[T3] Couldn't start in the rain

Dave Hall dave at hallvw.clara.co.uk
Sun Oct 14 16:22:57 PDT 2012


Has the Fastback been repainted?

The window surround has a hole in the corners at the bottom, which have
pieces of tape put over them at the factory after the dip primer has drained
away.  This looks untidy to a painter, so gets removed.  When water gets
behind the window seal, the water drains through the holes into the rear
trunk.

Well, that's my theory anyway!  I'm sure that's why mine leaks there.

I don't think that's the reason for not starting though.  It sounds like the
spark isn't strong enough when a bit of damp degrades the performance.  Try
a hair dryer on particular parts - eg coil top, distributor cap, spark
plugs, and try each time to see if you can narrow down which part is not
performing when damp. 

The footwell leaks may be coming in from the air-intakes at the back,
through dried and cracked seam sealer, behind the factory underseal, and
into the heater channels.  There are so many ways it can get in.
Investigate under the back seat to see if there's rust there.

Dave.
UK VW Type 3&4 Club
===================

-----Original Message-----
From: type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org
[mailto:type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org] On Behalf Of Aaron
Leiby
Sent: 13 October 2012 21:37
To: type3 at vwtype3.org
Subject: [T3] Couldn't start in the rain


Sounds like a common problem.  I've sifted through the archives and found
lots of stuff to try, but so far have been unsuccessful in getting things to
start.  Hopefully, I can describe my specific situation and get a little
more specific in things to try here.
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 small leak in the back that I think is coming in where the hinges
on the back door connect... at least that's where it tends to pool below.
I've never caught it in action.  The rubber mat catches this water, however,
and does not appear to get anywhere near the engine.
I have a kit to replace the air vent tubes for my gas tank, but have never
gotten around to it.  This seems like an unlikely culprit, however, as I
believe that's only a problem when driving around and water gets splashed up
there by the tires?  My problem happens when the car is just sitting outside
in the rain, having not been driven at all.  Also, I wouldn't expect if
water got in the tank, that it would clear itself up after a day or two of
sunshine.
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.
I had my wife turn the engine over while I looked for sparks, but didn't
find anything.  I may have to try again when it's dark out.
The distributor cap, rotor, points and spark plug cables have all been
recently replaced.   The old spark plug cables had cracked and were giving
off shocks, which is why they were replaced.  I was hoping this was the
culprit, but appears not to be the case.  The points and rotor were replaced
because they had .. I forget what it's call... carbon build up from bad
sparking?  Seems potentially related pointing to a larger issue?
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 usually shows up near the doors.  I can't
tell if it's just coming in from the doors, or elsewhere.  I know some
people have reported leaking from the antenna area which gets into the
fusebox.  I haven't had any indications that I'm getting leaks around there,
but I suppose I should double check to make sure that's not getting wet.
I'd expect more severe problems in that case though (like wouldn't turn over
at all).
So yeah, the starter works fine.  It just turns without ever firing up.
Seems like an ignition problem.  Occasionally, when I let off the key, it'll
sputter to life for a second before dying out.  Seems like maybe a clue?
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).
Anyway, I'm stumped.  Hopefully someone here can help me out.  The good
folks at thesamba.com pointed me this way.
Thanks! 		 	   		  
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