Just washed engine bay- now check engine light appears

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BlackIceWAP

New member
Please help! I have a trip to Atlanta tomorrow evening, and I'm wondering if it's even safe to go. I cleaned out my engine with a bit of water and simple green. I dried it out for about 3 hours and then drove for a bit. After about 10 minutes - the check engine light appeared, and the 4runner started feeling different. :confused: A little shaky around idle, and I guess that's it. Is it safe for me to go to Atlanta? I know that's a question I really have to ask myself, but I just thought I'd see if anyone had a similar experience. Thanks!

1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5
158,000 miles and counting...


And I feel like a complete idiot. So thanks for your help!
 
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Check the spark plug valves. Probably got some water in there. Roll up a paper towel and shove it to the bottom of the valve and let it soak up all the water. I did the same thing with my Eclipse and soaking up the water made it stop running different. Disconnect/Reconnecting the battery turned off the Check Engine light and it never came back. Sold the Eclipse the next day :)
 
Griffeycom said:
Check the spark plug valves. Probably got some water in there. Roll up a paper towel and shove it to the bottom of the valve and let it soak up all the water. I did the same thing with my Eclipse and soaking up the water made it stop running different. Disconnect/Reconnecting the battery turned off the Check Engine light and it never came back. Sold the Eclipse the next day :)
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Spark plug valves? Never heard of that.
 
Try pulling off the distributor cap drying it. You can also spray the inside of the cap with WD-40, which will displace any water that might have gotten into the cap. That is the most likely scenario.
 
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No pressure washer, just a hose, and simple green. I'm taking the 4runner over to the local dealership in the morning to have them investigate. I hope I haven't screwed anything up too badly. I thought nothing would go wrong- I covered the battery, maf, etc... wow what a day.
 
Griffeycom said:
Eh, whatever you call the "hole" you put the spark plugs in. Sorry I didnt know what they're technically called :bonk:
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Oh, I got ya. Jeez, you must've had a lot of water in there to short the spark plugs! Didn't your Eclipse have rubber boots that sealed the top of the spark plug hole? Mine did.
 
Fourty-four said:
Oh, I got ya. Jeez, you must've had a lot of water in there to short the spark plugs! Didn't your Eclipse have rubber boots that sealed the top of the spark plug hole? Mine did.
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Yeah, actually they did. But if you got water on the valve cover it could seep down into where the spark plugs are. I'm not quite sure how so much water got down there either. since i use a fine stream to hose down my engine when i wash it. Anyway, yeah all i had to do was soak up the water and the rough idle went away..
 
Fourty-four said:
Oh, I got ya. Jeez, you must've had a lot of water in there to short the spark plugs! Didn't your Eclipse have rubber boots that sealed the top of the spark plug hole? Mine did.
Click to expand...
The same happened to me a while back when I washed my engine. 1/8" of water around the plug is all it took for mine to misfire.
 
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