My dumbness knows no bounds

[slowcharles]

So I get up at 5am this morning for a little atom run and the atom won't start. It sound like a flat battery - starter turning over but no ignition.

But it isn't a flat battery-the battery is fully charged. The thing is a couple of days ago I powerwashed my engine( on a low setting but pretty powerful still) and then pushed it back into my garage. i didnt cover up my ecu but I avoided spraying it.

Is there anything I should be looking at?

[wisp]

Don't be so hard on yourself. You can only justify a thread title like that if it turns out to be an empty fuel tank. 

[DarthChicken]

could be anything, from wet spark plugs to a sensor wire got knocked loose (crank or cam sensor).  Or even just water in the plugs for those sensors.

Start unplugging things one at at time and dry them off.

[slowcharles]

Start unplugging things eh.......



There lays my path to total ruin. Does anyone have pics available to show what exactly I should be drying off.I where are the spark plugs.

[Richard Marler]

Where are you Charles? Maybe someone local would pop around and have a look see for you.

[Marcus]

Since it sounded like battery I would try jumping it anyway. I would also check to see that the battery connections are tight in 3 places: The battery terminals, the block at the front of the passenger compartment, and the master cutoff.

I am not much technical help but if you just get it to turn over and hold idle manually (with your foot) for a few minutes everything may dry out ok.

[bolus]

water makes sense since my car has acted really weird after washing.  Having taken my whole engine out the harness plugs and spark plugs are a very easy thing to check.  All the harness plugs were different shapes if I remember correctly so would be difficult to mess up plugging it back together.  The spark plugs are on the top of the engine.  If you power washed it I bet they are sitting in a pool of water now. 

Remove the panel over the plugs that the coolant tank is attached to.  It has 4 hex bolts to remove


The coils underneath are bolted in with a single bolt.  They pop off and the spark plug is underneath.  Make sure that whole area is dry.

[silver]

ummm if you take the spark plugs out................don't blow any debris into the engine, that would be bad mmmmkay

[Heywood-Yablowme]

Power washers are for tractors.And bulldozers.Not Atoms and motorcycles.
Try the crank sensor plug.If no signal to the ecm,no spark and no fuel.

[DarthChicken]

If the starter is turning over, its not teh battery 

[Marcus]

I assumed that "sounded like battery" meant that the battery didn't crank very well.

[slowcharles]

Does anyone have a picture of the distributor. I checked everything else.

[silver]

umm there isn't a distributor per se.  each spark plug has a coil pack.

[Terry Kennedy]

[quote="slowcharles"]
Is there anything I should be looking at?
[/quote]

If you can wait until I get back (this weekend), I'll look at it.

[Heywood-Yablowme]

The distributor is next to the A/C compressor. Seriously,check your crank sensor;it tells the ECU the engine is spinning, and then delivers spark and fuel.