Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Technical => Engine Tech => Topic started by: RunninWild on January 25, 2011, 11:16:05 PM

Title: 3.8 Bird issues
Post by: RunninWild on January 25, 2011, 11:16:05 PM
For starters, its a bird with a 3.8 liter...but it's a firebird. Go ahead, flame me now...

Okay, so my brother was driving his '01 Champagne Firebird (black leather, Ttops, mock Trans am rims-gorgeous car) to an Arby's, and he drove it about 10mph through a massive puddle. He claims he made a wake with it, drove through the puddle and proceeded into Arby's. After finishing his meal, he came outside, attempted to start the car, and it wouldn't turn over.

Everybody's telling him his spark plugs are just "wet" and need to dry out...

Thoughts?
Title: 3.8 Bird issues
Post by: jcassity on January 25, 2011, 11:22:16 PM
lol

well, hard call but did he end up with a wake that filled up the air cleaner , which will be a problem once hitting the cylinders. 

or, distributor if full of water,,or is it DIS?

Relays up front maybe soaked?  any relays in the engine bay? fuses?
Title: 3.8 Bird issues
Post by: jpc647 on January 26, 2011, 08:18:11 AM
Moisture or water under the dist. cap? MY 3.8l bird used to do that every time I washed the engine bay out. Which on a side note was roughly once a week because it used to leak oil out of the oil filter adapter. But finally, I found the part.

But I digress. Unclip the distributor cap, flip it upside down, let it dry. Try to start the car.
Title: 3.8 Bird issues
Post by: RunninWild on January 26, 2011, 10:13:11 AM
I'm pretty sure it uses coils..?

And he pulled the air cleaner and it was pretty wet. I told him he's gonna have a serious problem if a ton of water got sucked through that air cleaner...
Title: 3.8 Bird issues
Post by: jpc647 on January 26, 2011, 10:18:05 AM
Is it warm in florida right now? Leave the hood open with the sun shining on it. If something is wet, it'll dry.
Title: 3.8 Bird issues
Post by: The Shredder on January 26, 2011, 02:03:19 PM
It sounds like an electical problem due to moisture on a starter relay or some other ignition circuit. 

Or the engine is hydrolocked.  In which case the plugs need to be pulled and the engine turned over to relieve the water in the cylinder pressure.  Oil should be changed immediately!
Title: 3.8 Bird issues
Post by: jpc647 on January 26, 2011, 02:16:24 PM
Could the engine have hydrolocked if it was still running before he shut it off to go inside? Wouldn't it have ran like  the whole way there?

I'm betting a relay or other coil or osmething is just wet.
Title: 3.8 Bird issues
Post by: sarjxxx on January 26, 2011, 06:39:04 PM
hah haha haha, no, it depends on your definition of "warm" in florida. Not its not -29 but its not 80 either
Title: 3.8 Bird issues
Post by: RunninWild on January 26, 2011, 08:58:46 PM
The car was running fine up until he turned it off to go inside the restaraunt. He came back out, and that's when it wouldn't start, but it didn't stall or anything before he turned it off.

He took it to the shop and they drained water out of the engine and apparently the transmission too, but they said it should be okay.
Title: 3.8 Bird issues
Post by: merccougar93 on January 29, 2011, 10:23:21 PM
you might wanna take the entire air cleaner housing out and hang it up to make sure all the water is out of it. Will it even turn over?