Engine cleaning question...

Well warm weather has finally arrived in Va Beach, we had a cold spell for a couple of weeks(high 50s in June!?), so I am warming up and getting restless to work on the 'stang.
I washed and waxed her to get the winter grime off and detailed my interior. But what I want to know is this:

Can I use a steam cleaner to safely clean my engine?
At Walmart (my second job) they have a Scunci steam cleaner. Here is a link:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3864094

Let me know what you guys think. I don't want to wipe out any sensors or anything, but I do want a clean engine bay, in my family that is a must. My Dad and brother both have clean engine bays and I don't want to feel outshined...
 
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Willy0314 said:
some simple green, a stiff brush and a garden hose go a long way too.
I wholeheartedly agree with Willy! Save yourself $50 on the steam cleaner. Spray some Gunk engine cleaner on it, go to the car wash and spend $3 in quarters to get most of the grease and grime off.
Then spend a Saturday afternoon with some Simple Green, stiff brush, lots of clean rags and maybe a couple of cans of spray paint. It's all about attention to detail! :banana:
 
I wouldnt steam clean your engine bay. I agree with evintho, save yourself the $50. I detail cars for a living at the local ford dealer, so I've shampooed an engine bay or two.

All I do is I take some really strong multi-purpose cleaner and soak the entire engine bay in that. (However, if your car is a 87-90 with a dizzy then you are going to want to cover that, but if it is a dizzyless ignition then it shouldn't be a problem) Once your entire engine bay is soaked and it has sat for a couple minutes then just take yourself a pressure washer and spray all that crap out of there. It'll actually really surprise you how well it works. If you dont have a pressure washer at home then just take it down to the Do It Yourself Car wash and shampoo it all there. Also, if you dont have any multi purpose cleaner then I'd say just go down to your local auto parts supplier and grab a can of Gunk engine degreaser or whatever they stock.

If you really want to get into it then you can certaintly take a trusty old toothbrush and scrub down your throttle body and intakes and any other stubborn spots. Last but not least, another trick you can do is to take some tire dressing that you can also find at the auto parts store and go over any black plastic that you may find under there. It should work well on your valve cover as well (if its black like mine) and even PVC if you have a black CAI. Anyhow, good luck, try to take some before and after pics if at all possible.

Any other questions just shoot.
 
JamesBaumann said:
I wouldnt steam clean your engine bay. I agree with evintho, save yourself the $50. I detail cars for a living at the local ford dealer, so I've shampooed an engine bay or two.

All I do is I take some really strong multi-purpose cleaner and soak the entire engine bay in that. (However, if your car is a 87-90 with a dizzy then you are going to want to cover that, but if it is a dizzyless ignition then it shouldn't be a problem) Once your entire engine bay is soaked and it has sat for a couple minutes then just take yourself a pressure washer and spray all that crap out of there. It'll actually really surprise you how well it works. If you dont have a pressure washer at home then just take it down to the Do It Yourself Car wash and shampoo it all there. Also, if you dont have any multi purpose cleaner then I'd say just go down to your local auto parts supplier and grab a can of Gunk engine degreaser or whatever they stock.

If you really want to get into it then you can certaintly take a trusty old toothbrush and scrub down your throttle body and intakes and any other stubborn spots. Last but not least, another trick you can do is to take some tire dressing that you can also find at the auto parts store and go over any black plastic that you may find under there. It should work well on your valve cover as well (if its black like mine) and even PVC if you have a black CAI. Anyhow, good luck, try to take some before and after pics if at all possible.

Any other questions just shoot.


Castrol Super Clean works fine.
Before
P4080605.sized.jpg

After
P5080652.sized.jpg


This was no scrubbing a garden hose and super clean. But yeah I should of scrubbed the intake down. I did use armor all which is fine as long as you dont get it on your alternator. luckily on a mustang its a lot easier to cover than on an avenger.

fyi been detailing for almost 8 years straight now.
 
freakintiger said:
I read all of your posts guys, but I had a bad expierience with a pressure washer. I took one of my former Crown Vics to a car wash, and when I left the bay my car was all messed up! She really didn't run right again!
Thanks for the info! Now I have some options to consider.
remember 1 foot away with the power sprayer not 1 inch :lol: lol sorry had to. :rlaugh: :nonono:
 
freakintiger said:
Good advice. I actually had the nozzle shoved beneath the manifold(5.0), I think I was being much too thorough... :(

"If nobody tells me-how will I know?"
lol
ok indirect spray 1 foot or further away. Do not aim a concentrated stream at the Dizzy or alarm similar. Other than this your safe. Its kind of like you dont take a garden hose to with a directed nozzle and spray right at the window seal. Same thing here. Not trying to make you look or feel dumb just an example.
 
89Stang said:
lol
ok indirect spray 1 foot or further away. Do not aim a concentrated stream at the Dizzy or alarm similar. Other than this your safe. Its kind of like you dont take a garden hose to with a directed nozzle and spray right at the window seal. Same thing here. Not trying to make you look or feel dumb just an example.

Thanks for the info, noone has ever told me specifics like this before. I feel a bit better about taking a pressure washer under my hood now!

I was thinking about it last night and considered I might have blown a vaccuum line off the 'Vic from under the intake. Shame I can't travel back(in time)and find out.
 
I always use a plastic bag to cover my altenator first. Then I use Castrol Purple degreaser from Wal-Mart to get it real clean. Spray off with hose. Then I my shop vac to blow off all the excess water. I try to get it as dry as possible before spraying Son of a Gun on all the black parts, which is most of the engine :rolleyes: Let it dry for a couple of hrs and its all done. There are a few parts that need just a little wiping, but for the most part, no wiping. Here is the results:
492429_138_full.jpg
 
JamesBaumann said:
89stang - glowstang93

Both engine bays looks real good. My hats off to ya.
Thanks


Superclean really wont hurt the alternator however anything similar to armor all can causeyour alternator to go out within a matter of blocks so make sure to take great care in not getting any on your alternator. bag it or just be careful. You can also do your distributor cap however I never had a problem. But then again I detail probably around 20 engine bays a day this way....
 
pardon my ignorance, but what is a "dizzy"? some of you mention it but i don't know what you mean. i'm trying to find out what i need to protect before wetting the engine bay. other than covering the alternator and perhaps the distributor cap, is there anything else?

thanks in advance!
 
stanatic said:
pardon my ignorance, but what is a "dizzy"? some of you mention it but i don't know what you mean. i'm trying to find out what i need to protect before wetting the engine bay. other than covering the alternator and perhaps the distributor cap, is there anything else?

thanks in advance!
dizzy = distributor