Engine sputtering after driving through flood water 96 Explorer v8

[Louism]

After driving through about a foot of water in my 96 Explorer V8 The check engine light came on, idles rough and feels like its missing. If i floor it it makes a popping sound sometimes. I filled it with premium and seemed to run a little better. Then i cleaned the maf and the air idler thing and replaced the air filter then i took it for a spin and it idled great but still was missing. When I parked it was idling rough again. Has this ever happened to anyone else.?any suggestions on what to do next?

 

[eXcali]

1 foot of water should not have done anything, if it got into your airbox or oil then there is problems. Pull your oil dipstick out and if you see bubbles on it or it looks milky you need to drain it completely and possibly run some oil detergent/diesel into it. If you have water trapped in a cylinder you will have to pull the plugs and try to start it, this will squirt any water out the plug holes.

You could have gotten lucky and just have a loose plug wire as well.

 

[fixxxer]

wait until this evening or after dark (or in a dark garage) and open the hood while the engine is running. Look for arcing from or between the plugs or coil pack to the block or other grounded metal parts.

 

[Louism]

When it first happened i pulled over and checked the oil and later that night i checked for sparking and everything looked fine. Its annoying because it has to be something simple. Im gonna try replacing the fuel filter and get new plugs and wires

 

[Louism]

Advance Auto Parts plugged their tool that tells you why the check engine light was on for free. The plug in was under the steering wheel under a removable clip, I think this can only be done on 96 and up. They told me the number 4 cylinder was misfiring. all i needed was a new plug