Owning a car means taking on several responsibilities to ensure you have a safe, problem-free, and roadworthy vehicle. These include checking your tyres monthly, changing your oil and oil filters on schedule, and checking belts and hoses regularly. Changing the oil and cleaning the engine are important car maintenance tasks you have to do routinely as well. You’ll likely find doing all these overwhelming if you’re a first-time car owner. However, not knowing how to do them and having a hectic schedule are not sufficient reasons to skip doing them. The good news is you can have professionals handle all these key maintenance services. Trained mechanics and technicians can inspect your tyres, battery, and other parts, provide oil change and engine cleaner services, and conduct the checks and fixes your car needs to run smoothly and safely.
The Importance of Having a Clean Engine
Like the other components of your vehicle, a clean engine plays a vital role in helping you drive a roadworthy car. This is because cleaning the engine allows you to:
1. Have a safe, smooth-running vehicle.
Cleaning the car engine entails removing the debris and deposits found inside and outside this part. When you skip this important routine car maintenance step, you allow dirt, dust, and grime to accumulate on the engine. This build-up will make it harder for the motor to work optimally, which will affect the overall condition and performance of your vehicle. Routine cleaning allows you to get rid of all dirt, debris, and grime and prevent them from accumulating in your engine. Because of this, you won’t have to deal with sudden mechanical failure and other issues the build-up can cause. You’ll also notice that your engine’s performance will improve significantly when it is free of the build-up. You’ll be able to drive your vehicle more smoothly and efficiently. Lastly, removing the dirt and grime build-up means you can prevent them from moving to other parts, which can damage them or interfere with their normal operations.
2. Keep the engine oil clean and optimally working.
An unclean engine can cause the oil to get dirty quicker. When this happens, contaminated oil will circulate in and around the engine and other parts, spreading the dirt and contaminants to these components. And this will cause a variety of vehicular problems. Extensive dirt build-up can cause the engine to overheat. This component can generate more heat, which leads to its premature damage. Engine fires can be caused by excessive build-up as well. Although they are uncommon, the risk can increase if the motor is dirty. Cleaning the engine ensures it is free of dirt, grime, and other contaminants that could be ignited by the hot temperatures, thus ensuring you have a safe ride.
3. Get a clearer picture of your car’s health.
A clean engine lets you see labels and measurement gauges faster and easily check and refill car fluids. Moreover, leaks are the leading cause of motor failures. When the engine and its other components are covered with dirt, dust, and grime, you’ll have a hard time detecting them since the fluid can get trapped in the build-up. Steam cleaning removes all the dirt, dust, and other substances covering the damaged, leaking parts. Because of this, you’ll be able to check and have them repaired or replaced immediately when necessary. And this will go a long way in preventing more complex and expensive issues that can be caused by leaking parts.
4. Extend the engine’s lifespan.
As mentioned, a dirty, grimy engine works harder, which can cause overheating and other problems, all of which can shorten its lifespan. Additionally, a dirty engine can lead to rusty and clogged inlets, outlets, and interior passageways. These can affect the motor’s condition and function as well. On the other hand, a clean engine functions more smoothly and with less strain, which means you’ll unlikely deal with problems that can lead to premature damage. If you want to maintain the good performance of your engine and increase its overall lifespan, follow the recommendations and your vehicle owner’s manual regarding motor cleaning.
5. Save money and avoid inconveniences.
A clean engine can make it easier for you to catch issues while they are still small and manageable. Because of this, you’ll avoid unexpected and expensive repairs, which you have to pay when the motor becomes extensively damaged. Also, you won’t need to replace sensitive car parts that can be affected by dirt and contaminants often. Moreover, you’ll avoid the inconvenience, stress, and headache of having a car that breaks down in the middle of nowhere or won’t start when you need to go somewhere urgently. With routine engine cleaning, your overall vehicular maintenance and repair costs will be lower since there will be less rust and corrosion.
Engine Cleaning Methods
There are different methods used for cleaning a car engine. The most popular and recommended ones are:
1. Pressure washing
The most popular way of cleaning an engine is by pressure washing it and using an engine grease remover over the engine bay. A trained mechanic or technician is the best person to pressure wash an engine since it requires using a specialised machine and cleaning products, which can damage sensitive parts when done incorrectly.
2. Steam engine cleaning
This process uses steam instead of pressurised water to clean the engine. It doesn’t need chemicals and other cleaning products since the steam can remove the dirt and grease build-up from the various parts. Steam engine cleaning should be done by professionals since they need to use specialised equipment and go through the process correctly to provide the best results.
3. Hot tank engine cleaning
This method involves soaking the dirty, grimy engine components in hot water or caustic chemicals. This process is effective in cleaning and removing heavy build-up. Hot tank engine cleaning usually takes several hours. Since it calls for the use of chemicals and removal of certain parts, it is best to have professionals handle this.
4. Engine carbon cleaning
This complex cleaning process aims to remove the carbon deposits in some parts of the car and engine that often cause performance problems. Like most of the other methods, engine carbon cleaning requires the use of special machines, tools, and chemicals to remove carbon deposits and other substances. As such, it should only be done by trained automotive technicians. If you want a reliable, safe car you can drive every day or for your memorable getaways, don’t neglect the essential vehicle maintenance practice of keeping your engine clean.