Tried seafoam and now car won't start, Ideas?
 

I have been trying to smog my car lately and have passed everything except the 15 mph NOx test. I have a MAF setup and the last effort was to change the FQS setting to 7 position and also try using seafoam to clean up intake and cylinder walls a bit.

Thinking that was a bad idea. After starting the car I put the seafoam in the idle screw hole, "spraying it in" while manually holding different rev speeds. I have used seafoam successfully with other cars.

After doing two rounds of this the car began to smoke ALOT like it does with this procedure. But then it stumbled, and stumbled..Then died. Now it won't restart.

I am worried I hydrolocked the car, or something. But I did pull all the spark plugs and it did not seem like they were sitting in water. They were dry and pretty normal. These spark plugs are also very new. I then checked for spark. It seems like the coil is giving spark to the cap. But when I checked for spark coming from the cap to the wires it does not work.

Is it possible the carbon release created to much resistence for the spark plug wires, or cap and something burned/shorted out? I am scratching my head here.

Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

Have you tried resetting the FQS settings to stock?

I never put the seafoam in mine because I read here that it wasn't supposed to be used on turbo cars?

Pull the DME relay and the spark plugs. Crank the engine a few times to clear anything in the cylinders. Reassemble and try starting again. I can't imagine you managed to hydrolock the engine by spraying seafoam into the idle screw.

Why didnt you fix the problem instead of masking it?

Thanks JustinL for the suggestion

To answer the other ones. I put the FQS switch back to stock with no change. I did not think that would make any difference at this point. Seafoam was going into intake from throttle body, bypassing the Turbo and Intercooler. Plenty of other folks on this board have done the same.

This was not a band-aid. It's a final try at hoping to have a solution to the end of passing this car in CA. It's been a saga, but to clarify I have all 3' exhaust with new Cat. Rebuilt Turbo. New Maf setup including chip, injectors, map sensor, and air filter. Rebuilt head, new wastegate, AFM gauge, new vac hoses, and on and on. I have done a ton of work on this car to get it to this point. I just thought I would try a little seafoam to help and it has bitten me in the arse.

My main concern with seafoam is if you break off a good chunk of carbon, it has nowhere to get except thru the turbine housing. I wouldn't use it on turbocharged cars, either.

what what was your AFR at 15mph? why cant u just tune it out???

The shop did not tell me the AFM on the test, but I know the car is running to lean in first gear. I had the chip customized for a "tune" set for smog tests, but it did not work (car is already to lean). So part of the next steps in the process were to change the FQS settings.

It's my own stupidity for using the seafoam.

I have been testing the car more. I pulled the plugs and DME relay. Piston's are moving fine, and nothing came out of the plug holes. Everything seems dry, plugs smell like fuel.

I tested the coil again and it gives a spark. Spark plug wires do not. Pulled the Cap off and looked at the rotor. They both seem fine, no cracks, no buildup on the ends/rotor end. I am really thinking it's the spark plug wires.

If I order some, are the $80 "magwire" ones from LR any good? Seem nice for the price.

http://www.lindseyracing.com/LR/Parts/MAGWIRE.html

Thanks for the suggestions.

I bought the wires from Zim's and have not had any issues with them. I believe they are the same type/part...

You may have coated the MAF wire with the Seafoam. I suggest you just connect back your AFM to test. Car will start and idle with just the AFM hooked up to DME connector.

You say you have a 3" exhaust with an aftermarket cat?

Youll need to get that cat very hot before you go to the emissions test, or youll flunk.

Many factory exhausts are extra restrictive and place the cats as close to the engine as possible not because they intentionaly want to rob hp, its because its the only way they can get the car to pass EPAs emission test (which is far worse than any state test). At my shop, we did a lot of federalization conversions on euro imports in the 80's...speaking from experience

Running lean will also raise NoX as well, get that straightened out.

Agree with above. Had a similar experience. Also check engine operating temperatures. If you're in the SF Bay area PM for a smog check recommendation.

951Doc

What kind of cat did you put on there? If it's one of those small "racing cats" it will not pass! Go to a muffler shop and get the largest non egr cat they have and have it flanged so you can take it back off after the smog. I used one from a Jeep Cherokee. Solved my nox issue.

As the others have said, it will not pass if it's lean (nox).

Hope you get it started again.