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Took a chance, power washed the engine, now check engine light and studdering 850 1996

Prior to my ownership, it appears my 1996 850 wagon lived in the desert, and at some point was stored. It came to me with a particularly dusty and dirty engine. This afternoon, I finally got up enough courage to spray down the engine with a borrowed power washer and some cleaner. I let the engine dry in direct sunlight for several hours, and later that evening came out to start it up and go home.

The car started fine, no check engine light, etc. I headed back to my house, first with a 20 minute ride on the freeway, still no problems. However, as soon as I got off the freeway, the car started to studder and hesitate, almost like it wasn't getting enough fuel. Within a minute or so, the check engine light came on. I made my way home, but slowly, and the car struggled the entire time. The hesitation and studdering is most noticeable under heavier acceleration, but you can basically feel it the entire time.

I'm going to let the car sit for a couple days, hoping it has a better chance to dry out. If the problem persists, I'll most likely take it in to have the error codes read out. In lew of that, however, I was hoping to start a dialog with Brickboard as to the possible causes of my symptoms. Any ideas?








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    Took a chance, power washed the engine, now check engine light and studdering 850 1996

    http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index.php?s=245f2ad4f7829675ac2eaea864a9bcf9&showtopic=5734

    Don't worry. Did it too- 1st week.
    might need new plugs

    Have Fun

    '97 855na 175k K&N, Mobil 1, various IPD's and eBay's








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    Took a chance, power washed the engine, now check engine light and studdering 850 1996

    LOL. The error codes you have will consist of plug # n misfire and possible damage to CAT. Not to worry, just stop by an auto parts store and get them read and deleted for free.
    When I washed the engine on a 1996, I would up with 3 inches of water in each spark plug hole and water behind the distributer cap. I used a shop rag to soak up the water in the plug holes. DO NOT pull the spark plugs with water in the hole, the water will run into the cylinder and could damage it.
    Pull the cover off the top of the engine and dry things out for a day. It should run nicely then.

    Klaus
    --
    The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)








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      Took a chance, power washed the engine, now check engine light and studdering 850 1996

      Excellent suggestions, that sounds very likely. When I get home this afternoon (rode bike to work), I'll check under the plug cover.

      As for the error codes, once they're triggered, will they not reset themselves without a force reset from a mechanic's computer? In other words, even if I fix the issue, the check engine light will stay on until a reset?








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        Took a chance, power washed the engine, now check engine light and studdering 850 1996

        Most auto parts stores will either loan you a code reader or go to your car and clear the codes for free. No need to pay a mechanic.
        The misfire code might go away, but the cat damage will not clear by itself.

        Klaus
        --
        The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)








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    Took a chance, power washed the engine, now check engine light and studdering 850 1996

    Almost 100% certain that water went under the black plastic spark plug cover and filled at least one of the plug holes. Take it out, pull the plug wires and check. If wet, dry everything really well, including the spark plug wires. You may also take out the distributor cap and dry/clean it too.
    Classic symptoms of water cleaning of engine in these cars...








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      Took a chance, power washed the engine, now check engine light and studdering 850 1996

      Same thing happened to my 98 V70. What a mess. After cleaning out the SP holes, it still bucked. So I changed plugs, still bucked. Off came the distributer where I discovered the rotor really needed replacing. New rotor & cap and blowing it all out with compressed air finally did the trick.

      My indy said BMW recommends not washing their engines at all. Causes lots of problems.

      If you remove the SP cover, stuff a rag down into each hole and cover the dist. cap (if you have one), you just might get away with it. . . . . maybe . . . .
      --
      1998 V70 T5 138Kmi; Previous car: 1985 SAAB 900T, 254kmi







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