99 sts engine detailing
 

I have wanted to detail my engine bay for awhile. However everytime I open the hood and see all the wires and imagine spraying water all over that my dreams of a clean engine bay end. But I think I am ready to take the jump.

Aside from covering the alternator, air intake and exposed filters is there anything else critical that needs to be covered up on a 99 sts 4.6l northstar engine or in the bay?

Also where is the air intake at? I read somewhere it is supposed to be behind the front drivers headlight, is this correct?

Anyone know if these are COP plugs or not?

I know I should probably be asking in the tech section for help so I will cross post there as well but I am hoping to find a seville owner who has successfully done this in the past and not messe dup anything.

Thanks for the help

Problems with 99sts engine detail
 

I have wanted to detail my engine bay for awhile. However everytime I open the hood and see all the wires and imagine spraying water all over that my dreams of a clean engine bay end. But I think I am ready to take the jump.

Aside from covering the alternator, air intake and exposed filters is there anything else critical that needs to be covered up on a 99 sts 4.6l northstar engine or in the bay?

Also where is the air intake at? I read somewhere it is supposed to be behind the front drivers headlight, is this correct?

Anyone know if these are COP plugs or not?

anyother problem spots tobe aware of

Thanks for the help
will post before and after pics once i get my products and enough gusto to do this.

a car is a car and an engine is an engine.

make sure the engine is warm, NOT HOT, NOT COLD !
Warm means that you can touch it anywhere, without pain.
I usually run the car around town, get it hot, and then shut it down, let it cool off to warm.

aside from items that you mentioned, cover all connectors, COILS, electronic boxes. shrink wrap works nicely.

with engine not running, spray with SIMPLE GREEN, its cheap, its efficient, its biodegradable, its friendly - after years of using all sorts of expensive and nasty chemicals, that is what I use on engines, bikes, bike chains, chain saws, BBQ, anything greasy. I love it.
if the crud is heavy, get a couple of trow away brushes at home depot, the ones that sell for $0.45, and scrub a little as you spray.

rinse with low volume, high pressure nozzle - dont flood things. rinse from top down.

the second that you are done rinsing, remove wraps, start engine, warm everything up to dry out everything - usually 3 to 5 minutes. if engine runs rough, dont force things, dont rev the engine .. dont .. just let it idle, let it warm up.

wipe down what you can without getting the rag (terry cloth towel or paper towels) stuck on fans, belts & pulleys - keep clear of those.
if you are new to this, skip the wipe down until you shut down the engine.

our luxury high performance cars are COLD INTAKE, meaning the ducts to the intake are always to the front of the car, either between the hood and radiator frame or behind the bumpers. follow the duct from the throttle intake. older cars, before fuel injection, usually took the hot air from within the engine compartment, but that air is inefficient for a total burn.

I detail my engines once a year and again about a week before the dreaded SMOG test is scheduled (every 24 months). A clean engine produces less emissions/hydrocarbons. I also get under carriage and do the that area including the transmission .. it is also much much easier to work on a clean engine.

if you got a K&N air filter, check it & clean it .. if you got a oem filter, replace it.
a clean filter makes for good breathing and good breathing makes for a good efficient burn of fuel and full power.




please, no cross posting !