Questions and Answers

VW Golf A Drowned Rat? Q. I have a 1990 VW Golf GL. Its had problems with the distributor cap in the past when it rained but I got it replaced and it hasn't been a problem. I've also had problems with my power steering and my engine over heating causing the antifreeze to boil out. This happens only when it rains. My brother suggested that the rain is short curtailing all these things, which I agree with.

But my splash shield is semi-broken, which lets rain under the hood. But this morning, after a flood-like rain storm this weekend, my car died going up a hill. It felt like it just lost all power and the battery light went on. This felt very similar to the distributor cap incident a couple months ago. What should I do without having to put down another couple hundred dollars for parts?

Billie

A. Well Billie, that shield is supposed to keep water out because water and engines, particularly German engines, do not get along. In fact if an engine drinks water it will have a seizure.

What you can do is to spray the distributor cap and ignition wires with water while the engine is running to see if there is spark jumping around. This is good to do at night to make seeing the spark jumping easier. If you see it, then replace the distributor cap, rotor and wires.

Next thing to do is to replace that shield so the water can not get into the engine compartment. That should take care of about 90% of the water problem.

Another thing you can do is to spray the distributor cap and ignition wires with silicone spray. This will seal them and make them waterproof. Also, check all the connectors and make sure they are clean and tight. Terminals that have some corrosion are more susceptible to breaking dow under damp or wet conditions.

And it's two down, two to go. The school year just started.