What have I done!!?

[152 Sumo]

First a few facts: 97 SR5, approx 180K miles, owned for a little over a year.

This morning I decided to do Seafoam. I just changed my oil, so I only wanted to use 1/2 for gas and the other 1/2 through the vacuum line (off of the brake booster). Everything went as planned, smoked out the whole parking lot, ran it pretty aggressive for a little while, and it ran fine. That was around 8 or 9 this morning. A little while ago, I decided to use some de-greaser to clean up the engine a little. I didn't go too wild with it, waited a few minutes and rinsed it off. I tried to use as little water as possible. Started it up and It was idling really hard and I thought it was misfiring. Took it to the auto parts store and sure enough, misfire in cylinder 6 (p0306). It is also getting a code for o2 sensor, but I already knew about that.

Some questions:

1. Was it the seafoam, or the water on the engine that did it?

2. Will the problem likely go away after replacing spark plugs and wires?

3. How much damage will I be doing driving with the misfire? I don't plan on leaving it long, but I don't know if I have to fix first thing in the morning, or if I can do it in a day or two.

By the way, I have no idea how many miles are on the plugs, so I was going to change them anyway. I just hope there isn't more to it than that (I have to replace the tie rod ends and o2 sensor, so the $$ is going to start adding up)

I would appreciate some advice.

 

[Toyotaboater]

Wet ignition

Sumo, my guess is water contamination to the ignition system, probably your plug wires. Whenever you want to wash your engine, it should be warmed up and running before spraying it to diminish the chances of water penetration. Others may flame me for that suggestion, but I have done exactly what you described before with the same results. However, each time I perform the same wash procedure with the motor running, I do not experience the dreaded hard-start or misfire problem. BTW, SeaFoam is an EXCELLENT product. I use it and swear by it. I can't imagine how it would cause a misfire if used properly. Good luck!

 

[4-Ripcord]

If your plugs were old anyway, the seafoam could have been the straw the broke number 6's back. My bet is, replace your o2 sensor and plugs n' wires, and you will be good to go.

and x2 on having a hot engine when you wash it out.

 

[152 Sumo]

Dang it, I specifically washed when it was cold because I thought the water would damage the hot engine.

Another question I forgot to ask: which is cyl 6? I am going to replace the plugs and wires anyway, but I would like to know which is which for troubleshooting.

 

[fourwd1]

Dang it, I specifically washed when it was cold because I thought the water would damage the hot engine.

Another question I forgot to ask: which is cyl 6? I am going to replace the plugs and wires anyway, but I would like to know which is which for troubleshooting.

Actually, cold water hitting a hot engine block can have bad results.

Cyl #6 is drivers side (left) rear.
The distrib cap is usually marked, so you could follow the wires from there to each cylinder.

 

[152 Sumo]

Well, problem solved, for the most part. I replaced all 6 plugs and the wire set. The misfire stopped, but the light is still on. I am guessing that it will go out soon. The engine performs better than before this happened. I think I figured out the real problem though. I almost panicked when I removed the first plug. It had almost no wear!! But, when I took of #6 plug, it was wet!! It was soaked down in there. I am guessing that whoever replaced the plugs last didn't seat the wire/boot all the way down. When I washed the engine off, water must have ran down in there. I had a little scare, too. When I was removing the #3 plug, it was coming out rough. It was stripped a little. When I tried to put the new plug in, there was a little hesitation. I just put some anti-seize on it and worked it in slowly, tightening, then loosening a little, then tightening again. I eventually got it all the way in. I was about to loose my mind. I was afraid that the threads were gone.

I am glad that I went out there, broke out my tools and jumped in. Plugs/wires might be easy for most, but I have never done it. Overall, it took me a couple hours, but I really took my time making sure I was doing everything right.

 

[4-Ripcord]

did you take out the EFI fuse when you did it? thats the fuse on the mass air flow by the airbox, take it out for 15 mins and it will reset. Should fix it.

 

[152 Sumo]

did you take out the EFI fuse when you did it? thats the fuse on the mass air flow by the airbox, take it out for 15 mins and it will reset. Should fix it.

No, I didn't know about that. The good thing is that it is running a lot better with new plugs and wires. No hesitation when acceleration from stop. There was a little before, even before the water mishap.

 

[RS Dude]

I've Seafoamed my engine several times and the CEL always comes on after. It usually takes several days of normal driving for the light to go out. Nothing to worry about. :bigok:

 

[152 Sumo]

The CEL this time wasn't the only issue though. The misfiring was obvious. It was really rough and I knew there was a problem even before the light came on. The good news is that it wasn't the seafoam that caused it. I found out when removing the plugs that somehow water made it into the spark plug area. I suspect that when the plugs were replaced last time, the boot wasn't firmly in place, allowing water to get in there when I washed it.