Help please!!
I steam cleaned the engine compartment of my 2001 Excursion.
Now the engine runs fine at idle but rough when I excelerate. The truck has no power and struggles to get to 60 mph. I live at Grand Canyon NP which make a trip to the Ford dealer a 90 mile trip in a truck that's running bad.

So far these are the things I have have done to try to find the problem:
The problem reminded me of when you get water under the distributer.
V10 has COP so while the engine was running I pulled the connector to the 5 COP on the driver side of the engine. The engine continued to idle. I pulled 1 more COP connector - the engine dies. I reversed the process for the other side of the engine. I had the same result. This seems to say to me that all COP are firing. I then pulled the connectors to half the Fuel injector while the engine idled. I did the 5 on the driver's side - the engine continued to idle. I repeated the process for the other side. I had the same result - the engine continued to idle.
I then checked the MAF senser. While the engine idled I put my finger over the small hole in the MAF senser to make it think there was no air flow. The engine died. MAF senser seems to work.
I then checked the thottled body position senser (TBP?). While the engine idled I pulled the connector TBP - no change to idle. I depressed the acclerator - the engine behaved as before (slow to accelerate in RPM and ran rough). I thought I had found the problem. I checked the TBP senser with an Ohm meter - terminals 1 to 2 had 380ohms, 2 to3 had 3kohms at full closed. At full open the inverse and the senser seems to track linearly position to resistance.

While testing the TBP senser the engine check light came on and stayed on. I put every thing back and pulled the power at the battery.
I reconnected the battery and started the engine. The check engine light went out.

I am out of ideas. I think I should get a code reader or take the truck to Flagstaff to the dealer.
Help!!!!

 

Steam comes out at a fairly high high pressure, check all of the little vacume lines. Spray the hoses down with wd40 or starting fuild, if the idle changes you have found your leak.

Assuming all was well before cleaning, Steam is nice because it evaporates quickly and carries deposits with it. I don't think you will have the common water killed injectors. First I would check for vacume lines, then start looking over wires for burnt/damaged insulation.

 

Thanks I will give it a try

 

I went though a can of starter fluid.
The engine idled fine.
I sprayed all the hoses and the intake manifold while running.
The idle did not change.
I visually checked all hoses.
No cracks

What would happen if the valve that controls the idle stuck open?
The engine idle is smooth.

Any other ideas?

Thanks Mike

 

get to a air compresser and blow gun, pull all the cop's and blow around the plugs as they are down deep in those holes .blow out the boots also. you have every thing good and wet and a modular ford motor hates wet plug boots and plugs.

 

Even if the IAC was always open, the MAF would meter the extra air and adjust fuel to match. It wouldn't hurt to pull it and hose it off with carb cleaner or penatrating oil.

EGR is the only other thing coming to mind right now, but bad idle is usually included.

 

Thanks everyone
I will give it a try.
I have cleaned the engine of my other cars and have never had a problem.
I took this one to the car wash 3 years ago.
I just feel sick.
I changed the plugs at 100k, the COPs were tight and hard to remove.
They now are easy to pull.
Is there an o-ring or something to seal them?

 

You maybe able to get by with squirting wd40 in the plug holes. Much like it does with distributors.

 

Not a chance.

He got water in the plug wells. He needs to remove each COP, blow out the well and the COP, and reassemble with plenty of dielectric grease as already described.


He's just got a moisture-induced misfire.

Steve

 

Right, and the wd in wd40 is water displacing. The 40 means it's the 40th compound they tried. It's the same concept as spraying wd40/pb blaster into a wet distributor. It's also non-conductive, so even if it doesn't do the job you can go back and do it right.

 

Thanks All
I will take the car to work with me in the AM
and blow out all the plugs
I sure hope this works
I do not look forward to a long trip to Flagstaff

 

Seems to me that you just need to take it on an extended drive. My last V10 did that and a 20 mile scenic drive cured it. I'm now a bit more careful when washing my engine...as I'm sure you'll be, too.

 

dry it out man those plug holes are deep. and hold water big time, maybe since you have 100k and might be pulling those cop units .change the boots as a safty item as they also will cause missgfireing when bad.

 

Thank you all for the help!
She seems to be running better this morning.
We have very low humidity here (less than 10%) and I think it dryed out on its own.
If any of you get to the Grand Canyon I would like to say thanks by getting you into the park for free. If time permits I can give you a private tour.

Thanks -
Michael Martin

 

My engine is dusty. I would like to rinse it off. What are the rules? Do it when cold, avoid plug area and wires? Did I miss anything?