Okay, I took my 1999 wagon to the car wash to get a weekend's worth of snow, salt dust, and grime off of it.

In the middle of the automatic high pressure wash my motor starts reving to about 2500rpms for a second or two then back to idle for a second or two and then back to 2500 and back to idle and then quits. Mind you, I am not touching the accelerator.. After a WTF moment I restart without a problem. The motor will idle fine but when I try to accelerate the motor will run to a little over 2000 rpms and then immediately back to idle like a yo-yo over and over. I limped back the 6 miles or so home, it took me about 45 minutes.. When I got it into my garage I started and stopped the motor a couple of times and suddenly the issue stopped and the motor reved like expected when depressing the accelerator.I took it for a quick test drive and all seems fine again.

Any ideas on what may have happened? or is happening...

My hunch is that water from the car wash plays a big part in this, but I can not be sure.

Has something like this happened to anyone else?

Thanks for any ideas!!

 

Did you notice white smoke coming out of the exhaust... sounds almost like when I dunked my H1 into water over the air intake and my H1 swollowed some water... It was sputtering and couldnt get any power at all for the longest time. Maybe some of the water/mist in the air got passed your filter or even "clogged" it for a bit making it act like this... I'd suggest pulling your airfilter out of your truck taking it inside for the night letting it dry off then installing it back on once it is dried. DO NOT DRIVE IT WITHOUT THE FILTER

 

If the car wash used a high pressure sprayer they could have sprayed some water into/under the air intake cap. You want to be careful with that. Fortunately it sounds like you didn't get too much water down the intake. Hummers inhaling water is like you inhaling water, too much = no breathing anymore. None of the automatic washes around here will take an H1. I go to the self serve to wash off the bad stuff so I don't have to shovel it out of my driveway but I am always careful around the intake.
Sounds like no long term damage. Like Injun said, let the air filter dry out, replace it and sounds like you got some education without having to pay for it.

 

I hope a clogged air filter is all it is!
I didn't notice any white smoke, but I wasn't looking for it either.
Thanks for the reply!

 

If it is running fine now you are ok. Just make sureyou get theair filter dried out or replaced.

 

I must say the first thing that passed through my mind when she quit during the wash washydro-lock. Last summer I watched two non snorkle H1s inhale water, andstall after creating a monster bow wake on a water crossing.
There likelywas some water that would have made it under the intake cap.
Maybe I got lucky and my motor is fine.. I sure hope so. I'll replace the air filter tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

Ok. Let us know how it turns out.

 

Everything looks fine and is running fine... knock on wood.....I amfeeling relieved!

I was planning to replace the air filter (K&N) but after taking a look decided not to. It looked really clean..

What are your thoughts on K&N air filters? I have heard good and bad. More 'debateable' performance at the expense of letting more bad stuff through the filter..?? Just curious, I do not have experience there.

 

I personally dont have experience with it but while browsing on another forum a guy took samples of his motoroil to a lab, they confirmed high amount of metal shards. He replaced his K&N with the paper based one took another sample after x amount of miles not as much metal... so to make sure he put K&N back in and tested again high amount of metal afer x miles. So he concluded it was the K&N. Although there is alot more elements then just the milage and filter in this kind of test, so dont think its a for sure test but it was enough for me to steer away from K&N.

 

I am running OEM filters so no experience with K&N either.