172 wont rev over 3000 rpm...help?

[HrRACING]

Hi all,

Have washed the engine bay of a 172, as I have many, many times but when restarted there is a warning light on the dash that looks like a coil with a box on top and a wobbly line thought it, and it won't rev above 3,000 rpm like its in some kind of safe mode. Left it idling for a bit then turned it off, turning it back on and held the throttle and it revs right through, but then returns to being limited to 3 grand.

I assume as sensors got wet and its in some kind of safe mode?

Any help much appreciated.

Cheers

 

[viperjsy]

did you wash it with the engine running

 

[HrRACING]

No wasn't running

 

[BoatNonce]

Yup, it's in limp mode. You've soaked something, but it's hard to say what without plugging it in.

Leave it a few days to dry out and see if it works.

Also, Clio S1600?

 

[Andyk1801]

This light in the middle?

Electrical fault, I got it a few times. It puts the car in limp mode..

Best I could suggest is check all the connections under the bonnet, make sure nothing's shorting with water or got corrosion on it.. Check fuses and relays for same thing. Hopefully playing about with them will just clear it

 

[HrRACING]

Thanks for that. Once dry will it be fine again?

I've raced a Super1600 Clio in the European Rallycross Championship for the last few years. Whats with the sticky out tounge?

 

[HrRACING]

Yep that's the light. Will get in there with the airline and WD40 tomorrow.

 

[BoatNonce]

Thanks for that. Once dry will it be fine again?

Hopefully! It's worth a try.

I've raced a Super1600 Clio in the European Rallycross Championship for the last few years. Whats with the sticky out tounge?

Drooling, I love them!

 

[Dan519]

thats not limp, it's a destructive misfire. water will be filling a sparkplug hole. washing engines.......FFS kill me now

 

[HrRACING]

Cheers, will take plugs out. Usually have them running, comes from a history of rally / rallycross cars having incredibly muddy engine bays.

 

[Darius]

thats not limp, it's a destructive misfire. water will be filling a sparkplug hole. washing engines.......FFS kill me now

Reminds me of when my mate jet washed his engine hahahaha

 

[p@blo]

washing engines.......FFS kill me now

Yawn.

You get it sorted Hal?

 

[Rob]

Yawn?

Well it is pretty mental. With a rally car, I get it. But on anything else? Weighing up risk vs potential gain, engine bay isn't quite as black for 7 miles vs car runs like s**t?

 

[p@blo]

Yawn?

Well it is pretty mental. With a rally car, I get it. But on anything else? Weighing up risk vs potential gain, engine bay isn't quite as black for 7 miles vs car runs like s**t?

Of course, what do the likes Hal and Ian Speedy know anyhow?

A little stray water in the plug - big deal. Its hardly the end of the world so why be so melodramatic about it? Better not change any cambelts Hal - the sky might fall down!

This forum never ceases to astound.

 

[MG cup]

Of course, what do the likes Hal and Ian Speedy know anyhow?

A little stray water in the plug - big deal. Its hardly the end of the world so why be so melodramatic about it? Better not change any cambelts Hal - the sky might fall down!

This forum never ceases to astound.

+ feckn 1 Pablo

CS doesn't approve so better not bother.....NAAT

 

[Tunst]

Iv jetwashed my engine before.. Am i a bad person?

 

[Rob]

Of course, what do the likes Hal and Ian Speedy know anyhow?

A little stray water in the plug - big deal. Its hardly the end of the world so why be so melodramatic about it? Better not change any cambelts Hal - the sky might fall down!

This forum never ceases to astound.

I don't think you quite get it.

I'm not saying it's the end of the world, but it's just an entirely pointless exercise. Regardless of whether this chap s***s Clio manuals, the fact is he made his engine a little less black and now has a car that run's like s**t until it dries out. Where as "Bob" down the road can't even remove a wheel yet his Clio is still running perfectly.

 

[p@blo]

I don't think you quite get it.

I'm not saying it's the end of the world, but it's just an entirely pointless exercise. Regardless of whether this chap s***s Clio manuals, the fact is he made his engine a little less black and now has a car that run's like s**t until it dries out. Where as "Bob" down the road can't even remove a wheel yet his Clio is still running perfectly.

Sorry Rob, i don't follow. What's there not to get? So he has to spend all of about 2 minutes taking the precautionary measure of drying the plug contacts afterwards - its surely a total none issue?

What about the forum users who spend hours polishing/detailing their cars? By your logic above ought they be accosted too, or would that be a different kind of pointless?

Horses for courses surely? Not everyone on here is a candidate for a Darwin Award.

 

[Rob]

My response was based around this post.

Of course, what do the likes Hal and Ian Speedy know anyhow?

A little stray water in the plug - big deal. Its hardly the end of the world so why be so melodramatic about it? Better not change any cambelts Hal - the sky might fall down!

This forum never ceases to astound.

No, a little stray water isn't a big deal, not in the slightest, my point was just that reward vs risk it's not a great exercise.

If the car's a 100% show pony, then fine, maybe it's worth it if you want it looking like you could eat your dinner off of it, but on the average Clio, the amount of "help, I jetwashed my engine and now my car's broken" posts we have show it's not the best of ideas.

And in relation to what Swede has said, it's not that "CS doesn't approve", it's just that the proof is in the pudding. We've seen it happen a lot on here, so why not advise against it in general? Regardless of the level of skill of the OP.

I could be a skilled engine builder yet post up "help, I tried to change my non sport springs without compressors and the spring shot out, smashed my wing and embedded itself in my head" I'm pretty sure we'd all be telling me to use compressors, so this is no different.

 

[p@blo]

But with reference to Morgans earlier comment, thats surely along the same lines of 'no one bar the specialist outfits should attempt to change a cambelt'?

Can see what you're hinting at hence my Darwin comment, but a lot of the good intentioned reasoning comes across as being overly paranoid after about the millionth thread.

Isn't the appliance of a little common sense the prevalent consideration with any task on a clio? Afterall it's only a french shopping trolley - it's hardly rocket science.

 

[Andy93]

I've just had the same fault as the OP. I didn't wash the engine though, I made that mistake over a year ago with my first 172.

Anyway, the car started idling at 3000rpm and wouldn't rev over 3000rpm for love nor money. This only lasted for around 2 mins, the car then started behaving normally and the electrical fault light went off and the idle was steady at about 8-900 rpm. Took it for a drive and it was behaving normally, then the STOP & SERV lights flicked on, as did the ABS light and the check engine light. They only stayed on for a second then all bar the check engine light went off.

RSTuner doesn't show any fault codes which has me baffled. The car revs freely and pulls as it should but the check engine light won't go off.

Does anybody have any suggestions?