Uneven idle after cleaning engine

[Churchbuilder]

I power washed my engine the other day. Now, after it warms up the rpms at idle go up and down. from say 1000 rpm to 2000 rpm and back and forth. Anyone know what would cause this?

[ravenmaster]

IF ITS TURBO IT SHOULD BE 650rpM AND n/a IS 700 DOES IT GO AWAY AFTER AWHILE? AND DO YOU HAVE THE STOCK INTAKE? SOME OF YOUR WIRES MIGHT BE MESSED UP CHECK ALL VACUUM TUBES.

[nelly26]

oops u could have moisture in some components my advise never use a pressure washer on engine you can get water in places it should not be if you need to clean engine do it by hand much safer and cheaper u might of knackered a sensor up

[burton51m]

i washed mine and the same thing happened to me.

you most likely got water in places where it shouldnt be (ex. wires,connections/connectors, )

let the car idle it out, n after a while it should be fine.



never powerwash an engine. get a hose without a sprayer on and let the water flow around the engine after u spray engine degreaser on it. try to stay away from electrical stuff.

edit- i dont know.. if it was going from 1000 to 2000 rpm's,thats a big jump.
mine was little

[tone loc]

yeah i was planning on power washing my engine tilll i found that water can ruin your computer componets and all the senstive sensors.

[ARZ]

Usually it gets in the spark plug valley and qenerates a sporatic idle. I would drive it as long as possible to to get it to warm up and evaporate.

Or get a compressor and air gun and start blowing off components until it fixes it.

Usually you can pull a spark plug boot and blow air in that valley and a bunch of dirt/dust/small leaves and debris that got in there will come out watch your eyes wear safety glasses.

I would also blow on the connector for the TPS and the idlle speed control and the aid flow meter. Hell disconnect em and blow the water out of there. That should solve it. I would guess the TPS could effect it the most.

[suprra_girl]

yep.. you got water in your electrical components... it'll dry out eventually and come right

[tellfromchico,ca]

if it a 7mge try taking off the distributor cap to check for moisture, if 7mgte do the same for the cam position sensor

[hyatt200]

i done the same thing. the motor looks great now ,but once warm, the idle goes up and down. i took it to the dealership. they told me my TPS was o.k. My MAP sensor was o.k. they said my idle speed control valve was not functioning properly and wanted to replace it for $478. i brought the car home and will check it out myself before looking for one.

before taking it there, i found that i flooded the area between the cam covers where the plugs are. fixed that. distributer was wet. fixed that. changed plugs , wires , distrib cap , rotor etc. drove it for days on end. finally gave up.

a haynes manually tells you how to test each sensor. you'll need a meter for that. mine's a Fluke brand meter. very time consuming.

hope this helps. no one ever answered me when i posted the same question. heck , i cant even find my posted thread. nice to see i'm not the only clean motor freak.

[tone loc]

that would suck if you have to pay 500 cause you washed your engine bay.