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:

    Rain-sensing wipers
    Note: Wet road conditions may result in inconsistent or unexpected wiping or smearing. Lower the sensitivity, switch to normal or high-speed wiping or turn the wipers off to reduce smearing. Note: Turn off the wipers before entering a car wash. Use the rotary control to adjust the sensitivi ...

    Diagnosis and Testing
    Engine Cooling Special Tool(s) Material Principles of Operation Engine coolant flows primarily from the engine to the radiator circuit and back to the coolant pump. Coolant is sent from the coolant pump through the engine block and cylinder heads. Separate circuits from the engine also feed the ...

    Description and Operation
    Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Overview Base IPC Tachometer Main menu navigation Main menu text display LH turn indicator TPMS warning indicator MIL Stability-traction control indicator (sliding car icon) Stability-traction control disabled indicator (sliding car OFF icon) Air b ...