Need help with this one FAST guys. Need my truck here REALLY soon for work.

Here is the situation. Decided to clean the engine bay the other day. Covered the alternator, ignition coil and the TFI unit with plastic before beginning. Forgot the distributor. I cleaning it up using a de-greaser and pressure washer. Didn't hold the pressure washer close at all while rinsing. Blew the engine dry with a leaf blower.

When I went to start it it was a little hard to start. Pulled the distributor cap and found it to be wet inside. So I dried it out to the best I could with some paper towels. It fired right up and all was good. Let it idle for about 10 minutes, took it for a spin around the block all with NO issues.

So it sat for the last 2 days. When I went to start it this morning. It barely started and was sputtering SEVERELY. After about 15 seconds it stalled. I pulled the cap again and found even more moisture in it. Grabbed the air compressor hose and blew the thing out followed by drying everything I could reach with paper towels. No change at all. Checked all of the spark plug boots for water. They were dry. Decided to check fuel pressure. 39 PSI with the engine off. Pumps run for a second or two when the key is switched on then shut off as they should. Tried starting again, got it to run, then it sputtered out and died after 15 seconds. There was a REALLY strong smell of fuel from the exhaust like it was running really rich or a cylinder wasn't firing.

Pulled codes and got a 334 (EVP circuit above the closed limit of 0.67 volts) in KOEO and CM. Can't run a KOER test as the thing wont run. Could this be my problem?

REALLY need help FAST.

 

Any chance you mixed up the wires when you had the cap off...I would start there.

 

Pulled the cap without disconnecting any of the wires. I only checked the boots at the spark plug end. I am going to go check the cap boot right now.

 

Evan, did you clean inside the distributor as well as inside the cap. You may have to remove the electronic stuff inside the distributor and dry the contacts surfaces. If you have any dielectric grease use a TINY amount on the connecting surfaces. I had that issue with one of my trucks a few years ago. It resolved my problem.

 

I blew compressed air all inside of the distributor. I dried all of the plugs. I gave it a little gas when starting it and I got it to run. It will stay running as long as I keep on the gas. It sputters like no other and smokes a LOT of black smoke like it isn't burning the fuel. I feel like it is a spark issue. I am just not entirely sure how to diagnose it properly. I just got a call from the company I am due to start working for. I start training soon so now I really need to get this thing running.

 

Just a stab at this... Have you checked the ECM and the ECM harness connector? Also checked the 40-41 pin way plug for the injector harness, and all other related electronic stuff located on the 40 pin plug? Just a few ideas Evan. Sorry can't help ya out more.
Let us know anything else you've tried.

 

I just disconnected the 40 pic connector. It looked dry but I still blew it out with compressed air. Disconnected the EEC and it looked dry. Blew it out with compressed air. Did the same for the TFI, injectors, distributor and EVP. All were dry. Only one I didn't get was the TPS. I also pulled the distributor and cleaned and dried the inside the best I could with compressed air. I will check that when the sun gets off my truck. Too hot to work on it right now. I have discovered that if I give it some throttle while trying to start it will usually fire up. It still runs like it is missing on multiple cylinders. I will have to get a spark tester and a test light tomorrow as there currently is no other vehicle for me to take to the store. I just don't see how a light spray of the engine with water could cause so many problems... Lesson learned I guess.

 

Sounds similar (and the code suggests) that the EGR is open when it's supposed to be closed. Possible that the EGR electronics got wet and/or ruined, and the EGR is getting vacuum when it shouldn't. Try taking the vacuum line off the EGR valve and plugging it and see how it runs.

 

Good advice. I had a friend with same problem. Unbolt the EGR at the plenum, use beer or soda can, make a block off plate completely and then bolt it back to plenum. Could be allowing exhaust straight open into intake. Sounds right, weird, but that was a problem with my friends. Pintle was completely open allowing all exhaust into intake. Ran, but terrible, like it was missing on cyclinders.

 

My thought, since it ran fine before all of this, is that the solenoid that controls the vacuum to the EGR took a crap from getting wet. I had a solenoid fail on mine once, and it ran just like this.

 

Thanks for all of the help guys. I ran through the entire ignition diagnostics laid out in my Haynes manual. It passed all tests with flying colors. I decided when I was done to hook it all back up and check this thread again. I unplugged the vacuum line as you said Bob and capped it, and it fired right up and ran like nothing was wrong. I then plugged the line back in and noticed no change... Maybe it was unplugging and cleaning all the connectors in the ignition circuits to test them, or the fact that I was right in the sun the whole time I was testing and the thing just dried out like it needed to. Either way it is running like it normally does. No codes, no rough idle, no sputtering. I am going to keep an eye out for codes for the next few days to see if anything comes up, but as of now even the 334 is gone after taking it for a spin. I might end up replacing the EGR and EVP here in the next few weeks for good measure, but for now it is running just fine.

 

Awesome, good luck with the job training!

 

I still don't get the moisture issue though...