How and where do you get a steam cleaner to clean the engine compartment (or other) or get it done? Is it hard to use? Can you use it only in the engine compartment?

 

Google "dry steam cleaner engine"

 

Anyone have experience with any of them?

 

Griot's has a fine portable steam cleaner just for automotive use.
http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...Picks&refType=
And after it's all fresh and clean, you can make it sparkle with this stuff.
http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...Picks&refType=

 

Thank you Fnb - btw, LOVE the name!

 

just search 'steam cleaner'

at HomeDepot.com or Amazon and a whole bunch will pop up from $99 up ....

nothing wrong with the Griot's one, but I use one that costs half as much. Clean my 79's engine an average of once a year. Does a good job on the shower too! Bye Bye soap scum with no chemicals.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/SteamFast...-100645493-_-N

 

From the things I have been reading, you want a 'dry steam' cleaner. I haven't seen those at Home Depot.

 

well I've been using a wet one since 2004 with no damage so I guess it is OK ....

I dunno what dry steam is .... altho "Sand Pebbles" introduced me to "live steam" and "dead steam"

searching "dry steam cleaner" I find: Our best of class steam cleaners sanitize and disinfect by using only water to dry steam at levels of 240°F and above.

It then went on to show products that I would have thought were "wet"

??????????

btw ... do you know what happens to your garment when it is "dry cleaned"?

 

lol. I get your point - hence my questions. I have never used a steam cleaner - other than for the carpet.

 

Just watch the engine bay and around electrical components.

 

Care to elaborate?

 

Don't spray right near or on the top of the engine near the coils, also not near the ECU or main wire harness.

 

when you simply boil water you get steam mixed with a small amount of condensed water vapor. (Its the entrained water that you actually see as white smoke)
Dry steam has that water extracted by further heating the vapor or some other method. The dry steam effectively heats the surface you are cleaning better and leaves less water, although the dry steam obviously will condense and make things somewhat wet.
I have no idea how important this is for engine cleaning, it seems to be more about getting things hot enough to kill germs.

 

steam = heated water ... heated until vaporization

heat with no water is hot air

I took enuf chemistry to learn this one . . . and worked around steam on ships for many many years

but no matter .. for the question in hand

some try to clean their engine compartment with pressure cleaners and the high pressure water can EASILY get into places you don't want it to go .....

STEAM on the other hand can cut the gunk at much lower pressure due to the heat ... so it tends to not get driven into seals and gaskets and other things hence is much safer around the engine

While a ship captain I had my galley cleaned with steam annually .....

 

Capt .. I will take your suggestion and head to HD and look at their steam cleaners. Anything specific I should look for?

 

Ok..it's a funny marketing term to describe hot air that is not 100% supersaturated with water....but think it gets a general point across....kinda like the old George Carlin jokes about plastic glasses and military intelligence....