1998 v70 wet and won't run-UPDATE

raquette · Post by **raquette** » 01 Oct 2010, 18:53

we received about 4" of rain overnight, big storm fr central ny. rain was about 1/2inch deep on the drivers side floor this morning.

car would not start, turned over with no fire.

finally after many many attempts car started and ran very rough. engine light flashed, p300 code (multiple misfire). changed out coil wire with no change. warmed engine up to norm temp, still skipping under load.

1. what should i troubleshoot next, any ideas what is the cause? rotor and cap replaced 20k ago. acts like the spark plug chambers are wet (similar to a time I washed the motor). how could they get wet with hood secured? will investigate them tomorrow.

2. where is water entering? I sealed the wiper arm hole in the plastic cowling with silicone last year and still leaks, but with 4" overnight, floor got drenched.

3. could wirng under the dash gotten wet and causing this?

thanks

raquette · Post by **raquette** » 01 Oct 2010, 19:03

maybe there is a leak and need dry gas after this storm, will try that also

Kuhnman · Post by **Kuhnman** » 01 Oct 2010, 22:49

I had this same problem with my 98 V70 a little while ago. It ended up being a bit of moisture in my dist cap. I learned from off-roading my old Ramcharger that a little shot of WD-40 under the cap will dissipate the moisture and get rid of the miss fire. (hitting deep water holes too fast killed the engine ever time) I see this problem all the time in my auto-repair shop due to the large amount of rain here too. High humidity from the wet weather can effect even new ignition system parts. It works very well and it's cheap and easy. I've also found that putting a bit of dielectric grease in the plug wire ends (both cap and plug ends) can prevent electrical leakage and miss firing. It also makes it way easier to pull the wires off in the future without ripping the connectors out of the boots. I hope this helps!

Kuhnman · Post by **Kuhnman** » 01 Oct 2010, 22:55

Also, a good fuel drier additive is good to put in the fuel tank if you suspect water in there. It helps mix the water with the fuel in a way that lets the car burn it off without damaging anything, pump, injectors, etc. It's safe to use and won't harm anything. Just make sure you fill the tank with fresh fuel when you put it in! I use BG brand additives which are very good but any will do as long as you follow the instructions.

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 01 Oct 2010, 23:28

If you're getting water IN the car, check your sunroof drains.
And if it's coming in there, it's probably coming down the A pillar and
into the electrical distribution section to the left of the steering column.

You need to fix this fast. Water inside doesn't make your car happy.
I've seen cars get killed by simple leaks. Ask me about the "Haunted"
Honda Civic sometime...

Kuhnman · Post by **Kuhnman** » 01 Oct 2010, 23:48

A ha, I've seen that on the Civics before too. Check under the dash for water and possibly green corrosion on metal contacts and connectors. Water trails on dusty surfaces are a dead give-away too. You can also have someone spray the car with water while you look for where it's coming in. Ford F-150s and Escapes would leak right onto the fuse panel and destroy them. A clothes hanger or careful use of compressed air can unplug the sunroof drains if thats the issue too. I'd check the fuse panel under the hood for any signs of moisture while your at it.

raquette · Post by **raquette** » 02 Oct 2010, 09:49

ok I placed a heater in drivers floor area.

checked the fuse box, all dry there. both drains from the wiper cowling were plugged, dissasemmbled and flushed them clean.

opened up the sunroof, all clean inside, did not see the drains, where are they?

removed air box to remove the distributor cap, hold down screws were giving me trouble, went in another direction and sprayed wd-40 on outside of cap. this took away the skip, now runs fine.

raquette · Post by **raquette** » 12 Oct 2010, 19:00

changed out the rotor and cap, now noticed an occasional skip, actually a very brief almost entire engine skip, have code p0335 crank shaft position sensor malfunction. where is this located and can a cleaning of the sensor be a short term fix?