I think I screwed up bad. Cleaned engine (degreaser and water hose), Broken car :(

[Osteomata]

Yeah, Thought I would try to clean my engine with some spray degreaser, rinse it off with a garden hose sprayer. Just like I saw the guy do on a youtube how to video. Thought I had stayed away from the sensitive parts, but I guess not....

Symptoms:
- At first car would not start, just wouldn't catch. Now she starts, runs rough, occacionally back fires, and stalls if not given some rpms.

- Check engine light flashing, and after couple of minutes, went to solid.

- Breaks have lost power assist or hydrolics or something. Extremely stiff, feels like how power steering feels when it looses the hyrdolic assist from the ps pump.

Any help from this august body would be greatly appreciated.

- Jack

[vdubbugman53]

now im pretty stoned so let me get this straight...so all you did was wash your motor off while in the car? didnt take anything apart? if so make sure all is very dry. also make sure all the plug wires have a solid connection. could end up being a bad coil pack

[Osteomata]

Hah, stoned mechanical advice... awesome.

I popped the hood, warmed the engine a bit. Sprayed liberally with the degreaser in the gunky parts. Hit the engine with a good amount of water using a hose and garden nozzle on the solid stream setting.

I think I will go down and put the hood up to let it dry more easily.

Originally Posted by vdubbugman53

now im pretty stoned so let me get this straight...so all you did was wash your motor off while in the car? didnt take anything apart? if so make sure all is very dry. also make sure all the plug wires have a solid connection. could end up being a bad coil pack

[vdubbugman53]

well even when stoned i know my stuff.

i would say you have a crack in your coil pack and you just put water in it so it is shorting out. your brakes suck cuz the engine is running so poorly it is not gettin good vacume.

well speak of vaccume...have you make sure you have no vac leaks?

[vdubbugman53]

see if you can get the codes ran from autozone or somebody in your area with a vag com....flashing CEL means misfire.

[Osteomata]

Originally Posted by vdubbugman53

see if you can get the codes ran from autozone or somebody in your area with a vag com....flashing CEL means misfire.

ok, I'll try and check for loss of vac, and then see if the thing will make it to a place to run the codes. Maybe the water jet knocked loose the vacumm hose?

[vdubbugman53]

Originally Posted by Osteomata

ok, I'll try and check for loss of vac, and then see if the thing will make it to a place to run the codes. Maybe the water jet knocked loose the vacumm hose?

perhaps...with the flashing CEL i would say it is a random multiple cyl misfire

[Osteomata]

OK, You have been more than helpful. I have to admit that I just scoured that engine looking for looses hoses, but I am somewhat inhibited by the fact that I don't know where the vac hose is located. I was kinda looking randomly. I can't look at that engine any more tonight. I think I will seek a mental state similar to yours. Its gotta be 420 somewhere.
- Jack

Originally Posted by vdubbugman53

perhaps...with the flashing CEL i would say it is a random multiple cyl misfire

[Frog U]

I would replace the coil pack and do plugs and wires. I would go here and get your parts. http://www.germanautoparts.com/

[Osteomata]

Well before I do any of that... I found a disconnected hose, reconnected it, and my problems disappeared (exept for a prior cooling issue, different story though). Now I still have the CEL on solid, just pulled the codes at autozone, (PO300, 301, 304, 171, all of which have "Large Vacuum leak" as one of the probable causes. Only thing is I did not ask the autozone guy to reset the codes and CEL, is that something he would have done automatically? Anyway, thinking I will disconnect the battery and see if that clears it.
- Jack

Originally Posted by Frog U

I would replace the coil pack and do plugs and wires. I would go here and get your parts. http://www.germanautoparts.com/

[vdubbugman53]

brake booster vaccum hose probably....you can ask him to clear them and they they should go away. that is a better way to do it...dont disconnect your battery.

[Osteomata]

Thanks everyone for the help. The NB is running great again. The CEL did not clear with a battery disconnect, but went away on its own about 24 hours later. Guess the car just needed to convince itself that the problem was fixed.

- Os