So after leaking hoses, radiator, and thermostat spraying antifreeze everywhere, on top of the existing oil/grease, I decided to clean my engine bay. I covered the battery, distributor, and alternator. Then, I sprayed degreaser on everything, let it sit for 5 minutes, and rinsed it off with high pressure. Then I let the car sit for an hour in the sun. I got in to drive home after washing the rest of the car and now it's sputtering and shaking badly. CEL is blinking and ATTS is on. Seems like I'm running on 3 cylinders. I checked the connection of the spark plug wires to the distributor and everything is fine there. I didn't get water on my air filter (it's a CAI). So, how did I [freak] up and how do I fix it?

 

well something like this happen to me, what happen was I managed to water in the spark plug hole, maybe something you want to check, take the sparkplug wire and look inside each hole to make sure its nice and dry.

 

Tell us what the CEL codes are. Your ATTS light is on b/c your CEL light is on, so no need to worry about it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gstrudler &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Tell us what the CEL codes are. Your ATTS light is on b/c your CEL light is on, so no need to worry about it.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

i washed my car w/presssure washer one time and water got through my spark plug wires. same problem, i fixed mine by using an air compressor to blow out all the water in my cylinder head.

 

I removed the spark plug wires and sure enough, three of my spark plugs were doing laps at the pool. Unfortunately, I don't have a wet vac or an air compressor. So, I wrapped a rag around the ratchet and crammed it into the hole. That got about 60% of the water out, but it couldn't get the water that was settled below the top of the plug. So, I MacGyver'd three drinking straws together and sucked it out. YUCK!

Anyway, started it up and everything was good, 'cept the CEL. Disconnected battery for 3 minutes and now I'm problem-free.

Thanks for the quick help, guys. I was worried about getting to work in the morning.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kronn 98SH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I MacGyver'd three drinking straws together and sucked it out. YUCK! </TD></TR></TABLE>
lol

mmm.... gotta love the taste of petroleum.

I think it's an acquired taste.