I seem to have done something wrong while washing my truck at the do it yourself wash. I pressed the engine wash button and I popped my hood, then sprayed it down with the green substance. I let it sit for about 2 mins then washed it off softly with water. I then got in my truck started it up and pulled off. I noticed that my truck was accelerating slower than usual and sounded almost like it wasnt goin to make it.....a coughing sound.
Then my check engine light started flashing and is still on
could anybody tell me what the problem could be
thanks

 

Something electrical got wet.Most likely the coil.Disconnect your battery,get some WD-40 and start spraying all your electrical connections.Pull the plug wires at the coil and spray inside the coil.Spray the plug wire ends too.After the battery is re-connected your CEL should go off.Good luck and keep us posted!

 

I don't know if i'd go the wd40 way. It's not conductable. If you spray inside your distributor, your points wont make good contact. I'd just take the distributor off and blow it out. Let the truck sit overnight, it should be ok.

I would never wash my engine or spray it with any type of cleaner. They are all harmful to the belt and other rubber parts. I go the old fashioned way, Fantastic or 409 and a terry cloth, jump in and get dirty.

tom

 

Tom,first of all,these motors have no distributor,hence there are no points!

I speak from experience about the WD-40.I washed my motor and the same thing happened.I used a can of WD-40 on all electrical connections,coil,plug wires,etc.After connecting the battery it started right up,CEL gone.

Do you own a 97 or newer F150 with the 4.2 V6?If you do then you would know there is no distributor or points!

 

Your right about the distributor, of course mine doesn't have one it's a new truck. I just assumed that Neil's truck was an older model that still had the distributor, because the same thing used to happen to me back in the day when I ran with a distributor cap/points/condensor. However, I've been through some pretty wet situations (intentionally) with my truck and never had that problem. All my electrical connections seem pretty well covered with rubber boots and such.

But I still prefer not to use those corrosive cleaners on my engine. They seem to die everything white and eat away at rubber boots and hoses. 409 and Fantastic are kitchen safe and eat away at grease and oil pretty darn good, yet they won't hurt your paint or anything. Then I rub a very thin coat of silicone on all my hoses and boots and inner plastics, which keeps everything looking new and prevents them from cracking.

Just personal preference I guess.

Tom

 

Thats cool.I wash mine with plain water every other car wash,or once a month,but now I pay attention not to aim too directly at the coil.I then start it up,let it run a few minutes,shut it off and let it air dry.Then I use a can of silicone spray and spray it down.I then use a silicone damp rag to wipe off the excess.Ive been doing this to my 97 for over 2 years now.Looks like a new motor too.

 

Never heard of the silicone thing, where do I get this stuff at? what it look like and all....I am having my truck detailed tommorow, it is my late anniversary present to her.(my truck) I would like to be able to keep the motor as clean as it will be tomorrow until next year when i get it detailed again.

 

Well, you can buy straight silicone spray from any auto parts store. This stuff works great because it sprays on really thin and wipes easy. And rubber compounds are made up mostly of silicone and oils, so the silicone looks great, it's not flammable, and it protects the rubber parts. It also repels water, so I think you can use it like the wd40 stuff. You can also buy it in a bottled, much thicker, form. Straight silicone shock oil you can get in different weights. I get mine from a hobby shop around the corner. It's made to fill the shocks of remote controlled trucks and is pure silicone oil. If you don't have a hobby shop around, just go with the spray stuff. But the bottled stuff is a little thicker and last a little longer. You also don't get any overspray. But the spray silicone, you can spray your entire engine with it. It even works great on black powder coated engine parts and won't burn or smoke or evaporate when the engine gets hot.

Tom

 

Hmm... interesting something to do wednesday when i get my truck back,

 

Thanks for your replies, i just let my truck sit and it seems to be doing fine now.