To steam clean or not to steam clean?

[24OZ]

I was told that if you leave the engine running while the cleaning is being done, I shouldnt experience any problems?

I have EFI installed in the car, which may not help matters...

What are your views/experiences?

Should I go for it or do I have to painstakingly use a damp sponge and do a bit at a time :sleepy:

Also, what is exactly steam cleaning, a local car wash firm near me say they do steam cleaning. When i watched someone elses car being done, it seemed as if it ws just the jet hose .. no different to the jet house they use to wash the exterior of the car... I was hoping to see steam

Thanks

[billcapp]

I will occasionally wash down my engine using a degreaser without it running and then use a pressure washer to rinse it with the engine running. I've never experienced any problems. I try not to soak the distributor.

True steam cleaning is done at some companies. I don't think it is actually steam though it looks like it.

[2ManyZs]

"Steam cleaning" is nothing more than hot water through a pressure hose.

If you use the right cleaner, you really only need a pressure washer.

Spray the inside of the cap and rotor with WD-40 before you start, and if it won't start afterwards, spray a little more in the cap and in the ends of the plug wires...

I've used full strength Simple Green, let it soak a bit, and then used the pressure washer on the parts car and got pretty good results. Car hasn't run in 10 years so I don't know if it did anything or not....

[ZmeFly]

all you really need is a good degreaser and a pressure washer, do not soak the distributor or the throttle valve switch.

you should be fine

[beandip]

warm up the engine first, it helps to dry things out . The wd-40 is right on the mark. I use gunk and or Simple Green . Ijust bought a degreaser at Costco that really seams to do the job and smells better than the others. what ever you do keep the module dry if y ou can. Another thing that works good is to connect the hose to the drain on the water heater , that is if it is in the garage , the hot water really helps to melt the grease. It's good to drain the water heater this way , it helps remove the sediment at the bottom of the tank. :classic:

[TKR514]

I never "steam clean", but a trip to the public car wash works well enough. Once a year and the crud is controlled. If it's been a while, you can use some engine de-greaser to spot cover some parts before cleaning.

Only cautions are do not soak the distributor or AFM. They usually are not dirty and they have almost zero protection from high pressure water. No real worries except for those parts.

[24OZ]

Thanks all for the great advice.. I will use the WD40 and avoid the sensitive areas.

Cheers