So i was cleaning my car yesterday and i decided to clean my engine compartment. When i got done i took it out for a good air dry. I stopped at the gas station to check the air in my tires and while i was there the idle jumped up to about 1900 and wouldln't go back down. I took it out and ran it some more trying to dry out the engine but that didnt help. It was still idling high this morning so maybe today when i get off work i can go home and check it again. I was kinda hoping it would clear up on its own as the motor dried out and maybe it still will. has anyone else done this and are there any specific sensors i can check for moisture. I didn't use a high pressure sprayer , just a water hose and some simple green so im pretty sure i did not knock any wires loose.

 

I doubt that you actaully got water in the engine cause you would have had to spray the hose right in the throttle body while holding the gas wide open; also if you got water in the engine I think it would either blow out pretty quick or not run, but geuss anything is possible

quite possible that you got some water on one of the elelctrical connectors up top like you said... I'd go through all of them (think theres about 5 of them. something like IAC etc., ) up by where the throttle body meets the air stuff.. probbably unplug them put some elctrical connection cleaner on them and then plug them all back up etc.,


do you get any OBD codes or can you hook it up to a scanner?

 

sounds like you got your optispark wet..

the LAST THING you want to do to an LT1 is hose down the engine.

hope it dries out...but don't count on it

 

How do LT1 guys keep their engine compartment clean then? I hosed mine down a couple times before and the outcome turned out alright.

 

very carefully!!

or cover up the opti

 

i have hosed it off before with no bad porblems. I didnt literally mean there was water in the engine. but i do need to check the connectors again. The opti is a big concern but it runs good just idles high. it rained last night and most of today already so that didnt help. I was gonna ride out to the Gatornaionals this weekend so this is putting a damper on things. I have noticed a little hesitaion every now and then when i rev it up. Also last night i got aggroed and revved it hard and it dropped down to 1500. Still high but a drop none-the-less. I might go pick it up at lunch and drive it back to work to get some more heat under the hood.

 

well i went home at lunch pulled every connector i could find and sprayed a little WD-40 in them. It is running much better, still not perfect but it looks like the more i drive it the better it is getting. Its been so humid in Florida lately that i guess the stuff just couldnt dry out. I also turned the adjustment screw in a little, well alot. I think that its just there to make you feel like you adjusting something but it did drop the idle down enough to drive it untill everything dries out. Thanks for the help. Gatornationals here I come.

 

What do you guys think, when you drive it through puddles or during heavy downpours the opti doesn't get wet?

Just when you clean the engine, don't have the hose on the highest pressure setting and you'll be fine.

 

The opti gets wet driving through puddles, if you wash the engine bay, or if the water pump leaks. Its a very bad design. ANYWAY, its getting better because you DID douse your opti, but because its the vented design (96-97) its airing its self out. Cleaning your connectors did nothing but waste time, sorry to say. Give it a week or so and it SHOULD be back to normal.

 

It still can get wet, and as a matter of fact, the couple of times where I got caught in rain, my car did start to develop a slight miss. I'm not banking that it is the opti as I'm sure wet plug wires or another part of the ignition system getting wet could cause similar problems, but it just shows that they are all exposed to the elements. But to the OP, it is not a good idea to hose or pressure wash the engine bay of an LT1. There have been plenty of posts on here with people doing so and have had issues with their car soon thereafter.

 

'95s are vented too.

 

I thought it was, but wasn't sure. No biggie, he's 96 so he fits the bill. I KNEW it was 2 years for one of the other though, just got it mixed up.

 

Yeah, just figured I'd let you know, haha.

 

So when you guys wash under the hood do you do it carefully then and cover the opti up some how or what's the deal? How do you keep your car clean under there, etc?

 

That screw is NOT for adjusting the idle. You should never mess with that screw. It is just a throttle stop.

The idle on a LT1 is determined my the computer controlling the IAC. If you want it changed you need to re-flash the PCM. I wonder what the PCM is getting from the throttle position sensor at idle now that you turned it.

You should really scan it and see why it is idling high. Doing what you are doing is the wrong approach.