Water above spark plugs?

[Bojangles465]

Okay, so saturday, i took my car for a spin to see if i had fixed the overheating problems ive been having(see other threads), but before i left, i used a garden hose to top off the coolant, and i got some in the channel where the plug wires go, which i didnt think was a big deal, so i left, took it for a spin, about 3-5 miles(maybe less) and it didnt over heat, but when i tried to turn around, the car died, and i popped the hood to see what was going on, and seen steam rising from cylinder 4, so i lifted the plug wire to see boiling water above the spark plug, and now it wont start, it turns over but no boom boom in my engine idk if it could have done any real damage or not, but its quite agervating. the battery is acting like its dead, so im going to go back and jump start it, my auto timer reads 10.6 volts as the voltage, so im hoping thats all it is. Also, if a head gasket were to fail, and a cylinder filled with water on its compression stroke, could it push water up past the spark plug, and make it do this? I dont think that it is blown(or atleast in that cylinder) because my compression test reads higher in cylinder 4 than the other cylinders, so it wouldnt make any sense to me. any ideas? im open to anything at this point.

 

[BogusSVO]

Unless the spark plug is loose, I doubt the water would get pushed past it. Think about it, if it would push water past the spark plug.. how would it hold compression?

Also you stand a better chance of bending a rod of you had that much water in the cylinder. Water does not compress so something has to give, and commonly it would be the con rod.

Now with you going for a ride and the car stalling out, and having to be jumped, along with ate 10.6V Check your alt and connections.

 

[nelliott500]

Agreed on the alternator. If the car was running, it shut off, and now it won't turn back on, it's not the battery. Once the car is running, it's the alternator's job to keep it going. That's not to say the battery's definitely good though. It could be a combination of both but I doubt it.

 

[Bojangles465]

Brand new alternator, put on 10 miles ago, I'll double check connectoins. Thanks!

 

[BogusSVO]

New alt dosent mean that it is good. I have pulled more than one out of the box that was bad.

 

[Bojangles465]

Face palm... The little wire with the "o-crimp" on it broke off, I'm guessing that's the ground?, I'll have to crimp a new one on just as soon as I can locate the damn wire

 

[kchaazz]

Which wire? At the battery, or at the alternator?

 

[Bojangles465]

The wire that goes on the housing if the alternator

 

[iceman510]

Not a ground (alternator is grounded through the mount), so it is probably your main power supply line to the battery and front fuse box.