Car running rough and dying when it rains!

[dbdragracing]

My '89 GT had been setting for a couple of days without being started. It rained pretty much both of those days. I tried to start it to put it back in the garage, but I cranked forever trying to get it to start with no luck. I let it set for about 30min and tried again...it started, but when I went to give it gas and switch gears it died. So after this happened about 3 times I got it to start and let it idle for about 5min and it was fine....whats wrong with it? Thanks.

 

[olymaster]

electrical dampness affecting your ignition probaly
try new wires first(plug wires)

 

[RyanSG]

sounds liek it could be your wires and distributer. Take a look at the spark plug wires and look for cracks etc. And take of your dist cap anbd clean all the contacts etc with a SOS or brillow pad... Theres prob corosion and dampness form setting in all the rain. My car does it sometimes if it sets for a while or it gets wet inside when it's damp out.

 

[jrichker]

Remove the distributor cap and wipe it dry. Tnen spray WD 40 inside the cap and outside on the plug wires, WD40 will displace the mositure and help dry things out.

 

[dbdragracing]

Cool...thats got to be what it is...I just started it a few minutes ago and it fired right up and ran smooth....its been in the garage all day and it hasn't been raining. Will cleaning the distributor keep this from happening again or do I need a new distributor? It already has new MSD Super Conductor Wires on it. Thanks.

 

[Hissing Cobra]

You don't need a new distributor. You probably need a new distributor cap. At night, open the hood and run the car in the dark with no lights on. Look at the cap and see if you see blue arcs shooting out of the cap. If so, you've found your problem. Also take the cap off and look for cracks, you may be surprised and find some! Good luck!

 

[HISSIN50]

It is simply that you get water or condensation inside the cap. Some cars are more prone to this than others. I have used Wire-Dryer way way back when - it might have helped a little. Except during monsoon season, the desert does not see this issue much. When I Lived in Seattle, that was different.

Good luck.

 

[dbdragracing]

Thanks...I'll check my distributor cap tomorrow~