Washed my motor driven five miles now it wont start back!!! HELP!!

[goatja]

Hello i have a 96 explorer sport and i washed the dirt off my motor in the car wash it started back up fine after i was done it ran fine to class then when i got out of it and tried to start it back it will crank and not fire at all.any help is appriciated suggestions?? pm me or email me at dgoat39@hotmail.com or rely me here i am lost

 

[410Fortune]

let it dry. Likely you have water on your battery, you need to dry it off. There are a few things you should not get wet, like the alternator and the air filter.
Water can puddle on the battery, on the exhaust manifolds, on the coil pack, and inside the power steering fluid cap. These puddles are no good.

Puddles on the battery will effectively cause a dead short, since water conducts electricity the puddle acts just like a piece of metal going from post to post.

Puddles on the exhaust manifolds can cause a mis fire because the spark will arc to the block and never reach the plug

Puddles on the coil pack, will do the same thing

Also starters dont like water, neither do battery cables.

Good luck! and are you sure its fully in park? hahaha

 

[goatja]

well its a five speed and it wont start after i allready started it and drove it home from the car wash it makes no sense it would immediately start up fine at the car wash then drive it to class get out of class and it will only crank and not fire it will crank all day long but it seems like it just has some electronic issue somewhere

 

[410Fortune]

water is your issue.
Likely battery terminals or cables.

Driving it will not get the water off, also it takes time to puddle up when it sits.

open hood, use rag to dry all standing water. INtake manifold, exhaust manifolds etc.

If you got water in your air intake system you could get teh MAS wet and then teh truck will not run or run right.

 

[goatja]

well i dont have any pudles anywhere but on the exhause manifold and i dried it off and i didnt check the maf and its dark now so i am gonna have to wait till morningi even checked every fuse under the hood and in the interior panel
all of my real tools are back home i am going to give it till tomorrow evenign theni am thinking of getting it towed i hope not though

 

[410Fortune]

Did you try a jump start?

What happens when you turn the key? does the starter crank?
Help me help you.

 

[spindlecone]

well its a five speed and it wont start after i allready started it and drove it home from the car wash it makes no sense it would immediately start up fine at the car wash then drive it to class get out of class and it will only crank and not fire it will crank all day long but it seems like it just has some electronic issue somewhere

Getting water on your coil pack, battery, alternater etc will have no effect on starting, if you have an open intake that got wet, that could be a problem
You did this at the carwash? you used a pressor wand? perhaps in doing so something got disconnected, electrical connection? etc just a thought, good luck

 

[goatja]

starter cranks fine it just dont fire , yes i washed it at the car wash then drove it home 10 mins later it will crank and no fire its been a half day and now its dark i am hoping it dries out b tomorrow evenin i need a vehicle soon!

 

[goatja]

sorry about being a little hostile it is just extremely frustrating i know i also checked all of the electricall connecions and hoses i saw i did not check my maf today but i did check to see if my air filter was wet and it wasnt dry as hell and my fuses under the hood were dry so i am at a loss

 

[budwich]

so it cranks but doesn't fire. Do you hear the fuel pump turn on prior to the start (ie. just turn the key to run). If not, you have a problem with your fuel pump circuit, either a fuse or relay not operating (ie. fuel pump relay). check to see if the PCM power relay is operated. If not then all "functions" (ie. motor funtions) are basically caput.

 

[goatja]

i dont know what the pcm thing is and i am pretty sure i heard the fuel pump kick in. i will check tomorrow if it does or not.

 

[410Fortune]

Spindlecone, alternators do not like water.
Puddles on the coil pack definatley can cause problems, especially if its been years since your wires were cleaned and lubed.

If relays get water inside them it can kill them



I disagree hahaha Big surprise hua? Water can kill electrical, hence the reason for die-electric grease on all exposed wires, waterproof connectors throughout, etc.

Now if the starter is cranking then you need to first check for the fuel pump to come on.

 

[Arnie897]

Checking all fuses is always a good place to start when you have a crank and no start problem also.

 

[Blee1099]

Check to make sure the MAF connection is nice and good. I had an issue one day after washing my truck long time ago when I had the stock intake. The rubber grommet that connects to the MAF sensor wasn't connected or the MAF wasn't connected and it prevented the motor from staying running. You could also check the crankshaft position sensor on the front of the motor. I had to replace the sensor since it was behind alot of my hard start issues.

 

[goatja]

ok will check the crankshaft positon and the maf in a few hours has had allmost two days to dry out its self and it is still dead

 

[410Fortune]

its not a water issue now, but the water MAY have played a role.

Sometimes its just a coincidence Also a power washer can loosen connectors jsut with the pressure, not the water.

Cleaning the engine and bay is a delicate proceedure, hahaha you ahve to know where to and where not to spray. I used to be a finatic and wash that sucker all the time, now I go much much longer between washings and do alot more wiping down by hand........I keep a plastic bag and rubber band in my truck to cover my MAF and filter when I do spray though. I use low pressure and avoid the alternator and starter. Before I start the truck I wipe up any standing water with rags.
Never had a problem since.

 

[rdodd1024]

No start

An alternator couldn't care less about water, or you could not drive in the rain. An alternator also will not prevent it from starting. You can pull the alternator off and it will still start. It would have to create a massive short to prevent it from starting, and that would make it not crank. A wet battery also will not prevent it from starting. If the battery were dirty enough, it would create a draw that can discharge a battery over time, but then it would not crank. It would not be wet long enough to do that. There again, if it could, you could not drive in the rain. Check the basics, you have to have fuel, compression, and ignition - at the right times. First check for spark, make sure there is ignition there. If there is not, find out why. Then check for fuel. Make sure the pump kicks in momentarilly when you turn the key on. There is a schrader valve on the fuel rail that you can check for fuel pressure. Then if there is, check for compression. I don't think the water would have prevented it from starting, since you already drove it and there is no standing water. It could have loosened a connector, if the keeper tab was broken, so checking ALL connectors, fuses, relays is a good idea. Start with the basics. It is easy to miss something stupid (I have done that). My best one was I had a fresh engine, was running it to check something out. I turned it off, and 2 minutes later it would not start. I checked everything out, could not find it. After much frustration, I found that the brand new timing set I put in (Cloyes) had snapped the pin on the gear and spun out of time about 25 degrees. I never would have thought that would happen on a new engine, but it did. Start with the basics, don't leave anything out, and look for what is not obvious. It may be related to washing the engine, but then again maybe not. It is not a good idea to pressure blast some components, but they are ok in the rain so they are ok to wash with care.

 

[performancenut]

I agree with the former suggestions of crankshaft position sensor, cam position sensor, or perhaps fuel pump relay or PCM relay. Sensors and relays can get older with less water resistence. This issue may likely be something relatively more simple rather than big ticket items like alternator, etc. Good Luck.

 

[410Fortune]

I never said his alternator was causing the issue, I said avoid spraying your alternator with water.
Soaking a elecric motor with water is never a good idea, splash okay, soak = no no.

 

[performancenut]

I never said his alternator was causing the issue, I said avoid spraying your alternator with water.
Soaking a elecric motor with water is never a good idea, splash okay, soak = no no.