Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2007 08:38:36 -0800
Reply-To: Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: So thar I was (Engine wouldn't start)
In-Reply-To: <67f8ac6c0712050802k3688de12hab3a4e5408a76f53@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Hi Gary. We live a mile from the coastline of southern California, and
much of the time it is somewhat humid due to the prevailing onshore flow,
but days above 60% are rare though we might get two or three days in the
90's due to tropical stuff being blown this far north. On the other hand,
our famous Santa Ana winds can drop moisture levels down to the teens or
lower. No telling whether these conditions are conducive to building up
the conductive crud that can mess with ignition when wet. But I can say
that it was 100% humidity in that storm where I whar for 24 hours, so if
any crud decided to conduct spark away from where I thought it should go,
it had ideal conditions in which to do it.
Keeps coming back to the WD-40, doesn't it? Except for One Lone Voice who
is suggesting that maybe my ignition switch picked that time to get all
weird on me.
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
KG6RCR
On 12/5/2007 8:02 AM Gary Bawden wrote:
> Mike,
>
> In my experience it's not necesssary to actually get water into the engine
> compartment to cause the problems you describe. The humidity alone can cause
> this. For folks who live in really dry climates, dirt and crud (technical
> term) : ) can build up on and in the distributor cap, and the plug wires
> can collect crud and degrade, yet everything works fine as long as the
> humidity is down. Add a day or two or 100% humidity, and the crud becomes
> conductive, or at least enough to cause problems. I've had it happen to me.
> Usually turned out to be the distributor cap and/or rotor. Also, I wouldn't
> sand any of these parts with sandpaper, as someone suggested. Most
> sandpapers are actually semiconductors (garnet, silicon carbide). Not good
> around high electrical potentials.
> The suggestions you got regarding WD-40, and the remote starter switch, are
> really good! I'm gonna put one of those switches in my engine compartment,
> too.
>
> Gary
>
>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2007 18:29:32 -0800
>> From: Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject: Re: So thar I was (Engine wouldn't start)
>>
>> Follow up question to my "So thar I was" post.
>>
>> A list member p-mailed and suggested that rain may have entered the engine
>> compartment through the air vent on the side of the van. Considering that
>> the wind was strong enough to force water through the pop-top fabric, was
>> easily 40 mph, and the downpour was actually a side-pour (rain was blowing
>> horizontally), is it possible that buckets might have gone in the vent?
>> Perhaps causing the engine to just turn over and over but not catch?
>>
>> The weather side was the driver's side, i.e., the side of the engine with
>> the ECU, the ignition coil.
>>
>>
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