in mind,

your engine bay will most likely have a wax coating to protect itself aswell as the oil moisture that will be there.

If you remove these and with the weather we have at the moment with the salted roads, you will leave yourself open for corrosion to set in, on your engine and body panels etc.
Reply to this message | Report message as offensive

engine steam cleaning? - RoadDevil new Thu 29 Jan 04 21:25

Why not get some Gunk engine cleaner, paint it on with an old paint brush and then hose it off with a hose without silly pressure. I have done this in the past both to tidy up the appearance and also to avoid getting absolutly filthy when doing a job under the bonnet, ie, timingbelt change. Much safer, you can go carefully near seals and the electrics.
Reply to this message | Report message as offensive

engine steam cleaning? - MW new Fri 30 Jan 04 12:10

I too am aware of the waterproof/electrics argument, and with so much delicate electrics around a full pressure wash may be risky. However a clean engine in my experience does impress and is so much nicer to work on. You can also see leaks and trouble earlier. In the past I have used Gunk and its Commer equivailents, and have had no trouble. I did dry out connections and electrical pins with a hairdrier, and covered the brake hydraulics with a plastic bag. Do it with the battery out. By the way, I find that buyers are more impressed by a very clean battery. It is probably better to clean the engine when you buy the car, then doesn't look too clean. Do clean the sump of grease etc to improve oil cooling flows for summer. A clean radiator will also show up leaks well.
Reply to this message | Report message as offensive

engine steam cleaning? - Galaxy new Fri 30 Jan 04 12:27

I would advise against steam cleaning on a modern car with so much electronics under the bonnet. I've certainly never done mine, and I wouldn't, either.

Good results can be obtained by applying neat washing-up liquid, using a paintbrush to loosen the engine dirt, then washing off with a low pressure hose, or a watering can.

You can even leather off the bits you can get to with an old leather!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top