Golf 3 cutting out in rain

[8BitLife]

Hey,

So I am by no means a rich guy and when I had to buy a car, the best I could afford for my budget (I thought at the time) was a 98 Golf 3. Had it about 2 years now and it has a persistent problem of the engine cutting out when it rains and I drive through a puddle of water. I make a point of avoiding puddles, and when I cant, to drive through them as slowly as possible. Sometimes driving through the puddle slowly still doesn't help though and the engine still cuts out.

This is what happened last night when it was pouring down here in JHB and I was driving home after work. What I noticed is:

1. Putting my foot down on the petrol is what makes it cut out. If I stop dead and just let the engine idle it is fine.
2. Opened the bonnet and the top of the engine was bone dry. So clearly it is something at the bottom that gets wet.

Any idea what could be the problem and how I can fix it?

 

[TheChamp]

Does it just start up no problems after that or do you have to wait a while?

 

[8BitLife]

Does it just start up no problems after that or do you have to wait a while?

It changes. The first time it happened I had to wait 5 minutes and it went. The next time I had to leave it over night. Last night it cut out 4 times. The first 3 times it went after a few minutes. The fourth time I had to wait bout an hour.

 

[UrBaN963]

Water is getting into your ignition system somewhere. It's possible the coil is getting wet, but there's an earth leakage somewhere, possibly a crack in a coil cover or similar, which water is getting into, which is shorting and killing the engine.

Q 20 or other water repellent would be a quick fix if you can find the crack, but you need to get it up onto a lift and see what's what. An auto-electrician will be able to help.

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

My Opel Kadett Cub in the 90s did the same, i was getting water into the distributor cap

 

[8BitLife]

Water is getting into your ignition system somewhere. It's possible the coil is getting wet, but there's an earth leakage somewhere, possibly a crack in a coil cover or similar, which water is getting into, which is shorting and killing the engine.

Q 20 or other water repellent would be a quick fix if you can find the crack, but you need to get it up onto a lift and see what's what. An auto-electrician will be able to help.

Thanks. Will check.

 

[8BitLife]

My Opel Kadett Cub in the 90s did the same, i was getting water into the distributor cap

Mechanic told me that before and also thought so. But when I opened the bonnet the distributor cap was dry. Pretty sure it must be something at the bottom of the engine getting wet.

 

[UrBaN963]

Which engine is it?

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

Which engine is it?

1.3litre carb engine back then, 1990 model if i remember correctly, or 1984, was over 20 years ago when the car did that

 

[UrBaN963]

1.3litre carb engine back then, 1990 model if i remember correctly, or 1984, was over 20 years ago when the car did that

Thanks. I was asking the OP specifically though, to help him.

 

[8BitLife]

Which engine is it?

It's the 1.6L Golf 3 GS

 

[mr_norris]

Is the fuel pump OK? I'm by no means a mechanic, but I had an old Uno that regularly cut out in the most awkward of places. After lots of troubleshooting, a mechanic put in an uber fuel pump. Problem solved. My issue wasn't restricted to driving through puddles though.

 

[UrBaN963]

Cool, first thing to do if it happens again is to take off the distributor cap and check if there is water inside. If so, wipe down and try again.

It's also worth checking the spark plug leads, if they're frayed or worn they could be getting wet.

 

[TheChamp]

A faulty or exposed wiring to the crankshaft position sensor perhaps, it is low and right in the way of splashing water from a puddle, maybe take a look and see if everything looks okay on it.

 

[8BitLife]

Cool, first thing to do if it happens again is to take off the distributor cap and check if there is water inside. If so, wipe down and try again.

It's also worth checking the spark plug leads, if they're frayed or worn they could be getting wet.

Thanks. Will have a look. But still have a sneaky suspicion it is something somewhere to the bottom of the engine as the top was dry. Fair enough, did not take the distributor cap off to see what's going on on the inside, but from the outside it looked dry. Will check next time if god forbid it happens again.

 

[8BitLife]

A faulty or exposed wiring to the crankshaft position sensor perhaps, it is low and right in the way of splashing water from a puddle, maybe take a look and see if everything looks okay on it.

Thanks

 

[Y'all Qaeda]

Is all the drain holes in the engine clean and allowing water to drain? If it isn't it could be getting into things that you don't suspect as you're assuming that it happens at the bottom, but there is very little electronics at the bottom.

 

[TheChamp]

I everything fails design a plastic splash guard and fit it nice and professional on the car, enjoy the aerodynamic benefits that will come with such a feature.

 

[TheChamp]

Is all the drain holes in the engine clean and allowing water to drain? If it isn't it could be getting into things that you don't suspect as you're assuming that it happens at the bottom, but there is very little electronics at the bottom.

If there car is not sealed properly there could also be leaks into the interior where wiring looms and other electronic stuff is located.

 

[8BitLife]

Is all the drain holes in the engine clean and allowing water to drain? If it isn't it could be getting into things that you don't suspect as you're assuming that it happens at the bottom, but there is very little electronics at the bottom.

Could be the issue. But I know the starter is at bottom towards the front-left area. But I may be focusing too much on the top of the engine being dry. Most of the moisture might just have evaporated because of the heat from the engine while remaining in other closed off spaces.