rjnyc

Hey i hope someone can answer my question...

I recently cleaned my engine with a degreaser.(friday afternoon) and i cover the distributor cap with a plastic bag. I hose down the engine, wait 15-20 mins, i turn the car on and no problem, had the car on idle for like 10 mins, then i take the car for a ride and the engine starts to stall and the engine light starts to blink...

I am not sure what seems to be the problem, i was told maybe water got into the cap/fusebox/or spark plugs which is causing the engine to feel like it will turn off because its stalling. Shouldnt it be dried up by now?? I turned the car on today and still having the same problem.. did i damage the engine??


i have a accord 1998 lx,4 cyl

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

So you didn't cover the battery or fuse box and hosed it down?

Have you had Autozone or someone scan the CEL for what is causing it?

DrZFiNeSt

iTrader: (1)

First off try to get access to a obd2 scan tool and figure out why your getting that cel code.The check engine light usually blinks when you have a misfire.

rjnyc

i went to autozone and indeed its misfiring from the 3rd and 4th. I checked and it has some water and humidity from when i hosed down the engine... I will get some new spark plugs... How long does it take for this to dry up?? Must i need to remove the head cover??


These are the codes i got:

P1457 EVAP emission control system leak detected
Causes: Loose fuel cap (i just bought a new one so i guess its not that) Vapor can saturated, failed vent solenoid, failed purge solenoid

P0420 Castalsst system efficiency below threshold bank 1
Causes: A/F ratio concern, air leak near HO2S (heated oxy sensor) bank 1
ignition system concern, faulty catalytic converter

P1399 Random misfire detected
Causes: Blocked EGR Passage, Valve clearance out of range

meandino

I wash my cars engine bay all the time. I used to cover everything like you do and now I don't do that anymore. The engine is meant to be sprayed down. That is why the connectors have the rubber so water can't get in. There are things you don't want to keep in direct contact with water, but is okay to brush over really quick. Intake, Distributor, Alternator, and Battery.

What I do is leave the engine running so if something where to get wet it zaps it out, and if your engine starts to struggle then you know what you where spraying at to make this happen. I take my car down to a high pressure do it yourself car wash. Pop the hood, leave the car running, spray degreaser everywhere in the engine bay then concentrate on the heavy oil build up areas. Let the degreaser set for a few minutes, then I grab the pressure washer and put the setting to there degreaser, or if they don't have that then used the tire spray. I soak everything in the bay then I turn it to the high pressure rinse and get all the degreaser out.

After I am done I might repeat the process because of build up of oil. If not I leave the car running and wash the rest of it. I take the car home and grab my air hose(car still running) and air out the engine bay. Concentrating on the wire connections. Depending on how wet it is after that I still might leave the car running just in case for a while. After I turn off the car I try to restart to see if anything went wrong.

What I used to do when I first started doing this is instead of using plastic bags. I used aluminum foil. You can form it to what ever your covering and it will stay on with direct contact of the pressure washer.

There was a time when I first started out I had to replace a distributor because it didn't have the whole gasket. If I were you look around in you bay and see if there are any wires showing, gaskets missing or loose around the distributor, spark plug boots not all the way on. If there are any signs look into that area. Did you spray up into the intake?

Good luck finding the problem.