[charliezab]

Hi people, hope you are all ok.

I was hoping that possibly someone here may be able to help me out.

Heres the problem.

Car was running great until 4 days ago when i drove through some water, maybe a foot and half of it.

Now, when i turn over first thing in the morning, it runs great until i gets a little warmer (about 10 mins of driving) then starts to judder and the engine shakes all over the place. Every now and again check engine light pops up then goes away. the Juddering and loss of power is through all gears.

Anyone?!

 

[aquanaut20]

You have some water sitting, when it heats, creates stream and shorts out a/some electrical systems....

Start pulling connectors, spark plug wells open and dry, spray with a water dispersant (WD40)... continue until you find the offender....

When you park it hot, open the hood so it can air out..... Philip

 

[GottaCruise]

If you add some HEET brand dry gas to the tank, and it improves, that's your answer, water in the fuel lines -> system, Deprecated Browser Error

but agree w/ Philip, there's probably a connector underneath (trans), or in the engine bay that has water inside it.

 

[charliezab]

Thank you both very much for your reply's. I was really worried that i had a bent 'rod' as some mechanic was trying to tell me, but thought better of trusting him as the problem was not consistent and works flawlessly for periods of time.

I live in the UK and cannot but heet, are other products available that do something similar, there is already redex in the fuel.

Am i in any major danger of doing irreversible damage.

Thanks again guys!

 

[GottaCruise]

I'd rather not guess and lead you down the wrong path (especially with Philip reading this thread.. but from what you describe, it starts juddering when the ECM enters closed-loop mode, so:

I would concentrate on the Engine Coolant Temp sensor (ECT) connector,
follow the top radiator hose to the motor, look for the (2) wire connector on the right side of the thermostat housing,

Check the (gauge) coolant temp sensor on the left side of the thermostat housing,

Check the Mass Airflow sensor (MAF) connector, located in-line with the flexible rubber tubing between the airbox assembly -> leading to the top of the motor,

Check the Air Intake Temp sensor (IAT), mounted in the top of the airbox cover (the air filter is underneath),

Check the upper O2 sensor (HO2S) connector, located on the right side of motor (on US models), connector is mounted parallel to the exhaust manifold: just follow the wiring from the upper O2 sensor -> back to the connector,

Check the Crank Position (CPK) sensor connector, located in the bell housing, behind & parallel to the exhaust manifold: follow the wiring from the sensor back to the connector,

Check the Cam Position sensor connector (CPS), located at the back of the motor, center: the CPS sensor is mounted on the (Exhaust) cam (on same side as the exhaust manifold, back of valve cover): follow the wiring from the sensor back to the connector,

Check the Ignition coil lead, located at the back of the motor, left (Intake) side: if necessary, remove the top metal intake tube leading the the throttle body, remove the plastic cover, inspect the wiring lead from the coil packs and follow the wiring from the coil packs -> back to the connector,

If you -really- doused the motor, then I would go through the step of removing the coil packs and inspecting the spark plug boots & wiring as well,

I would use an alcohol-based electronics cleaner in the connectors, just dry and use some spark plug boot grease on the spark plug boots,

And would, after letting any given connector air dry (or help it along w/ some compressed air if available), apply a light coat of dielectric grease before reassembling the connector ..

And would also be checking inside the passenger cabin: if you feel the passenger front floor is wet/damp, then pull down the passenger carpet and inspect the area around the ECM, if wet, then you should fully dry / address the ECM, the ECM connector, and the areas around the ECM (I would use a fan to dry out this area, in addition to spraying / drying the connectors ..

-If- your Sporty has the emissions controls mounted in back of the vehicle / in the gas tank area, then you should also be checking -that- area and drying connectors as well (hence the dry gas tip in the last post),

re: running while poorly - well, it isn't recommended, but if you get a DTC code, I would really recommend purchasing a OBDII scanner, if your Sporty is equipped, and hooking up so you can see real-time values from the ECM & read any codes stored..

If after checking / drying / cleaning the above, if no improvement, then I would move (back) towards the ECM, namely the main engine harness connectors, located (under) the battery on the US model,

If no improvement after that, I would definitely hook up a OBDII scanner to see what is going on w/ the motor & ECM,

And be using a multimeter to check voltage values starting at the engine compartment fuse box -> the voltage values for the sensors mentioned above..

Hope this helps.

 

[aquanaut20]

Fear not!....

ALL the mentioned steps are valid.. especially for intermittent problems (toughest ones to pin down)... Philip

 

[aquanaut20]

charliezab,

Given that the engine run OK cold, I would not envision any mechanical issue that will eat the engine.....

You did not divulge the MFG yr, Europe and UK (gas/petrol) did not convert full to OBDII until 2000/01 and newer.... 1996 to 1999 partial compliance. .. Philip

 

[charliezab]

Its a 1999 'V' plate UK model. I do not believe It's OBDII complaint as there is a diagnostics terminal in the engine bay that does not resemble the OBDII connector.

Yesterday the problem seemed to disappear apart from when first starting the engine, in which case the car would run for a few seconds then start to slowly die. After starting maybe 2 or 3 times the engine would run ok.

Later that evening the car again had issues while driving though the problems seemed somewhat less than it was before, by this I mean the engine knocking and vibrating could be heard, and felt though the gear stick, but power remained more or less what it had been pre-issue.

Additionally while is 4x4 mode yesterday to get up an incredibly steep and wet muddy road the front left wheel seems to grind quite a bit. This is not related to the engine issue (?) but is is normal?

Thanks, you guys are quiet brilliant!

 

[GottaCruise]

Its a 1999 'V' plate UK model. I do not believe It's OBDII complaint as there is a diagnostics terminal in the engine bay that does not resemble the OBDII connector.

...

Additionally while is 4x4 mode yesterday to get up an incredibly steep and wet muddy road the front left wheel seems to grind quite a bit. This is not related to the engine issue (?) but is is normal?

Greetings,

No, any grinding sound is not normal - it could be just a stone was picked up and wedged in between the caliper and rotor, it could be something more serious,

e.g. when the needle bearings in the steering knuckle start to fail, they will make a grinding sound.. (The CV axle shaft passes through the steering knuckle -> is supported by the needle bearings.)

After spraying down the front wheels / cleaning up the area of the rotor, caliper, and hub, you should engage 4x4 on a flat level surface, and listen for any grinding sound while driving in a straight line.. if present, then more investigation is needed..