Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

[GinsuGuy585]

So one of my friends at work said he steam cleaned his engine by using a garden hose nozzle.

Apparently he took off the intake at the carb, started the engine and let it get hit, had someone give the engine a little gas, and sprayed the mist into the carb for a few min.

He changed his plugs afterward (in case carbon deposits breaking off fouled them) and they were CLEAN.


Anyone tried this? I know with the seafoam treatment you are supposed to let it stall out the engine, but this is a little different.



I'm thinking of supplying this to the mythbusters crew.

[josh98bird]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

you do that and let us know how it turns out

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

dude, i wouldn't do that.

[Sean_99_3.8]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

-double post-

[Sean_99_3.8]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

WTF?
Yea do it and let us know how it went

[GinsuGuy585]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

I'm more opposed to doing it because it's such a b* to take out my plugs (I'd want to see if it worked.)

I found a few mentions of this technique online, and so far all I see is praise. No stories of blown engines. I need an oil change soon, I'll probably do this right before the change.

[Sean_99_3.8]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

water inside engine usually=bad

[eazy_e6996]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

ive killed many a 4x4 engine with water sounds a little fishy

[cam98aro]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

ok, for one thing, if he had the car running and used the hose and sprayed water into it, the engine would hydrolock.

and i have no idea how it is possible to "take the intake off of the carb" because the carb sits on the intake.

now, it IS possible to do this, after the engine is warmed up, you can pour a tiny bit of water down the carb, it will make its way to the cylinders and the carbon will break off.

i wouldnt recommend doing it in any FI engine though

edit* there is nothing to submit to mythbusters, because it works.

[zlexiss]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

I think the key word from the OP is "mist"

[turbohead2332]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

I think the key word from the OP is "mist"

Mist = water. It would hydrolock. I'm staying with it that its a bad idea too.

[cam98aro]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

Mist = water. It would hydrolock. I'm staying with it that its a bad idea too.

yeah, you dont do it with the car running

[turbohead2332]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

yeah, you dont do it with the car running

I read that, but even still, wouldn't you get water inside the engine?

[bigbrian442]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

I wouldn't suggest doing it as described at the start of this thread, but pouring water in the carb as you hold the RPM up will clean the carbon out of the cylinders. Now you use a small amount of water, enough to knock the RPM down a bit, usually poured from a CUP. Plugs will come out looking brand new . This would clean the cylinders in a FI motor as well, but I wouldn't use a garden hose to do it. Maybe use a spray bottle or pressurized sprayer (one that you put the liquid in and then pump up) it doesn't take allot of water to do this. It is also not called STEAM CLEANING.

Brian

[GinsuGuy585]

Re: Engine steam clean - Garden hose?

Ok I think my first post was a bit misunderstood. You use a sprayer attachment with a mist setting and spray a fog of mist into a running engine while holding the throttle open enough to keep from killing the engine.

Pouring water in would only get to the first 2 cylinders, the fog would get all of them.

(I don't know who thought I meant to remove the carb, I meant to take the intake off of the carb.)