Ford Taurus Owners Manual: Cleaning the engine

Engines are more efficient when they are clean because grease and dirt buildup keep the engine warmer than normal.

When washing: • Take care when using a power washer to clean the engine. The high-pressure fluid could penetrate the sealed parts and cause damage.

• Do not spray a hot engine with cold water to avoid cracking the engine block or other engine components.

• Spray Motorcraft Engine Shampoo and Degreaser on all parts that require cleaning and pressure rinse clean. In Canada, use Motorcraft Engine Shampoo.

• Never wash or rinse the engine while it is hot or running; water in the running engine may cause internal damage.

• Never wash or rinse any ignition coil, spark plug wire or spark plug well, or the area in and around these locations.

• Cover the battery, power distribution box, and air filter assembly to prevent water damage when cleaning the engine.

    Repairing minor paint damage
    Your authorized dealer has touch-up paint to match your vehicle’s color. Take your color code (printed on a sticker in the driver’s door jamb) to an authorized dealer to make sure you get the ...

    Cleaning the windows and wiper blades
    The windows and wiper blades should be cleaned regularly. If the wipers do not wipe properly, substances on the vehicle’s glass or the wiper blades may cause squeaking or chatter noise from the bl ...

    Other materials:

    Automatic high beam control
    The system will automatically turn on your high beams if it is dark enough and no other traffic is present. When it detects an approaching vehicle’s headlights, a preceding vehicle’s tail lamps or street lighting, the system will turn off the high beams (low beams remain on) before they dist ...

    Adding Engine Oil
    Note: Do not remove the filler cap when the engine is running. Note: Do not add engine oil further than the MAX mark. Oil levels above the MAX mark may cause engine damage. Only use oils certified for gasoline engines by the American Petroleum Institute (API). An oil with this trademark sym ...

    Parking Brake and Actuation
    SPECIFICATIONS Torque Specifications DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION Parking Brake The parking brake system consists of the following components: Parking brake control and front cable assembly Rear parking brake cables The parking brake system is a mechanical system that activates a self-adjusting b ...