Well I decided to power wash the engine compartment a couple days ago. After I let it sit for as long as I could, I started it up and it was running rough. Now before the power washing it was running smooth. So I figured water has gotten into something and is causing the hesitation.
After running it a few days it has mostly cleared up. It runs pretty good after it starts, it's just starts rough. I'm thinking it's possibly the throttle position sensor. I unplugged the MAF it dies. So I think that's ok. The IACV has been recently cleaned since the recent new injectors. I have yet to test the TPS. I'm just looking for a few ideas before I start diagnosing tomorrow. I have done some searching but was wondering if anyone else has run into this?

 

i run into something like this but it was on a b13 sentra it turned out to be that water had gotten into the dist cap. replaced cap and it was fine

 

Why do people think it's a good idea to spray water all over a cluster of mechanical and electrical components? Lay off the nitrous, it's killing your brain cells.

 

he should have dried the engine before driving..


http://videos.streetfire.net/video/W...ine_138890.htm

 

Good idea with the leaf blower. I still don't think I could persuade myself to do it though. Not that people don't get away with it, even without a leaf blower. But the thought of water pooling up between cylinder banks and in the spark plug holes, plus the possibility of wires rusting, corroding or shorting out is enough for me to settle for hand washing..

 

I have washed my engines like this for years with no problems. The leaf blower is powerful enough to blow all the water out of the cylinder valley's, and anywhere else water gets into..I concentrate the blower on critical areas first.(alty/wire harness connectors/spark plug holes/etc.) then the rest of the engine. I've never had any corrosion/rusting issues at all, due to the engine being nearly 100% dry within minutes after washing..

 

Addendum to above post: The VG engine much more susceptible to drivability issues vs the VE engine after washing. The ve is almost a wash-n-go engine, where the vg will barely run after a wash if you don't dry it off like in the vid..Also, drying the engine adds a little piece of mind when you hit the key after a wash..

 

im the same way, every time i see someone high pressure wash water into the engine i cringe, every few months i'll take a damp towel and wipe off loose dirt but thats it

 

i wash my compartment out after winter to get the salt off of everything under there and havent had any problems yet...

 

I've washed and degreased more engines than I can count. I've never run into any problems. I usually wrap certain things in plastic before I do like the cone air filter. Also, I usually let them sit for a day or so. This time it sat 2 days in 90 degree weather with the hood open. The car is old and some of the gaskets on connectors are not what they once were so I must have just forced some water into something.
Like everything else, now that I ran into a problem I will go about it differently next time with a little more discretion. I do like the idea of the blower. I will have to try that out next time.

 

I pressure wash mine all the time. Yes the engine will stumble/hesitate/misfire for a few minutes, but it always smooths out. After washing the engine, I usually pull out of the bay into the sun and idle with the hood closed and the A/C on full blast. This dries the engine quickly (if you don't happen to have a leaf blower.)

I recently went so far as to attach a bottle of water to a vacuum line and give the ol' VG a good internal steam cleaning while blasting down the interstate. I think she liked it.

 

pretty sure you got some moisture under the distributor cap. I've done it several times pressure washing engines. Best fix is to pop cap off, spray inside of cap with WD40 (WD= water displacement) and that will fix your problem.

 

Did the same thing. Found that water had gotten into the connector on the resistor that sits just below the dist cap. Unplugged it and used a can of air and dried it out. Also do the end that it plugs into. Runs fine now.

 

Dam!!! check your Dist/cap gasket if it got wet!!! Been washing Nissan's for yrs and even my 22 yr old D21 starts right up and runs fine after every engine wash....Maybe you got a little crazy the pressure washer!

 

Pretty much. I'll use the hose next time like I usually do.

 

arent u supposed to cover certain things im just not sure wat to cover tho???

 

u only have to cover main electrical stuff if u r gonna drive off rite away after washing it....other wise u dont need to if u r gonna leave it over night or atleast for couple of hours to dry it out....i would strongly recommend drying the engine and all electrical stuff after washing....

 

also park the car in a way so the sun beats on the engine bay, should give you a little more peace of mind

 

Luckily the hesitation went away after a few days and I didn't damage anything. I won't use my pressure washer again unless I cover the critical areas. For the normal degreasing duties I'll stick to the garden hose. Never had any issues using that.