Got the engine wet :( help!

[stunorthants]

As a car valeter, I tend to like the engine bays of my cars pretty clean and with this weekend off, i decided today was wash day.
Unfortunatly there was some oil round the headgasket area which i got off ok, but now the car wont fire up - it backfires a bit but wont catch at all.
Ive dried the plug leads so should I next take out the plugs and make sure its dry in there? Previously ive only ever found Rovers have poorly sealed plugs and the odd Ford.
Is the 460 water-shy?
Its a 1.8 inj btw. Im not technically minded and unfortunatly i dont have pressurised air which is a shame for sure, thats how I used to solve it when I worked for main dealer!

Stu

aye id try and dry the plugs just incase theyve got damp, other than that no reason why it shouldnt fire up, unless youve disturbed something that was loose maybe whilst cleaning?

if its cranking over and back firing, that shows the plugs are sparking mind, but the timings out (hence the backfiring, the fuels igniting in the pipe). id check to see if its possible you have distirubed something..... first, or maybe tis a totally unrelated problem?

[Peter Milnes]

Try distributor cap for water ingress. Plugs should be fine but check your inlet (I think it is single point injection which looks like a carburettor but has injector and some electronics inside it which could be subject to damp). Most cars have troube with water when being washed. People usually cover all visible electrics with polythene bags to keep the water out.

All the best, Peter

[stunorthants]

Seems ive been lucky. I left it for about 4 hours and it did start and run so i took it for a blast down the road and got it hot and it seemed to be ok - may have even been better as i got a chance to fiddle with the connections and two on the distributor and one plug connection were not tight.

Ive been valeting cars for 7 years and ive found that very few cars have a problem with water in the engine bay aslong as the engine is hot ( allowing water to evaporate quickly ). The only cars ive ever had trouble with are the M-series rover units which have a gap on the top of distributor and the 1.4 K-series which is weak at the plugs.

I probably should have asked before hand but ive done 480 volvos before and had no trouble washing them, so perhaps its peculiar to the 1.8? Ill know next time!

Just as a note, the 1.8 is pretty quick when you give it some gas isnt it? I dont normally do more than 2000 revs so havent really noticed till last nite that it does shift :)

[Peter Milnes]

Mine is a Turbo, which is very quick when you give her her head.

I am finding out how to cure all the body leaks which really stem from poor attention to detail. According to Club 480 Europe there are about five rear end leak sources which cause all the wetness. They have a list of accessories and their part numbers which is useful but not all parts are stocked by the dealers and parts sellers.

All the best, Peter