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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Engine/Drivetrain => Topic started by: str8bloc on March 01, 2012, 05:54:41 pm
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i have a engine im about to paint would a steam cleaner work better or would scrubbing it by hand its out of the truck i also figured i could steam clean the engine bay what do you think
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Steam cleaning will work especially if it has any pressure behind it. just make sure you protect any electronics in the engine bay befor you start blasting. You may still have to do it by hand but steaming them both will make a huge dent.. pluse you will have a spare hand for a beer..... Is the engine in the truck? It it complete or just the block? If its a complete engine make sure you are careful of any ports especially intake and even if you are sure you didn't get any in the engine it would be cheap insurance to change the oil afterward, Or if it is fresh oil drain if first and put it back in after pulling the pan plug again to make sure theres not any water in that bad boy...
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the engines out i wanna paint it ive scrubed it and its almost there i figured it would help ill take pics of it
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The steam won't hurt a thing as long as you keep it out of the intake and the oil. I cannot caution you enough to take the few extra minuets to make sure you don't have any in the cylinders by taking the plugs out and rolling it over. But don't spray any carb/brake cleaner or eather in them because products like this tend to wipe the cylinder walls of any and all oil which will lead to ring failure at the very least.
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People get "steam cleaning" confused on many levels. There is a difference between high pressure washing with hot water and steam cleaning. Steam is produced after 312 degrees and always should be done at 500 PSI and lower. (actual steam can not be trapped and is very dangerous at high pressure), on the other hand most high pressure washers can do pressures up to 5000 psi with water up to 250 degrees. (I sell a full line of cold and hot pressure washers and steam cleaners at my job).
Now to clean your engine, since it is out of the truck. Use old spark plugs to cover up the spark plug holes, best to make a plate/cover of some kind to cover the head area and intake area. Try to concentrate the majority of the blast to the areas where you want cleaned. I would use about 2000 psi, this should be enough with a good grade cleaner and you should be able to remove everything you need to paint it with minimum amount of clean up after wards.