Hi,
I have an '08 2LT with 2.4 automatic. Are there any special precautions I need to take if I decide to have my engine steam cleaned and what would something this normally cost to have done?

Thanks

 

Give this thread a read...

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/appe...ng-tips-13364/

As far as cost to have it done, give a couple of your local detailing shops a call.

 

Thanks for the link, I appreciate it! Good read and I think I will contact some detail shops as I don't have mechanical inclination whatsoever and would be too worried about "mucking" (replace one letter with "F") :) it up!

 

then let those detail guys clean her up, that's what they do for a living!

 

"steam" cleaning engines is pretty much the same as "steam" cleaning carpets. You spray a bunch of your favorite de-greaser (Green,Red, Purple etc) on everything you can see, let is sit for a while then hose it down with hot water. Scrub any stubborn parts.

Plug up intake tubes. Remove the air intake hose, or it will be destroyed. No distributor, so no worries about electronics getting wet. There is supposed to be a large paper broadcast label on the head, it will probably be lost, it's to tell the provenance of the engine.

 

Every few months I just pop the hood while I'm at the car wash and wash the engine bay and engine off. I do not cover anything special but I do shut the engine off so it does not suck in any water. I've been doing this since we got the car a few years back.

In the old days I always made sure I had a can of WD-40 along when I would wash the engine in my other cars. It helped dry things out if/when they would get drowned out, so far the HHR just fires right up and has no problems.

 

I'm old, I still use the original GUNK to clean the engine bay. Don't tell anybody but over the years I read the directions, not all at one time, because of course men don't read directions. Seems to work well and I have never had a problem with it.........

 

Problem I have found with GUNK is aluminum doesn't like it much. Fine for cast iron.