Car had been parked outside for a few weeks. It had been running fine previously. A Large rat built a nest in the rear right side section of my engine compartment using Hood Insulation material. I drove the car to a local wash station (ran fine) and vacuumed and used high pressure water to clean out the mess including feces at a local car wash. Car ran ok in the parking lot and then stalled after 1500+ RPM. Some guys helped me push the car to a safe spot. An hour later the car starts but dies as soon as I hit the accelerator past 1500 to 2000 RPM. Next day after a few tries I was able to drive the car home at very low RPM speed. Since then the car won’t even start. I’m guessing I damaged something when I cleaned the engine compartment (right side only) or I got water into something I should not have? Any suggestions on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

 

Any idea on model year or engine?

 

If it is a X300 probably the CKPS sensor connector on the very front crankshaft pully

The CKPS does not have a splice in the wiring to the ECU that water can short out

There are 2 / 13 pin square connectors together on the right side on the rail / chassis coming back from the right headlights , water can get in both as the connectors halves mate together and in the wires going into the connector halves ( there are water seals on the wires but........ )

There are some engine regulation wires in these connectors

The O2 sensor connectors can get swapped by mistake if you remove them so do 1 at a time

These are the 2 / 4 wire black connectors on the right side

 

it’s a 1995 XJ6 very basic model so I assume the engine is AJ16 3.2L

 

The 3.2 and 4.0 liter AJ16 engine of the same block regulate the same

 

As you have probably now realised, a pressure washer was likely a bit extreme for washing the engine compartment, although I can well appreciate your desire to remove any trace of rats. Could you have blown off any wires on the inlet manifold? I am thinking about the throttle position sensor in particular. You may have forced water into it, which is not good, but it might respond to some attention from a hair dryer or the like? If the engine is running on all cylinders, I would be tempted to focus on the inlet manifold, including the mass airflow sensor, which is also unlikely to have enjoyed being blasted, and might also respond to a hair dryer.

 

so it seems the CKPS sensor is a bit hard to reach. Have remove the big radiator hose? and get down in there. So if I order and try to replace the CKPS it might be a good first stab at solving the problem?

 

The CKPS as a fixed nonadjustable bracket that can be removed from the front

10mm socket

You can then pull it up and out to replace the sensor on the bracket

If you remove the hockey puck camshaft position sensor ( with the adjustment window on it ) you will lose the adjustment on that

The camshaft position sensor is only used in the very beginning of the start sequence

The crankshaft position sensor is generic and not specific to jaguar so a local auto parts store will have them

 

Thanks!

 

It’s been raining for a few days so I wasn’t able to work on it, but to my amazement the car started right up and I was able to rev it past 3000 RPM without it dying. Today I tried again and it started right up and I drove it around my neighborhood and it ran fine. So perhaps when I washed the engine the water got somewhere it wasn’t supposed to and letting the car sit for a few days it dried out? Kind of strange.

 

Common thing for things to change as they dry out

I leave my cars running as I wash the engine bay to reduce the chance that it won't start getting back home