MGF VVC (99) misfire/bad running after pressure wash!

[Steely]

The car was running well apart from a slight belt squeal at start up for a few seconds.. That was next job on list!
Today I gave the car a good clean with pressure washer, and since then it has been running bad, juddering/loosing power like it's misfiring, any ideas what I might have done, and what to check and in which order ?

Thanks, Paul.

[webba]

remove the plug leads and wd40 all the conections

[Dell]

Sounds like you have got water in the electrics I would start by checking things like the distributor cap, Ignition leads, plug caps & ignition coil packs.

[daz]

I'd open a nice cold can & hope it's OK tomorrow it'll be damp electrics & should dry out quite quickly in this weather.

[Steely]

Haha, sounds like a plan!

[talkingcars]

Did you wash the engine or just the outside of the car? If it is the latter I guess you may have got water through the boot vent.

Leave the engine running for a bit with the boot open.

[Steely]

Well today after running it a bit with boot open, it seems "almost" back to normal.. A couple of misses on first run, and one on second.. Hopefully none on the next run. Will be more careful with the pressure washer from now on

[Steely]

Damn! Think I spoke too soon.. Third run and this time it's worse than ever, surprised after 2 earlier runs were ok.
It was difficult to start (needed a bit of gas) and is running terrible, very shakes like it's not firing on all cylinders, loss of power, sounds like a diesel.

What next ?

[daz]

did you jet wash the engine bay or the outside of the car? If it was the engine bay, the next thing I'd be checking is all the connections, I had one come loose on top of the cam cover & it gave the same symptoms, think it was a VVC connection, remove the plug leads at the plugs & coil packs & give them a good dose of wd40.

[Steely]

Where are coil packs located ? Do you access from under the car ?

[daz]

they're bolted to the side of the engine, just above the sump looking from the back of the car, yes get at them from underneath

[Steely]

Had a look at all the connectors I could find including ht leads at plugs and coil packs applied wd40 and reseated, also removed 2 plugs (couldn't get the other 2 out) they looked normal, not black no corrosion, connectors at coil points looked clean too. Put back together and it's still the same!

Any other ideas before I give in and attempt to get it to a garage with a suitable diagnostic ?

[Steely]

Any other suggestions before I find a garage ?

And can anyone recommend a garage in South Birmingham, Longbridge/Northfield area ?

Thanks

[carlvk]

Lickey Hills garage on the hill down to Bromsgrove ask for Ty. He looks after my wife's car and does the MOT's on mine.
I am about ten minutes further south, but I am away this weekend. Mon afternoon I could take a look and hook up my T300 if you like. PM me if you are interested.

[Rob Bell]

Sounds like an HT lead is shorting out somewhere? Might be a good investment to replace if you're still running the originals?