3B Diesel won't start after its rained

[sneaky]

Hi guys,

I recently picked up an '84 bj42 that has a slight case of Previous Owner-itis. The good points are that it has what I think is a 60 series front axle moved 100mm forward and an ARB rear diff, Cb and UHF and a decent stereo. The bad points are that it has a lot of extra wiring.

The issue I'm having is that after it has rained for a couple of days, or I have driven through heavy rain, the car doesn't want to crank and start.

I have 12 volts over the battery, all other electrics work( headlights, stereo, etc) and the glow plug light comes on and then goes off, and I have 12 volts at the starter, it just won't crank.

I get the impression that somehting is shorting and drawing a large current and the the starter won't crank but am open to suggestions.

 

[dgangle]

load test the battery

measure the voltage at the starter while attempting to start

make sure all your battery cables/connections are good/clean/tight

check the cap/rotor/plugs/wires (sorry, I couldn't resist)

 

[sneaky]

The plugs/cap /rotor/ leads and ballast resistor were the first things I checked ( kidding).

Last time this happened I pulled the battery, charged it and checked over all the leads and connections, tightened anything that needed it, and cleaned anything that looked a little suspiscious.

I'll try the battery under load, but the few days leading up to the rain have been warm and sunny, which makes me think that something is getting damp( namely the starter internals), and causing a short.

 

[lowenbrau]

Cylinder full of water?

I had a snorkel issue that caused that for me. Burned the post right off the battery.

 

[dgangle]

load test the battery. the test is easy and quick, the tools inexpensive and can tell one alot real fast about the condition of the battery and charging system. I have BTDT!!!!

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