Steam cleaning engine

hi

My neighbour said i could borrow his karcher steam cleaner

The reason behind it is prior to me taking the inlet manifold off is to see if i have any leaks anywhere, ie: rocker cover etc,

i was thinking of using it on my engine instead of using a pressure washer, my only concern is the amount of electronics, sensors etc that are in the engine bay.

Hope you didnt mind me asking but i know there are far more experianced people on here ,

I of course will keep away from the fuse/ecu units but concerned if i get near a sensor, ie: MAF,Camshaft sensors etc.will screw them up

Has anyone else used a steamer in the engine bay

all the best

gary

Of course you can steam clean an engine but you need to take a few precautions against damaging sensitive parts.

To soften the grease and grunge collected on your engine compartment, start the engine, let it warm up for a few minutes and shut it off. The proper cleaning temperature of the engine is warm but not hot. If you can just hold your hand to the engine without burning it, then it is warm enough to clean. As the engine cools to proper temperature, use the time to cover the few openings on the motor that dislike ingesting water. The air intake/air filter, the distributor, the coil and the oil dipstick/breather are among the few sensitive areas.

Use plastic Bags and rubber bands to cover the air intake/air filter(s) and the distributor/coil. Place a double layer of Bags over the air intake and secure with a couple of rubber bands. Use a pair of large size Bags to cover the distributor and plug wires around the distributor cap. This may be difficult to seal, but the idea is to prevent significant amounts of water possibly shorting out the distributor. If the cap is in good condition, it will be waterproof, so this is only a preventative measure. The coil is also waterproof, so Bags are again a preventative measure. Check the tightness of the oil filler cap, the power steering filler cap, windshield washer fluid cap, oil dip stick, battery filler caps and all other engine compartment opening caps and secure bags over them with rubber bands.

In general you need to protect more in a petrol engine as opposed to a diesel. Remember work from top to bottom to allow all the crap to run off

Use your common sense. The stronger the spray, the more likely you will get water in sensitive parts. If all areas are properly protected, you should have no problems with a stronger spray. If any areas need additional cleaning, repeat as necessary

thanks so much, i have a 2002 TD4 auto freelander,

just a thought would it be worth getting a waterproof spray from halfords to protect electrical connections etc.

the steamer runs at 3.5 bar which im not sure is very powerful for a steamer.

thanks so much for the great advice will get a box of rubber bands and bags,

also when i take off the inlet manifold i was going to use the steamer to clean inside the manifold as ive read it can get full of crap.

must admit didnt think about warming the engine up, great advice

it comes with a very fine spray pencil nozzle so can direct it very well, without it going everywhere like a high pressure washer would

huge thanks again to you really appreciate you taking the time

all the best

gary