Engine stalls in neutral when giving it gas
It's hard to ask specific questions without going into the whole history. Long-story short, vehicle stalled in water. I don't think any electronics are damaged. Could be wrong, but visually all electronics I can see seem to be acting normally. A lot of water ended up in the engine. Got all the components cleaned and dried out. Purged water in the engine through spark plug holes. Changed oil. Turned vehicle over and it started right back up. It's now running in idle, but very roughly. I'm letting it just run, thinking maybe there is still some water in there and hoping it will burn off. When I hit the gas (while in neutral) the engine hesitates and then immediately starts to stall. It acts like I'm taking gas away instead of giving it more. What would cause this behavior? The one electrical component that I know got what is the MAF. It was dried out and cleaned. From what I understand the MAF is designed to handle moisture, so I wouldn't think water would kill it. Thanks.
Cars & Trucks - Ford - Explorer - 2006 Ford Explorer
Answers & Comments
I think you are trying to associate moisture with "Drowning".
If water entered the engine whilst it was running through the inlet manifold it can and in your case, be serious. If you think you have properly dried it out enough to run I suggest a couple of things.
You cannot compress a fluid so if one of the cylinders was brought to a dead stop then something has to give.
Get a buddy with a compression tester and check all the cylinders with all plugs out to get max cranking rpm. Check these against the book figure. I'm betting one or more is substantially low.
I don't know what drives the camshaft but being brought to a sudden halt may have moved something and its now out.
Check everything you can against to book and it may shine a light on your troubles.
I THINK THAT YOU STILL HAVE SOME WATER SOME WERE WILL BE NICE IF YOU COULD TAKE THE SPARK PLUGS OUT AND CHECK THE COMPRESSION ALSO CLEAN WIRES WITH ELECTRIAL CLEAN UP AND WITH SOME AIR LINE AND HAVE ANOTHER GO.
Second time this has happened to me. Sorry, didn't mean to post testimonial. So annoying. And I can't undo it.