What gets wet to cause engine to die

[mistaake]

Was doing some mild off-roading today and drove through a decent puddle at a reasonable speed and tons of water splashed everywhere and the engine sputtered to a halt. Obviously it didn't suck in water through the intake, but something electronic got too wet. Trying to restart it resulted in a crank no start condition. After a few minutes it started up again like nothing was wrong. What could cause this and what can I do to prevent it in the future. I will reinstall the skid plate/shield thing that goes underneath where the belt is because I realized I forgot to reinstall it last time I was working on the truck but surely there is a way to prevent this from happening again? Thank you.

 

[454cid]

Weird, mine never recovers that quickly.... takes hours. I never used to have problems and then a year or two ago started having issues after washing my engine. It was suggested to me that it might be the crank sensor. I removed it, cleaned it thoroughly, greased it with dielectric grease, and reinstalled it. It started after that, but it had also been sitting for several hours, so I don't know if it was that, or time. I haven't taken it to the car wash to clean the engine since. I will do it when it's a bit warmer and don't need my truck for awhile.

 

[RichLo]

Ignition cap, Ignition coil, Ignition control module (inside the ign cap), or non-water tight connection going to any of these.

 

[94burbk1500]

I'd agree with RichLo on this, something ignition related got a bath. I'm curious as to how someone "forgets" to install a 10 pound metal plate, how do you miss that in the parts pile? lol

 

[df2x4]

X3, gotta be ignition related. Nothing else in the engine compartment operates at a high enough voltage for the water to be an issue.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

I had that happen to me years ago in a Datsun pickup. Went through a big puddle and it died. Popped the hood and could see sparks going from the coil wire to the body while cranking. Luckily I had a can of WD40, I sprayed it all over the coil and distributor and she fired right back up. BTW, that's the only thing WD40 is good for - Water Displacement formula #40.

 

[454cid]

BTW, that's the only thing WD40 is good for - Water Displacement formula #40.

I like it for wiping down tools after use.

 

[alpinecrick]

Ignition cap, Ignition coil, Ignition control module (inside the ign cap), or non-water tight connection going to any of these.

AC Delco or Delphi only--everything else seems to allow moisture in. Not always when new, but after a while the aftermarket cap/rotors seem to not like getting wet, or even damp days can affect them.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

I like it for wiping down tools after use.

It's good for removing road tar off your kick panels too, LOL

 

[mudpie]

...the aftermarket cap/rotors seem to not like getting wet, or even damp days can affect them.

+1

Chased after problems several times thinking "No, it couldn't be the cap and rotor....I just replaced them last summer". They hold moisture for some reason and it gunks up the contacts. Tried cleaning the contacts on the last cap and it ran slightly better but not good. Got it replaced under warranty and the truck fired right up. And my truck is 2wd and never goes off road.

On a side note, when I bought the Duralast Gold rotor and cap from Autozone a couple years ago, they had a lifetime warranty. Now they have a 1 year warranty, so apparently it's common enough that they've had a ton of them coming back.