Just a dumb question about rain...

G&N Farms

G&N Farms

Senior Member
My water pump was leaking like a sieve. The coolant would short out on the spark plugs and cause backfiring and horrible run problems. To move the little truck from one side of the garage to the other, I took a piece of cardboard to protect the plugs and open copper straps. She ran great so I'm assumed it was the coolant causing the backfire.

Question:
If that is the case, what happens in a rainstorm ? Wouldn't the rain pass through the radiator and do the same ?

This is my first vehicle with open strap plug wires and I have not been in the rain yet. I do plan on taking the old girl out a lot this year and we do get out-of -nowhere rains.

If you think this is a dumb question, I warned you :p
 
I have now converted to the newer style wires, but as I recall, I forded some pretty stout rain storms at "highway" speeds for extended periods of time when I had the bronze strips and had no problem with them shorting out.
 
it seems coolant is more conductive than water. i had some leak on modern plug wires in a 90s ford one ton i had and it started to short the coil wire. i dont know about the rain but you should bring your card board with you in case and some wire to tie it on. on your water pump have you tried to tighten it or put some grease in it then tighten.
 
I don't drive my car in the rain/snow/sleet/ice...so I would not know, but an interesting question, was this a problem back in the day?
I would think back in those heady days, if it was a problem either Ford or a shade tree mechanic would have come up with a way to solve it, and we would all know the answer.
Hope you get that water pump fixed soon.
 
burner31 said:
I don't drive my car in the rain/snow/sleet/ice...so I would not know, but an interesting question, was this a problem back in the day?
I would think back in those heady days, if it was a problem either Ford or a shade tree mechanic would have come up with a way to solve it, and we would all know the answer.
Hope you get that water pump fixed soon.
Click to expand...

grandpa used to say the fords would run in the rain but dont get a chevy wet.
 
If your Distributor cap has a crack, the moisture can cause shorts across the top, leading to a misfire. Other than that, l've had no problems driving in the rain.

Darryl in Fairbanks, +7, light snow
 
I have been caught in a pretty heavy rain storm several times while on tour with my Victoria. On a slant window the rain comes through the windshield hinge area, however, the engine compartment was unaffected. Henry should have put the outside visor on the slant windows.

Tom Endy
 
Antifreeze will conduct electricity better than rain water. My brother drove my father's town sedan from the Canadian border to CT in the middle of a hurricane, and when he stopped for gas, he looked under the hood and everything was soaked, but the car ran flawlessly all the 300 miles.
 
I've been caught in some really bad rain storms, but the engine ran fine. A guy in our club used rubber boots on his coil wire, and during a light rain some water collected in the coil boot and shorted his spark to ground. It took better than an hour to get his car dried out and running again. Ford did not use rubber boots on the coil wire, and I don't either. Never found a need for them, but did find a reason not to use them.
 
burner31 said:
I don't drive my car in the rain/snow/sleet/ice...
Click to expand...

Well, when the day starts out nice and clear, not a cloud in the sky and you venture 150 miles from home, you don't have much of a choice when the downpour starts! (It is also lots of fun with a manual wiper)
 
Hi,

I drove several times in pouring down rain with no hood years ago, with original spark plug connectors with absolutely no problem.

Drove through flooded back roads with no problems with splashing water without having engine side pans.

I also road in a Model B engine powered inboard boat in the rain with no engine cover years ago with original spark plug connectors with no problem.

Highly Technical Scientific Test:

If you want to feel safe beyond a doubt, open your hood and spray the spark pug connectors with a water hose in an amount that you think equals your typical "out-of-nowhere" rain storms.

Hope this helps.
 
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Hi,

I also remember a guy in high school who tried a modern distributor cap with modern spark plug wires until his Model A stalled in the rain with no hood ... he next went back to original.
 
I drive mine year round, in all kinds of weather. I've been curious about this in the past and in a heavy rain have actually pulled into parking garages, popped the hood and checked out the engine. I have always found the engine dry.

My guess...a warm radiator allows very little rainwater to pass through without evaporating. What little reaches the warm engine also evaporates very quickly. The leaks from your water pump does not pass through the radiator and may leave more fluid on the ignition system.

Again, just a guess, but it makes sense to me.

Ken
 
I can't help but think you had moisture or condensation inside the distributor as opposed to water on the on the outside causing a short. The nearest ground would be the distributor base. Current follows the path of least resistance which would be the spark plug - IMHO.
 
I remember my barber had a piece of standard Model A top material he used to cover the top center hood hinge of his Tudor's hood when parked outdoors. He said it was to keep the top of his coil from rusting out during rains.

My Coupe came with a Gerber's Baby Food can mounted on top of the coil, supposedly, according to the former owner, to prevent the top of the coil from rusting out.

Neither of the two (2) above Model A's were parked in a garage overnight.

After I got my coupe, I threw away the baby food can on the coil because I parked my Coupe in a barn.

I did keep the oiled, bronze Brillo Pad in a can, mounted on the carburetor for an air filter, and washed it about every week in Kerosene. The road out front was gravel surfaced and very dusty.
 
Thanks all, I tried to replace the packing in my water pump to no avail. I called Snyder's and received the water pump the next day, very cool. The fire wall shows signs of the coolant splatter. After it warms up a little here, I'll mist a little water on the plugs to see what happens.

As far as rain, my vacuum wiper does not work. I will someday fix it but for now am just going to use Rain-X. My 57 Chevy doesn't even have wipers, so far so good.

The steering still needs fixing and I'm putting in a new set of points and readjusting the brakes after that, I think I'm ready to roll. The Hot-Rod might get a little neglected this year.. :-)
 
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