[Daly87]

Guys, what have i done! I gave the car a wash and in the process thought id spray on some engine de-greaser. I tried to cover some things up with plastic bags. hosed it down cleaned up good...Then when i started the car it ran like absolute S**t! Idled like a mental, wouldn't rev up, sputtering and shaking. I went around the car drying all electrical plugs etc with a hair dryer, then checked the spark plug wells, 2 had water in them! tried soaking up with tissue etc, then took out the plugs, 2 of which had some water on them! Dried them up and the car runs slightly better, idles judders from around 900 to 1100 ish, between 1000-3000 rpm revving is a tad rough, then after that at high revs it sounds alright but then back to a bit rough at lower....I let the engine warm up, then i just took the plugs out and let the hot engine try evaporate any moisture that may be in there.

Any comments? Am i F****D? will it run nice again after a drying out?

I was worried about water all in the engine but i read this comment "Piston rings do an amazing job of sealing the cylinders (thats why they make 150+ psi compression) Since air/gas/fuel hardly ever passes the piston rings, I highly DOUBT that water will pass the piston rings into the crank case."

Colin

[Scrawny]

Let it dry then take it for a drive. It'll be alright

[Fatzook]

Given that you have a J20 vitara, I'd say that it will be a small miracle if you haven't damaged the coil stems. EVERY time I've had moisture near my coil stems, and I've started the car, it has arced a hole through the side of the stem. Exact same symptoms as you describe.

Before starting it again, remove the coil packs, and allow the plug wells to completely dry. Take this opportunity to inspect the stems for arc holes. They will be small ( pin sized ) and may have a grey/white burn mark around them.

[Matthew]

Is this a trait that g16 coil pack motors suffer from too? Or is it a J20 thing?

[Fatzook]

I've got a couple of my G16 motors QUITE wet, and never had an issue. But my vitara is severely hydrophobic. When I wash the engine bay, I always remove the coil packs afterwards and dry thoroughly before starting.

[Daly87]

Scrawn wrote:

Let it dry then take it for a drive. It'll be alright

I hope so! Fingers crossed!

Fatzook wrote:

Given that you have a J20 vitara, I'd say that it will be a small miracle if you haven't damaged the coil stems. EVERY time I've had moisture near my coil stems, and I've started the car, it has arced a hole through the side of the stem. Exact same symptoms as you describe.

Before starting it again, remove the coil packs, and allow the plug wells to completely dry. Take this opportunity to inspect the stems for arc holes. They will be small ( pin sized ) and may have a grey/white burn mark around them.

OK, Ill go check it out... Not 100% sure what im checking but i assume its checking this http://www.flickr.com/photos/44381367@N07/5302067506/lightbox/ for grey/white burn marks?
Hope its obvious to see haha

Colin

[Matthew]

Fatzook wrote:

I've got a couple of my G16 motors QUITE wet, and never had an issue.

That's good to know.

[Daly87]

Just checked,all 4 look similar, not marked/burnt...in any way i can tell




Is this anything to worry about on the screw head and spring? only on the one coil...

[Daly87]

left to dry for hours now. just connected the coils and plugs back in, still runs like S**T at low revs took it for a drive, same, quite bad when you try put your foot down.

panic time?

[Fatzook]

It will be one of yor stems.

Check them again and look REAL close.

[Scrawny]

That corrosion won't be helping matters either. Try and clean it up with something

[Daly87]

Fatzook wrote:

It will be one of yor stems.

Check them again and look REAL close.

Just got them out again, on my table... cant see anything that looks like a small hole in the rubber stem.

I just cleaned the corrosion a tad but that would of been there already i assume

[atari4x4]

Fatzook wrote:

But my vitara is severely hydrophobic. When I wash the engine bay, I always remove the coil packs afterwards and dry thoroughly before starting.

there is an easy fix for that.

[Daly87]

EDIT

This picture.....



This isnt what you mean is it Fatzook? Is this dirt or something gone wrong like burnt across the gap?

[atari4x4]

swap that coil with another one & see if the miss changes cylinders.

[Fatzook]

I've seen coil packs fail, but its far less common than the stems, and they usually die internally. Never seen a burn mark on a coil yet.

Do what gus said. Mark the coil packs from 1-4 then play musical coil packs.

[Daly87]

Just did...afraid i dont know what i was listening for? ran rough no matter if i switched them around, or left it with one unplugged. A spark was coming of the middle of each stem...

looks like i should just go and buy 4 new stems. eliminate the stems i guess. cheaper than a mechanic!

[atari4x4]

put it all back together & listen to the sound of the motor idling

unplug the coil pack loom from the coil pack for cylinder 1, take note of any difference in idle sound. plug back in & repeat for 2, 3 & 4

it will be the one that DOES not make it idle worse when unplugged.

[Daly87]

Cheers Gus!

[alien]

i had this after washing mine... it ran rough for 2 full days, and we had temps of around 35 degrees.... it dried out eventually and runs fine now (other than my loose/dirty connector issue over the last few days).

maybe try sneaking them into your oven set to 50*C overnight? =)

[fordem]

Spray WD40 or similar through the stems (where the spring is) to remove moisture, wipe the stems down with alcohol and let dry, the corrosion on the spring & screw can be buffed away with a small cup wheel in a rotary tool.



If that white spot is a hole, you'll probably need to replace that coil pack - although you could try gently cleaning it up with a small twist drill (to remove the charred plastic) and filling it with RTV sealant - it might work if there is no internal fault. I did have success with this on a Mitsubishi coil pack, but the hole was in a different place and because of it's location (through the barb where the stem fits) it was clear that there was no internal short.

[Daly87]

alien wrote:

i had this after washing mine... it ran rough for 2 full days, and we had temps of around 35 degrees.... it dried out eventually and runs fine now (other than my loose/dirty connector issue over the last few days).

maybe try sneaking them into your oven set to 50*C overnight? =)

This gives me a bit of hope that I just MIGHT get away with buying stuff! As I did what Gus said and it really didnt make a difference, I took one out, ran a little worse than with 4 in. then change over to another plug out, same for each one... hopefully it just might have moisture in there still. If its not right tomorrow afternoon ill get some new coil boots/stems.

fordem wrote:

Spray WD40 or similar through the stems (where the spring is) to remove moisture, wipe the stems down with alcohol and let dry, the corrosion on the spring & screw can be buffed away with a small cup wheel in a rotary tool.

Cheers mate, give this a go and leave it all over night!

At least I have a cleaner engine hahaha, degreaser worked a treat. Thanks all you Auszookers! world of knowledge on this place!

[Scales]

just a note on holes with these things. My old hyundai excel had a similar problem (turned out to be a hole in the coil stem too). the hole was so small you literally could not see it. Found it by accident when I was disconnecting the leads and saw the arc fly out the side, looked like it was just coming out the plastic. Turned the engine off... no evidence of a hole. Was absolutely bizzare. I wrapped eleccy tape around the suspect area to confirm fault... sure enough, problem went away. So maybe get creative with some tape to isolate the problem?


I obviously have no experience on the vitty, but thought that little anecdote may help.

[Daly87]

Scales wrote:

just a note on holes with these things. My old hyundai excel had a similar problem (turned out to be a hole in the coil stem too). the hole was so small you literally could not see it. Found it by accident when I was disconnecting the leads and saw the arc fly out the side, looked like it was just coming out the plastic. Turned the engine off... no evidence of a hole. Was absolutely bizzare. I wrapped eleccy tape around the suspect area to confirm fault... sure enough, problem went away. So maybe get creative with some tape to isolate the problem?


I obviously have no experience on the vitty, but thought that little anecdote may help.

Thanks for that! Ill go get the tape out and see how that goes Im sure the stems were arcing around mid way!

[Scales]

Put plenty of layers and wrap tightly, otherwise it will still want to bust through.


This is not permanent fix btw.

[Wazz]

Tape works wonders.

Also sometimes if you look down the spark plug hole of the rubber boot you can see the arc track mark if they are arcing down the tube.

[atari4x4]

Scales wrote:

Put plenty of layers and wrap tightly, otherwise it will still want to bust through.


This is not permanent fix btw.

the probes are a really tight fit and being ribbed for extra pleasure it's hard to get a good tight wrap on it without adding too much girth so it doesn't fit in the hole.

[Scales]

LOL

bloody crow eaters. Not gettin any at home ey Gus?

[atari4x4]

Scales wrote:

LOL

bloody crow eaters. Not gettin any at home ey Gus?

just stuck at work being busy & trying to entertain myself.... ask shakes if he's still got those pics

[Daly87]

HAHA nice description Gus!

IT was rough this morning and midday, so i just went out and Iv been fiddling around with it trying to detect which cylinder is buggered and for some reason its decided to play nice... not sure how its 'fixed' its self but seems to be ok?