[T3] Couldn't start in the rain

[Jim Adney]

On 13 Oct 2012 at 16:36, Aaron Leiby wrote:

> If I leave my car out, and it rains overnight, it refuses to start -
> usually until we've had a couple nice days for it to dry out.  Starts
> up great normally. 

> I have a kit to replace the air vent tubes for my gas tank, but have
> never gotten around to it.  

Those must be the overflow and vent kits that you got from me. That's 
not your problem in this case, but it's a very real problem that you 
need to fix. Get those kits installed. If you wait for it to cause a 
real problem, it will be a very expensive problem, so don't wait.  

> I've checked all around the engine and nothing looks damp at all.  I
> have those spark plug cover things, though they are a bit cracked, but
> didn't see any sign of moisture. 

Pull the spark plug connectors out. Do the brown phenolic connectors 
have red rubber seals over the ends? If not, installing those may 
well fix your problem.

> The distributor cap, rotor, points and spark plug cables have all been
> recently replaced.  

Next time this happens, pull off the dist cap and wipe it clean 
inside with a dry paper towel. Condensation in there may well be the 
cause. Be careful not to break the carbon contact in the middle.

> I have a couple leaks up in the footwell area on both sides (though it
> might be a single leak that just drains to one side or the other based
> on which way the car is leaning). 

This isn't your starting problem, but it may be caused by clogged 
water drains for the air inlet in front of the windshield. This is a 
common problem and is rather easily fixed. It's important to do, 
because water gets in that way and starts to rust the body from the 
inside out.

> This is a 72 Squareback.  Fuel Injected.  I pulled the computer as
> well, and that was all nice and dry and sealed up, and made sure to
> fit the tabs in correctly so no water gets in from there (I had fixed
> this a long time ago, but figured it was worth double checking). 

Mis-installed ECU tabs often lead to water in the back, so that's 
what I suspected above. If you've got that all installed correctly, 
okay, but be sure.
-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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