Help!!! Washed my LS1!!
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: Miami
Help!!! Washed my LS1!! Hi guys not new to the forum but new to actually posting, not sure if this is the right place but here goes.. This morning I decided to clean my engine, I sprayed some degreaser (Not on any electrical connections)...Then I sprayed it with water very carefully not to get anything electrical wet....Well I obviously wasn't careful enough and now when I turn the car on all the lights on the dash go on and and the alternator guage needle is all the way to maximum position! 
What could this be?? Help please, Thanks..
BTW its a 2000 Camaro z28 Ls1..
What could this be?? Help please, Thanks..BTW its a 2000 Camaro z28 Ls1..
Its completely normal actually. You got certain things wet that just need to dry out, it won't hurt anything. I've been cleaning my engine for 12+ years and every single time I do it I get over-charging and lights on the dash. Its going to take a day or two, maybe 3 to dry out.
When it happens to me I simply drive with my headlights on and maybe another electrical item....that will keep the volt needle out of the red zone.
No worries....just drive it.
.
When it happens to me I simply drive with my headlights on and maybe another electrical item....that will keep the volt needle out of the red zone.
No worries....just drive it.
.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: Miami
Its completely normal actually. You got certain things wet that just need to dry out, it won't hurt anything. I've been cleaning my engine for 12+ years and every single time I do it I get over-charging and lights on the dash. Its going to take a day or two, maybe 3 to dry out.
When it happens to me I simply drive with my headlights on and maybe another electrical item....that will keep the volt needle out of the red zone.
No worries....just drive it.
.
When it happens to me I simply drive with my headlights on and maybe another electrical item....that will keep the volt needle out of the red zone.
No worries....just drive it.
.
Yeah I mean, some of us must lead a charmed life but for the rest of us, I wouldn't chance spraying water inside an engine compartment that's almost more electrical/computer than it is metal.
Good luck and let us know what happens...
Good luck and let us know what happens...
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: Miami
Its running completely normal now, I ran it to the office, stayed their for about 2 hours, when I went back to start it...it was fine. That was the first time and probably the last time I do that. I guess I just got used to my Jeep which Is pretty much a submarine.....
On The Tree
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 160
Likes: 0
I degrease my motor, doused it with purple power sprayed off, doused again and sprayed a second time. I only made sure I stayed away from the alternator and intake, no problems here. Then I covered the engine bay with tire foam, made it all pretty and shiny.
good to hear your's is ok now.
good to hear your's is ok now.
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Its running completely normal now, I ran it to the office, stayed their for about 2 hours, when I went back to start it...it was fine. That was the first time and probably the last time I do that. I guess I just got used to my Jeep which Is pretty much a submarine.....
Cool. It just had to dry out. Water gets stuck in spark plug wire boots and inside the various plugs that connect our wiring together....thats all. Like I said....it can't hurt anything.
I still wash my engine just the same. Of course I don't directly blast anything with the hose when rinsing the engine bay.....but I know I'll have the over-charging and a couple lights for a day or so. After 12+ years of doing it with no problems......its no big deal to keep doing it.
Last time I cleaned the engine bay, my friend at the airport who cleans jet aircraft gave me a bottle of "Formula 88" to try. Its the most amazing degreaser I've ever seen. Spray it on, wait 5 minutes, and every single spec of dirt and grime/grease rinses right off....its nuts. Get it at Advance Auto or Home Depot, black bottle. Mix it 50/50 with water.
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Verdad Gallardo Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: Miami
Cool. It just had to dry out. Water gets stuck in spark plug wire boots and inside the various plugs that connect our wiring together....thats all. Like I said....it can't hurt anything.
I still wash my engine just the same. Of course I don't directly blast anything with the hose when rinsing the engine bay.....but I know I'll have the over-charging and a couple lights for a day or so. After 12+ years of doing it with no problems......its no big deal to keep doing it.
Last time I cleaned the engine bay, my friend at the airport who cleans jet aircraft gave me a bottle of "Formula 88" to try. Its the most amazing degreaser I've ever seen. Spray it on, wait 5 minutes, and every single spec of dirt and grime/grease rinses right off....its nuts. Get it at Advance Auto or Home Depot, black bottle. Mix it 50/50 with water.
.
I still wash my engine just the same. Of course I don't directly blast anything with the hose when rinsing the engine bay.....but I know I'll have the over-charging and a couple lights for a day or so. After 12+ years of doing it with no problems......its no big deal to keep doing it.
Last time I cleaned the engine bay, my friend at the airport who cleans jet aircraft gave me a bottle of "Formula 88" to try. Its the most amazing degreaser I've ever seen. Spray it on, wait 5 minutes, and every single spec of dirt and grime/grease rinses right off....its nuts. Get it at Advance Auto or Home Depot, black bottle. Mix it 50/50 with water.
.
I work in the automotive testing industry and every component under that hood is tested to go through tougher environments than doing a good healthy cleaning. I have always used engine cleaners (i.e. gunk, purple power, simple green) and then blasted with either a garden hose or even the power washer. (careful with power washer). Now I'm not saying I'm blasting the PCM up by the firewall, etc. but I'm cleaning that thing, and if something doesn't hold up to it, then it's broken. Heck you should see what we test your interior components to. They literally go into a salt spray bath and then are cycled. They are total rust buckets. They still work. So to the OP, just don't spray a super HOT engine, warm is ok and actually helps get the dirt off. But cold water on a HOT engine is bad. Oh, and I'm partial now to the Citrus Gunk Engine cleaner/detailer. Gives that satin look to everything, isn't all sticky, won't attract dust. Usually I leave it running while rinsing off, and I'll take my back pack blower to it to help dry. Heck I do this to my chain saw, blower, weedwhip, and lawnmowers too!
I had the problem once in a rain storm, it blew out the headlight bulbs.
The problem was a missing rubber seal around the alternator plug letting water into the regulator.
Replaced the seal and never had the problem again.
The problem was a missing rubber seal around the alternator plug letting water into the regulator.
Replaced the seal and never had the problem again.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: Miami
I'm sorry cause normally you have really good input, but you are quite wrong on this one.
I work in the automotive testing industry and every component under that hood is tested to go through tougher environments than doing a good healthy cleaning. I have always used engine cleaners (i.e. gunk, purple power, simple green) and then blasted with either a garden hose or even the power washer. (careful with power washer). Now I'm not saying I'm blasting the PCM up by the firewall, etc. but I'm cleaning that thing, and if something doesn't hold up to it, then it's broken. Heck you should see what we test your interior components to. They literally go into a salt spray bath and then are cycled. They are total rust buckets. They still work. So to the OP, just don't spray a super HOT engine, warm is ok and actually helps get the dirt off. But cold water on a HOT engine is bad. Oh, and I'm partial now to the Citrus Gunk Engine cleaner/detailer. Gives that satin look to everything, isn't all sticky, won't attract dust. Usually I leave it running while rinsing off, and I'll take my back pack blower to it to help dry. Heck I do this to my chain saw, blower, weedwhip, and lawnmowers too!
I work in the automotive testing industry and every component under that hood is tested to go through tougher environments than doing a good healthy cleaning. I have always used engine cleaners (i.e. gunk, purple power, simple green) and then blasted with either a garden hose or even the power washer. (careful with power washer). Now I'm not saying I'm blasting the PCM up by the firewall, etc. but I'm cleaning that thing, and if something doesn't hold up to it, then it's broken. Heck you should see what we test your interior components to. They literally go into a salt spray bath and then are cycled. They are total rust buckets. They still work. So to the OP, just don't spray a super HOT engine, warm is ok and actually helps get the dirt off. But cold water on a HOT engine is bad. Oh, and I'm partial now to the Citrus Gunk Engine cleaner/detailer. Gives that satin look to everything, isn't all sticky, won't attract dust. Usually I leave it running while rinsing off, and I'll take my back pack blower to it to help dry. Heck I do this to my chain saw, blower, weedwhip, and lawnmowers too!
Wow that's some good info man. Instead of a leaf blower, I use my air compressor seemed to work very well. The car is running perfect now though.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,080
Likes: 17
From: So.Cal.
Regardless of OEM testing performed, all it takes is the seal on the end of a connector to be misformed (from plugging together incorrectly) and it will let water into the wire (into the copper strands)... this may not dry out and over time will corrode the wire from the inside... it is quite hard to locate this type of wire failure, you have to unravel the wire loom and take great effort.
I say let the engine be dirty (or just wipe it with a rag instead).
$0.02.
I say let the engine be dirty (or just wipe it with a rag instead).
$0.02.
TECH Regular
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 400
Likes: 2
Not necessarily. I've degreased and powerwashed my LT1 at least a couple of times and I still hose it down about once a month, no electrical issues caused by that yet. I prefer to use a low pressure setting though, just enough to rinse off dust and dirt, and avoid directly spraying the alternator and other electronics bits. Seems to be working fine so far 
I washed my engine twice, used a garden hose, second time I got knock sensor codes, the front sensor was rusted at 30,000 miles.
The TSB says it's common on trucks and engine bays that have been washed excessively. Says to lay beads of rtv in certain areas to create a water dam. I just glued the grommets in place.
The automotive testing industry missed that one.
Like I said, if a problem does happen, then something wasn't right in the first place. I've been doing this since forever as far as cleaning engines. As well as my dad, and his dad before that.
For the poster that said about water getting into a connector that didn't seal correctly and gets into the wiring etc. That's probably a one in a million chance.
It's like anything else, $hit can happen. I'm not saying it won't. But to say that you should never spray water on and clean an engine is just rediculous.
I've only had one vehicle give me issues and I figured out what it was and fixed it myself. It was on a 1996 Dodge Ram 50 by Mitsubishi. The coil was an open style coil with the metal plates exposed, when it got wet, it would jump spark from the plates to the coil wire. I encased metal plates in silicone and problem fixed.
