Date:         Mon, 15 Jul 1996 12:14:24 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Rodney L. Boleyn" <boleyn@scr.siemens.com>
Subject:      Re: Rainy Day Starting Blues


John M. <JMAXRIDE@aol.com> wrote:
>Anytime it rains overnight my '85 Vanagon (Big Blue) will not start
>in the morning.  No evidence of water geting in the engine
>compartment.  Crank it a few times, throw around a few superlatives,
>go in the house and wait an hour, come back out, it starts???  Any
>ideas?


You prolly got this answer already--takes me a while to read through the
weekend's posts on Monday morning...

In any case, looking for water leaks is correct.  However, the engine
compartment is not the only place to look.  Search for leaks under the
dash board.  My 78 has similar no-start problems, and if it rains
really hard, I sometimes find a little puddle directly under the fuse
box.  Bad news!  Pull your relays and see if any of them have water in
them.  I haven't yet determined whether my leak is from the windshield
or some other point of entry, but the windshield is my bet.

People seem surprised when I suggest that the intermittent windshield
wiper relay or the seatbelt warning buzzer could keep the car from
starting, but believe me, it happens!

-Rodney
78 bus