I shouldn't have done it!

[Nulifekc]

I have a 94 Chevy Caprice Classic which I recently bought. Had the terribel thought to wash the dirty engine and afterwards it's running terrible and then the check engine light has come on. I idled the car to try and let the water dry out, but the engine is going up and down and almost cutting out and then it races. Will it get better once it dries but what about the check engine light? Help!!!

[kahjdh]

You prob got the ignition wet. I would check out the distributor and your coil first. Replace if they are trash our even if they are old. If that doesnt help then i wouldnt know where else to start. Did you steam it or use a hose?

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by kahjdh

You prob got the ignition wet. I would check out the distributor and your coil first. Replace if they are trash our even if they are old. If that doesnt help then i wouldnt know where else to start. Did you steam it or use a hose?

The next step if the check engine light is on is to see if there are any stored codes in the computer. On the OBD I system you ground the A and B terminals on the 12 pin ALDL found under the dash. The first code to register is a "12", one flash followed by two flashes. After that count the number of flashes and record them, make sure you watch for pauses between the flashes. Once you have them, you can come back here and post them, and we can figure them out. I'm not sure if Autozone does OBD I codes for free, as they do OBD II ( 1996 and newer) as a free service for their customers. If you have one in your area you might want to call and find out. If not it might not hurt to call some other auto part stores in your area, and see if they also offer this service. My local stores are closed at this hour, so I cannot find out if they also do OBD I codes. Maybe another forum member may know the answer to that question.

[PeteA216]

The AutoZone's in my area do not test OBD 1 codes at all, they just give the same instuctions as you have on jumping the A & B terminals and reading the flashes. They do give you a paperclip though