[T3] Couldn't start in the rain

[Jim Adney]

On 13 Oct 2012 at 19:25, Aaron Leiby wrote:

> > 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. 

> Bam!  Started right up after wiping out thoroughly with a paper towel.
> What can I do to keep this from happening though?  Is there supposed
> to be a rubber seal that I'm missing, or would adding something like
> this help? 

I don't know if there's anything specific that causes this to happen. 
I've always assumed it was just a heavy dew situation, so there's not 
much you can do, unless you can park the car somewhere dryer or 
warmer. OTOH, it's possible that cleaning out whatever moisture is in 
there will reduce future moisture problems.

The few times I've encountered this, it didn't happen again, once the 
cap was wiped dry. Let us know how your experience goes.

One other thing that's good to check would be to look at the very 
bottom of the fan housing. At the center of the split there is a 
hole, just under 1/4" dia. With the engine off, poke a stick up there 
and make sure that hole is clear. Dirt, etc tends to collect there 
and block that hole, which allows water to collect there in wet 
weather. When you start the engine that water will get blown out over 
the cylinders, heads, and spark plugs, which can sometimes lead to 
rough running until everything heats up.

I did this once and got a stream of water out that probably amounted 
to about 1/2 cup of water.

-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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