More engine issues from washing.

[justbob]

Over the summer I power washed the engine just like the 20 other times prior to that. This time I barely made it home. I watched the AFR gauge showing way rich trying to get her back home, by the time I pulled into the garage she was 10.0 flat. :eek: It took a few days and new plugs to start and let idle for almost two hours (that's all she would do) get it back in order.

This time I went thru a touchless car wash and made it one mile, when I stopped at a light she was DOA. It was a some***** to get her to stay running, it reeked of raw fuel, BUT this time the AFR is showing lean! I finally got it to stay running and once again luckily got it home. The gauge went all the way up to 20 and pegged out, but at times cruizing and the RPM's kept at around 3000, the gauge would return to normal as long as I didn't go over or under that it seemed. But how could this be? Never once detonating, I could see gas fumes rising out of the cowl hood, and I smell like I just snow blowed the driveway. Any ideas what could be getting wet and causing this? I do know it is not the air filter letting water in as when I washed it I had it bagged shut and this time it is dry. But why would I be seeing and smelling fuel when the AFR shows lean? Also the cop covers seal nicely and we're bone dry last time, to cold right now to bother checking.

Anyone ever have to feather the gas pedal up to 4500 RPM's and do light neutral drops with a S/C'd car in 18* weather? :eek: SCARY!

[ctrlraven]

There is one car wash by my house that I have used a few times and every time I have used it and go to pull out of the stall the car would just die and take several times to start it back up then it would be fine.

Speaking of the gauges, a member on here had me check out his because they would just die and come back the whole time he would drive. We norrowed it down to every time he hit a bump it would cause it. I checked the engine over and saw he had some sort of external push-button start switched hooked up. Got under the car and sure enough the hot wire for the switch had made contact on his KOOKS headers and would arc when it would touch. The grounding of the hot wire was causing a loop feedback in the main relay box which trickled back through the car and caused his gauges to die. Removed it and problem solved. I know this isn't the same problem but the car is very voltage sensitive and grounding feedback.

[tbone]

Some kind of vacuum is pulling the fuel / vapor into the engine bay and starving the engine for fuel???

[tbone]

EGR valve stuck?

[justbob]

It would seem multiple coils aren't firing properly and not creating burnt exhaust for the AFR to see, more or less just dumping fuel. Like I said though, the last time this happened, there wasn't a trace of moisture anywhere in or on the cop's or in the chamber.

Water in the EGR's DPFE makes sense, but I swapped that the last time this happened and that did zero. If it wasn't so damn cold out, I would look into it. But she can just sit there till Kentucky for all I care. I really hate cold weather, especially if I'm not getting paid and paid well.

[Blackened300a]

Chaffed O2 sensor wires? They are monitoring your A/F and act erratic if they are shorting out.

[EMAS]

A missfire will show as a lean condition. The O2 reads the oxygen content in the exhaust, nothing more. If the air/fuel mixture doesn't ignite it doesn't consume that oxygen which gets pumped into the exhaust system and makes the O2 sensor give a lean reading. The computer seeing that lean signal adds fuel which makes those cylinders that are firing rich however since the O2 sensor is reading all the cyls it still sees the overall mixture as lean.

[martyo]

Are you getting water into your intake system or mass air?

[Pat]

Reading your posts leads me to think that power washing the engine, first instance,whetted something that wants to stay dry. Thats indicated by a few days of "drying" time and new plugs.

The second instance, touchless car wash, I interpret to mean an exterior wash and not an engine wash, is that correct?

If so, then whatever is getting wet and malfunctioning is something that water can access via the hood cowl opening. Cover cowl opening, go through car wash again. No problem?, Then uncover cowl return to car wash, immediately afterward open hood and see what areas are whetted.

My cousin will thank you for making his profit margin at the car wash.

[MMBLUE]

Maybe gaskets around coil covers pass side coil getting wet. I've had that same prob, or egr valve sticking, had that one too. :)

[Ken]

My F150 would run like crap whenever I did the under carriage wash with a laser wash, only did it during the winter, when it was too cold to wash it myself. I would limp back home, park it in a semi warm garage and let it dry out. Would start up and run just fine. Has been doing that for years.

On to a different problem... This same truck, no laser wash this time, drove, it home from work about 1 1/4 miles. Shut it off for about 5 -10 minutes, restarted to a heck of a misfire. Went to Autozone next day, they hooked up code reader, (yes, light came on 1 block away) said cylinder 4 misfire. Does a plug go bad that quick or am I looking at a bad wire too? Just pulled truck in garage and waiting for it to warm a little and the snow to melt off, while I warm up too, before climbing up into engine compartment to change the back plug almost under cowl.

MM #2 didn't want to give up its place in the garage with the better heater. It decided to play the dead battery card!

[Mercguy04]

I have power washed my engine compartment often.
My solution was either to leave the engine running or to cover all electrical components with plastic bags.
I hand wash the valve covers and remove the coil covers and stuff plastic in each plug.
Than I use air to clear as much water away as possible and then I hand dry the valve
covers and carfully remove the plastic from each plug.
I also try as much as possible stay away from electric connectors. I sometimes try to wrap them as well. It is a time consuming task. But nobody does it better than yourself
The other guys suggestens seem vary valued as well. JMHO
Russell

[CBT]

You were there when I powerwashed my car, not the engine just the body, and it killed my battery with a pop that sounded like a fuse blowing when I turned the key afterwards. Crazy powerwasher machines. :mad:

[Black_Noise]

first off why are you guys powerwashing, or using any water on your engines? especially in winter when no one is going to see it?

Use microfiber rags and the same spray you use on the dash and door panels of the car. Thats all it takes.

[tbone]

first off why are you guys powerwashing, or using any water on your engines? especially in winter when no one is going to see it?

Use microfiber rags and the say interior spray you use inside the car. Thats all it takes.


Powerwashing doesn't necessarily mean "power" washing. Just a nice rinse. It doesn't hurt anything. Some think it does. Most say :bs: to that.

[Black_Noise]

just because you can doesnt mean you should, to each his own, but if you have this problem from "washing" your engine (with water) why not do it a better way?

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x180/black300a/marauder/engine2.jpg



done with mequiers interior detailing spray and rags... and yes I forgot to take the res cap off and do under that but ther rest was pretty good!!

[justbob]

I wasn't washing the engine. The cowl hood was letting the water in. I normally have a certain hand wash place do it, so I was a little worried this would happen. But I have never once had an issue power washing an engine till the last time (summer)

[tbone]

just because you can doesnt mean you should, to each his own, but if you have this problem from "washing" your engine (with water) why not do it a better way?


I'm not going to argue powerwashing again. But, I've had countless cars over the years and have never once had an issue with washing the motor. And you can eat off my motors. Nuff said.

[guspech750]

I power washed my Camaro SS LT1 motor a couple of time with no issues.


Bob. I dont remember if you had the cowl hood on last summer when you had the same issue.

[tbone]

just because you can doesnt mean you should, to each his own, but if you have this problem from "washing" your engine (with water) why not do it a better way?

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x180/black300a/marauder/engine2.jpg



done with mequiers interior detailing spray and rags... and yes I forgot to take the res cap off and do under that but ther rest was pretty good!!

A nice rinse would have taken care of that.;)

You can't get into all the nooks and crannies with a rag. Looks good though.

[Black_Noise]

A nice rinse would have taken care of that.;)

You can't get into all the nooks and crannies with a rag. Looks good though.


ahhh, thats why they make "slick sticks"


back to the problem at hand. the cowl is letting water in... so something at the rear of the engine getting wet? possibly an engine harness?

Maybe if the problem is still current take a hair tryer to different connectors or different things, like MAF, or IAC and see if anything changes.

[GetMeMyStogie]

Try disconnecting the IAC should it happen again. When my IAC went bad, the motor wouldn't run. The guys at the shop said whenever they tried starting it, the PCM would just load the cylinders full of fuel (paraphrased). Disconnecting the IAC made the huge problem go away - replacing it with a much more palatable surging idle when warmed up (replacing the IAC took care of that one).

I suggest not replacing the IAC - if it turns out to be the culprit - unless you can determine what's wrong with it or why power-spraying it would mess it up. Mine had a cracked plunger in it, so replacing it was necessary. Maybe water is getting in where it isn't supposed to go.

[justbob]

Well I fired her up last night with no issues. I sprayed everything with a squirt bottle and all but soaked the coil covers. No issues whatsoever! I then blew dry the cam covers so I could remove them and look inside. Nope, no moisture at all. I'll keep looking when things warm up.