Trouble starting my car after washing it yesterday??

[clio__chris]

went out today after washing it yesterday... temp was 3c and when i turned the engine over 1st time the starter motor turned but engine kinda stalled str8 away without even trying to run

2nd time it spluttered abit then stalled
3rd went for a bit longer but stalled
etc

about the 5th time of trying to start it and it spluttered into life
pretty smokey out the exhaust (more than usual) and very unwilling to rev up
sorted itself out after idling for a while.

any ideas what it might be? i was wondering whether it might be water got somewhere it shouldnt have?
drove it to bristol and back today and was fine no probs. it did this before after washing it when it was reasonably cold but i never did work out what it was.....

1.6 16v by the way

 

[BRUN]

probably got water on the plugs or another ignition component like the dizzi cap, if yours has one

 

[al]

Mine does EXACTLY the same thing and it too is a 1.6 16v, it seems to do it if I squirt too much water in front arches, did it earlier today again after washing. Best thing to do is to start it up and catch it with the accelerator before it stalls and hold it just under 2000rpm for about 20 secs and it should be fine. Works fine for me after many months of head scratching after it first did it!

Hope that helps

 

[al]

P.S. I think its something to do with where the fuses are located and getting them wet!

 

[clio__chris]

ah thanx!

yeah i was spraying away in the arches yesterday.....

must be something that soaks into it cos when i moved the car after washing it, it was fine

 

[al]

See above ^^^ the fuses are just next to the wheel arch.

 

[al]

Yep, same again, starts fine to put car away but has problem when I start it up later on.

 

[clio__chris]

yeah it is very odd

ohhhhhh life would be so boring without these little things to worry about lol

thanx for ur help

 

[al]

Lol, definately! (like the 1.6's "erattic idle" feature)

Keeps us on our toes!

Glad I could be of assistance, was beginning to think nobody had a 1.6.