washed my 82 gtsi and I still can not get it running right S.O.S HELP

Could be lean misfire. The white smoke is troubling, as that could indicate problems with the coolant. maybe a blown head gasket.

anyway, quick check for being too lean is to get a can of carb cleaner, remove the air cleaner inlet to the CIS, rev the car and spritz some carb spray into the intake. If it revs hard as you spritz, would indicate problems with the fuel delivery, metering or maybe water in the supply?

You've been assuming spark problems so far, try to eliminate fuel delivery easily then move forward.

 

water in the spark plugs?

 

I'll be in Houston next weekend for the Cougars game, if you want to fiddle with it a bit. I still think we need to pin down if it's fuel or spark related. I will presume compression is ok.

CIS cars don't like to sit with fuel in them. This is particularly true in humid climates. Note that the ignition is two separate circuits I believe. If you read the plugs, one set should be very different than the other if you're having spark issues.

 

Remove one coil signal wire and run it on 4 cylinders noting how smooth it runs. Stop the engine, connect that coil and disable the other. Start and see how smooth it runs. Run the engine for no more than about 10-15 seconds so not to fill the exaust with raw fuel.

Is it smoother on one bank than the other? Is it smooth on either bank by itself but poor when both are running together? What were the resistance readings of the new plug wires when measured through the cap terminals to the end of the extenders?

 

Of course the wash and the poor running do not have to be related. In fact, it is unlikely that water in a component still has its effects - especially if the car has been stored dry for the last month. The poor running right after the wash was probably the spark plug leads.

As said on the forum, the white smoke is troubling. What is the smell of the smoke? Is it oily or sweet? Is the oil in the engine nice and clear? Do you have to top up the coolant? Is there (too) much pressure on the hoses when running? It is possible that the poor running triggered a weak spot in the head gasket.

 

I would carefully inspect the plug extenders. Getting water in there might even have caused an extender to go bad.

Aaron

 

I had a (new) rotor shorten out after one hundred miles, from the center wire to the end of the camshaft, with the corresponding bank not running. Maybe worth checking?
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Sorry to hear of your woes, but this raises a question...Do you fellers ever really get your cars dirty enough to require a true "heavy wash"? I have never washed either of my cars with a hose and such. In fact, I only clean them with a "spray and wipe" cleaning agent. It seems that there are too many reports of things going "goofy" upon a heavy wash; i.e. these cars don't like it. Then again, I never drive my cars in the "elements" nor immediately post rain.

My best,

Scott

 

I washed mine with a hose and bucket once after I got it 11 years ago. Had a problem then with water in the plug holes which cause me to foul some plugs. That was the last time I washed the car. I now dust after a ride and use spray detailer maybe once a week. I also don't drive in the rain which helps keep it clean. It looks like the moral here is don't wash your car.

 

Err... sorry but even though it's a Ferrari, it's still a car. If a car can't stand rain or a wash, fix what causes that problem. Or cover the engine with some plastic before you wash it.

 

Still wouldn't hurt to spritz some carb cleaner in the intake while revving. I'm not convinced it's spark yet. Does sound like one bank is running rougher than the other. You can swap ignition components and see if the problem follows the component.

 

If it were new I would say you are right. Unfortunately through time the plug hole seals dry up and leak and the distributor boots do the same . Then you have the various connectors that have some corrosion as well as other electronic components. The design of the rear louvers has a tendency to let water into various areas that would cause shorting or miss fires. I agree if you want to wash it then cover the engine but this always doesn't help. In the 11 years I have owned my 77 I have had to drive in the rain twice and both times ended up with water getting into a spark plug hole and shorting out the plug. Being a carb car it is much simpler to diagnose and resolve. When you add in the electronics of the FI cars then the fun begins as we see from this thread. My bet is there is an electrical problem going on here due to the washing. Also once you foul out 1 or 2 plugs you will need to replace or pull and clean them. As you know once the plugs are fouled it runs like crap.

 

Have you tried adding the ground wire to the digiplex box, this solved my issue when my 82 308 was running poorly. Do a search here and you will see what I am talking about.

 

Here is the thread on adding the ground wire, it can't hurt to do this.

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199704&highlight=ground+digiplex

 

Carl, I have a guy here in DFW area that can rebuild that CIS unit for you. Let me know if you are interested in sending it up here. Also, it would be good to send the injectors with it. We also have the fuel pressure hose and gauge setup so we can check your pressures.

With CIS adjustment, it's always best to start out lean, and work toward richer as needed. I also have a strange tool called a ColorTune which will let you see the actual burn condition of the cylinder. It's a glass enclosed spark plug that you put in the spark hole.

It would also be a good idea to add the ground to the digiplex as mentioned above. Drop me a PM if you want to have some help.