I'm seriously considering picking up a used hybrid this week and just wanted to know if it's safe to have a professional automotive detailer "steam clean" the engine bay? My parents and a couple friends have had this done to their cars before and it looked great. I'm not doing this for looks so much but the current owner lives on a gravel road and the engine bay is extremely dirty/dusty. I don't know the extra hybrid powertrain/electronics would pose a problem or possibly be effected? I do plan to call up a couple Honda dealerships tomorrow to get their opinion.

I can't help about Honda hybrids but I'd recommend two items real quickly:

1) get the maintenance manual - this will be your road map to the vehicle and systems.
2) replace all fluids and lubricants - assume they are contaminated with dirt and grit. Steam cleaning won't get the grit out.

GOOD LUCK!

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

Good advice, I would change the oil right away for sure. He said the owners manual recommends 7.5k-10k oil changes? I know some cars say that now, wasnt sure about the hybrids but he said (and showed receits) for oil changes every 5k with mobile 1 0w-20. The interior of the car was really clean, exterior in great shape, well taken care of car....just lived on a gravel road. Not a long drive on the gravel, more like an extended long gravel driveway.

What other fluids do you think should be changed? Car has 25k miles on it.

http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/goss/2514.shtml

I knew I remembered hearing this on Motorweek awhile ago. I have no person al experience, but it seems like in a hybrid there are a whole lot more wire connectors to become damaged. I don't know anyone who's steam cleaned their hybrid engine, and I certainly wouldn't risk it. I would, however, consider using a pressure washer as Goss mentions in the article.

-Justin Fons
www.MilwaukeeHybridGroup.com

I bought my 03 Prius with 49,300 miles on it from a dealer west of Ft. Worth. I drained the over-filled oil down to 3/4 and got the tires up to 42/40 and the MPG went up. When the cold weather knocked the MPG down, I decided to replace the transaxle oil at 53,000 miles with a synthetic and tested both the old oil, a virgin sample of Toyota Type T and the Amsoil. The old oil was more than worn out, it had significant silicon contamination (grit).

WARNING: do not substitute Amsoil for the Honda CVT fluid. The Honda CVT uses a sliding cone and belt mechanism and the lubrication properties are critical to correct operation. Amsoil specificly warns against using their ATF in Honda CVT transmissions. The viscosity and film-strength of the CVT lubricant is a critical part of a sliding cone and belt design. If the CVT fluid is too slippery, the CVT belt could slip causing overheating and destroy the cone and belt surfaces.

What appears to have happened in my case is the Prius transaxle has a breather port located under the inverter. I suspect the thermal-cycles led the transaxle to ingest west Texas, grit laden air. I do not know if the Honda CVT has a simular breather tube.

This is one case where you might ask the Honda dealer to do a CVT lubricant change and inspection. Since it only costs $15 to have the old and new lubricants analyzed, see if they will give you a sample of each. The fleet data (see threads under model comparisions) suggests the Honda CVT may need special attention. I would also recommend having a close look at the steering and suspension joints. They would be 'bathed' in dust and dirt. Pay particular attention to the CVT boots too.

If you catch problems early, the next couple of months, you'll gain years to useful life later. Work out a reasonable schedule after the maintenance manual arrives.

GOOD LUCK!

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

Well Motortrend is a pretty darn good source. I drove one of my parents vehicles for several years after they had it details with the engine bay "steam cleaned". Never had any problem with it. I was thinking using a pressure washer in one of the bays of a do-it-yourself car wash might be risky too. I've never had a problem with any of my cars when I do that, and I've soaked some of them pretty darn good. It's just that this is a hybrid and it's engine bay is dirtier/dustier than any of my cars ever got.

* edit: Thanx for the tip about the CVTs Bob, the Civic Hybrid I'm looking at is a manual, but it's good to get that info out there for CVT owners, even if it's been said else where before.

Excellent! The Prius CVT has more in common with a manual transmission than an automatic or the Honda cone-and-belt CVT. There are some awsome MPGs in the Honda manual database. Sad to say but my wife has said not just no but 'hell no' to another manual.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

I almost bought my Ranger in a manual but decided against it since it wasn't a "sporty car" and even the automatic got better intown mpg than my old car ('96 saab 2.3L nonturbo auto). Then sure enough as soon as I got the truck I start driving slower/smarter to get better mpg. Didn't want to beat up on my first new vechicle and then figured even if i floor it its not fast at all so why bother . I use to drive 95% city / 5% highway, now with a new job I start Monday it'll flip, 95% highway / 5% city...and my yearly milage will double (if I stay at this job a whole year, kind of a job just to get your foot in the field). If I pick this car up it would be the first manual car/truck I've ever owned, I can drive a stick fine though.

When I got my Insight the engine bay was a mess. I soaked everything that wasn't attached to an electrical connection with a decent citrus engine cleaner. Let it soak in for a while (the engine was already hot) and then hosed it off. Did that a few times and then got in there with a scrub brush and got what I could with that. The rest I cleaned by hand and detailed with rags, toothbrushes etc. The engine compartment now looks like new. Heck, I even got a trophy at a car show with it - yes there were other cars in my class.

'00 Insight "Wazabi" -75,000+ miles
'03 Toyota Matrix - 81,000+ miles
'03 HCH-CVT-OSBM-41,000+ miles (retired 04-10-06)
"I'm very secure with my little Insight, no Prius envy here."

I wouldn't be doing it. I don't do it with my lawn equipment either. I blow everything off before I put it away. Just too much chance for forcing moisture in places where it doesn't belong.

It might make sense if one could be absolutely certain moisture wouldn't get to where it doesn't belong but I just don't believe it is worth the chance. Blow it off and then wipe it off.