Hi all,

I've got a stock 996TT that's had the wing hydraulics replaced twice in the past year. In both instances, the entire fluid contents of the master cylinder spewed into the engine bay. Now every time it rains or the car is washed hydraulic fluid seeps out from under the engine cover. Sometimes hours after I've dried it. I'd like take care of this finally, and I thought that having the entire engine bay (especially the inside of cover/hood/trunk/whatever-it's-called) steam cleaned would do the trick. Anything I should be worried about before asking a detailer to do this? Any horror stories?

Note: I did search for "steam cleaning" and detailing, but I didn't run across anything as specific as what I think you guys can tell me. Besides, it really is specific to this car and its quirks.

Thanks.

 

Fixed whale tail. No more problems and it looks better.

 

I second the suggestion on getting a fixed tail (Aerokit wing or GT2 decklid). Eliminates the problem and you shave some weight from the rear of the car.

As for steam cleaning of engine bay, some detailers recommend covering electrical components with plastic bags before proceeding. Might want to give that a try for extra insurance.

 

I did mine last weekend.. came our really well (although I was removing 8 years of general road grime and drips of oil here and there so not sure how this method would cope with hydralic oil) - DIY as follows:

0) Warm car up first to deposits as fluid as liquid as possible
1) Cover up airfilter/intake
2) Spray whole engine bay with degreasing solution such as 'Gunk'
3) Leave 15 mins to work
4) Get bucket of boiling hot water with generous qty of detergent (washing up liquid) and a dustpan from a dust pan and brush (you need the long bristle's to get in/around stuff)
5) Dunk brush in water and scrub engine bay liberally to agitate the cleaner
6) Get a watering can and fill with fresh hot water and detergent - attach a fine rose (end) and carefully wash off the Gunk.
7) Then refill with fresh hot water and rinse off detergent and associated muck.

I wouldn't go with a high pressure solution (jetwash or steam) as this could blast water into connectors/electrics, pull of hoses that are push fit like those on the N75 valve, blast dirt into the alternator brushes/bearings etc. Try the gental approach first.

The Gunk product I used is here - I would image any similar degreaser should work:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/s...-1_MFName_Gunk

Good luck and I hope this helps you.

Cheers,

Jim

 

I have a lot of experience with doing engine degreasing... Do the following...

1) Drive car to the local do it yourself car wash

2) Turn off car

3) Spray down everywhere with diluted simple green 10:1 water to simple green (Check the bottle to be sure) in a windex style spray bottle

4) Let sit for only a few minutes

5) Start car, insert money, set to high pressure rinse and spray off the solution which will look soapy

6) Keep car running until it's dry, you can also drive home since it should be mostly dry after driving for at least 10-15 minutes

Horror story....

DO NOT USE GREASED LIGHTNING UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I followed the dilution rules on the bottle and ruined a brand new stainless steal set of header and a stainless barbeque grill. It discolored anything I used it on.

 

Sorry about the tremendous delay; work got truly out of hand. Thanks for the tips and the PMs. While I ended up taking some of your advice regarding technique, I didn't do it myself. My local detailer did take the advice, specifically with respect to covering the intake (which I observed). The rear bumper is now free of grimy drip marks for the first time since the week after I bought it.

Edit: Forgot to respond to you two advocating for the fixed wing. I like the way this looks on a coupe, but on the cab I think it may look a little silly. If anyone has a photo that they think disputes this, I'd appreciate you posting it.

Thanks!

 

I'm not sure of the weight of the GT2 decklid and wing, but the aerokit wing is heavy and has been removed by some track guys for a lighter variation.