Preparing for engine drop/exchange, Step 1 - Steam Cleaning Options

[Carlitos Way]

Well, I've decided to start preparing to drop my engine. First order of business, steam cleaning the underside. I borrowd a friend's little portale steam cleaner. It has about 130 lbs of pressure. Sometimes that's just not enough to break up the grime.

Trying out a few different types of degreasers to "uncover" the engine and tranny under the grime. Removed the left rear wheel and decided to give it a brief cleaning. I discovered I have "real" fuchs... VW stamped and 914 part number on them. I thought they were aftermarket wheels, but I guess that's what you find while you decide to do extra stuff.

Some of the grime was really caked on. Pressure washer wasn't enough. Brushed some of the grime with a generic grease remover that worked fairly well. Gunk didn't really do much. I "discovered" the orange side of my undercarriage (it was re-painted red). There are some places where the PO apparently sprayed some undercoating but the mounts look nice and solid as do the suspension mounting points.

I also confirmed that my heat shield appears to be missing... so once I get the engine in, I will probably take it to the muffler shop to have them put on another heat shield.

Tomorrow I hope to get the other side of the car. I need to get a longer hose. I ended up short about 15 feet. I might also try to get some stuff cleaned up on the top of the engine. However it seems fairly clean... might be just a brief spray. I might even do some pictures... before and after cleaning.

It's nice to look under the car and recognize some of the parts everyone has been talking about. To see the actual engine mounts, tranny mounts, and to compare my car to others out there. After the seam cleaning, I've finally been able to see the "dreaded" CV bolts. Guess I'll also go shopping for the tools to remove them tomorrow.

I guess while I'm at it... I will probably keep a running total of the expenses for the engine swap. I'm curious how much it's going to set me back. Pictures tomorrow (if I remember to take them).