Problem Starting after washing engine. Damn it !! pictures

[fordescort]

ok so i had the car running , did an engine shampoo , ran the hose and rinsed it off.. didnt spray inside the intake or anything crazy , i didnt do anything stupid but the car just died while rinsing it.


ok .. so i tried to start it again.. and it just turns over really quickly.

TEST 1 - Check fuses! - every fuse in car is ok
TEST 2 - Check relay's? ( ok here is where it gets confusing.) Checked the fuel injection relay.. thought it was bad.. i basically jumped the terminals different combinations to try starting it as someone turned the key. and oula i got it! i can run the car when briding the terminals that the relay connects too.

so i replaced the relay like 20 times with 20 relays and still no go , i opened the relays and everything is working inside the relay but for some reason i HAVE TO have that wire forcing a connection across these terminals illustrated below in orange



cant figure out why it works with a wire but not a working relay .. what ever controls the relay isnt doing its job what controls the fuel injection relay

[Ryan]

You're back to fuses.

If I remember correctly, we don't have fuel injection relays... just a fuse. The main relay sets up the power to white/red to power injectors...

I could be just seriously confused though.

[wittydrewy]

I did the same thing to my MX6! I washed the engine, started up ran really rough and never started again. The problem with mine wasI got the disty wet and it fried. It turned over very fast like the timing belt was off. Used a spark tester and found out I was not getting any spark.

[Daninski]

Check that your spark plug holes arn't filled with water as well. I usually wash the engine when it's warm then after I leave it to dry in the sun for a few hours before starting it. Never spray the disty or the alt. Pull the disty cap off and check for water.

[Ryan]

You are jumping that relay correctly.

The power to that relay is through the 30 amp FUEL INJ fuse. From there, it goes off to the fuel pump relay, and diag connector.

[jkbreazeale]

Check that your spark plug holes arn't filled with water as well. I usually wash the engine when it's warm then after I leave it to dry in the sun for a few hours before starting it. Never spray the disty or the alt. Pull the disty cap off and check for water.

I did the same thing to my MX6! I washed the engine, started up ran really rough and never started again. The problem with mine wasI got the disty wet and it fried. It turned over very fast like the timing belt was off. Used a spark tester and found out I was not getting any spark.

Been there, done that. Most likely, you fried the disty. Or... if you have a five wire disty, that wire in the center got unplugged. If you have a four wire, then you will not have a wire in the center.

[mor500589]

please update with what happened i am having same problem but was driving when the car died.. through a torrental rainpour in georgia. but the jumper works but not relays

[umcamara]

please update with what happened i am having same problem but was driving when the car died.. through a torrental rainpour in georgia. but the jumper works but not relays

Let it dry out. Water likely got behind your distributor cap or into your spark-plug wells...

[EggyRollz]

please update with what happened i am having same problem but was driving when the car died.. through a torrental rainpour in georgia. but the jumper works but not relays

Let it dry out. Water likely got behind your distributor cap or into your spark-plug wells...

Been there and done that a few times. Sat for about 2 hours at the car wash before my green one I sold would fire back up then ran like crap until I got home. Popped off the D-cap and there she was , tons of water build up on the cap and rotor. Hit it with some methanol and washed out all the water and 5 minutes later it fired up and purred perfectly.

[Dragon1212]

question was the engine warm because last time i checked rinsing something with cold water that is close to 100 degrees is universally bad.

[solo_ryder]

question was the engine warm because last time i checked rinsing something with cold water that is close to 100 degrees is universally bad.

I have seen conflicting arguments about this. I personally wash my motor when its warm and even when running sometimes. The reason for this is because the heat of the engine and the bay evaporate any residual water that you cannot get with a cloth right away. Some say to do it when its cold, but I do not see to much harm as long as ur not spraying a crap load of water on it directly