car wont start in the rain

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Tenzo, Aug 25, 2004.

  1. Tenzo

    Tenzo Guest

    engine just turns and turns but wont catch.
    Start it in the sun, starts right up


    any ideas?

    and no, I can't move to AZ
     
    Tenzo, Aug 25, 2004
    #1
  2. Tenzo

    Blah Blah Guest

    Your cars a picky S O B.

    Seriously though. Find out which its not getting when it wont start, Air
    Fuel, or Spark.
     
    Blah Blah, Aug 25, 2004
    #2
  3. Tenzo

    micven55 Guest

    Been there.
    Next time it's wet out have somebody crank the engine while you look under
    the hood. Look at the coil pack where the four plug wires come out. If
    you see lots of sparking then you have cracks in the coil pack and will
    need to replace it (or you can attempt to cover the cracks with a high
    temperature epoxy like JB weld).
     
    micven55, Aug 25, 2004
    #3
  4. Tenzo

    Blah Blah Guest

    JB weld contains metal and wouldnt insulate the coil. Usually they crack
    internally from one winding to the next because of bad wires or plugs.
     
    Blah Blah, Aug 25, 2004
    #4
  5. Tenzo

    micven55 Guest

    The cracks are fine enough that the epoxy won't seep in and make contact
    with the coils (if you got bigger cracks than that you've got other
    problems). The purpose is to keep the water out. My epoxy fix has held
    up for over 15000 miles. Beats the cost of a new coil pack. Never
    thought of looking at the contents of the epoxy, it's just what I had on
    hand. I'm sure any other high temp epoxy will do the job.
     
    micven55, Aug 26, 2004
    #5
  6. Hey, my dad had a Vega that was like that :) I think it was '74 or '75
    or '76 that Chevy changed the ignition, and actually advertised that the
    car was more likelty to start in the rain (!)

    Everyone else has it right - when it doubt, check the spark, first...
     
    Philip Nasadowski, Aug 26, 2004
    #6
  7. Tenzo

    Tenzo Guest

    Had someone turn it over for me while I watched.
    I could not see any sparks.

    But that sure does sound like the right spot.
    It's getting air
    It's getting gas
     
    Tenzo, Aug 27, 2004
    #7
  8. Tenzo

    Tenzo Guest

    Pulled the leads of and looked at the points.
    yuck! they were filled with white powder.
    Which absorbed moisture
    which insulated the connection so the plugs wouldn't fire.

    Any reason not to go at the plugs with a small metal file and brass brush to
    get them nice and shiny and making good contact again?
     
    Tenzo, Aug 31, 2004
    #8
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