Hi there,

So I've detailed my 5.0's engine a few times in the past using information gathered across the web. In a nut shell, I run the engine to warm it up, cover my alternator, distributor cap, and one or two other components then spray it down to get steam going. Then i wash it with a certain detergent and scrub for a few hours. This has worked fine for me several times.

However, I did the exact same thing on my wifes '94 V-6 and for some reason I couldn't drive over 20 mph when I started it up and drove it the next morning. Come to find her cats were shot and I was told they were flooded. The one who repaired it explained how cats basically melt when water reaches them.

Anyway, does anyone know why this may have happened? What did I not cover to allow water to get all the way down into the cats? There where no problems with the headers that I could tell (no holes). The car has since been sold and is out of my hands, however I'm afraid to detail my '91 5.0's engine again in the fear that I may repeat what happened with her '94.

Any ideas?

Rich