Valkyrie

Today I had a problem with the ignition not so much as clicking when I tried to start it after getting it wet (trying to knock some mineral deposits off the engine)...

After wasting a bunch of time cleaning and greasing the connectors, I jacked the car up, and cleaned the starter solenoid (since it wasn't clicking and the battery was full)...

Well, this didn't work...

Until I cranked it again. Then it suddenly ran. WTF?

I guess that once I washed off the starter's connectors, the current must of managed to punch through the moisture?

Either way, a note to anyone who can't get their car to start after getting it wet, while all the other electronic stuff works, clean the connectors with a water-displacing solvent, and then try to start it a few times, it might eventually start.

Valkyrie

LOL at the irony that I just spent 3+ hours in a rest stop getting it to run after it won't start again.

First I thought the solenoid trigger wire was fubared, but it wasn't, so I wasted a good half hour cutting the tape off the end of the wire to see if I could find a short... as well as about half a can of connector cleaner spray...

Then I jury-rigged 'continuity tester' out of my jumper cables and one of my test wires (sparks = continuity)... I tried triggering the solenoid directly, and strangely that didn't work...

So I pulled the starter...

I tried driving the solenoid with the jumper cables straight off the battery, and that didn't seem to work... but then eventually it started clicking again, after trying a few different methods of hooking it up, and then going back to the original method (WTF mate?).

So I figure I have an intermittent solenoid... although jumping the solenoid enough times to 'break it loose' (or something), and cleaning the starter's grounds and power connections, and making sure they were nice and tight seemed to work, for now.

This was all being done under the aluminum S4 scissor jack... I'm very, very glad I actually had it in my car (even though I don't have the spare in it at the moment).

I'm also very, very glad that I didn't get crushed to death...hahah

tonedeftony

OK- I am right there with you-
I had my 89 vert towed last week because it wouldn't start- It's been pouring rain here since New Year's day.
The car wouldn't start after getting me halfway to work. Turning the key on, everything acted normal until I turn it to start. All I get is a click in the dash and the warning lights blink off for a second.
It sat in my driveway for a couple days and the sun came out for a while. I had tried several times to start it with negative results. Then, last night it started! I drove it around and shut it of. It started again and again, no problem.
It started raining late last night. This morning, same issue, it won't start.

My kingdom for a garage..

Valkyrie

Dude, all you have to do to start it if you've got a good charge is let it roll forwards in first, or backwards in reverse, and drop the clutch while you hit the ignition. It'll fire up fairly easily, and you can drive it home.

If you're on flat ground, you can push it till you're doing a walking pace, jump in, and do the same thing... if you don't do it fast enough, you'll have to try again though.

I had to do this last week because the solenoid was acting up again. Strangely enough, I tried starting it about 10 times (in a row), it eventually started up... which indicates a bad solenoid (since I cleaned and wire brushed every wire and terminal). Then it worked again, like normal.

I haven't had any problems since last week though, but if it happens again I'm replacing the solenoid.