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From: doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: driving through black-top rivers
Message-ID: <244@terak.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 4-Jan-85 10:25:59 EST
Article-I.D.: terak.244
Posted: Fri Jan  4 10:25:59 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 8-Jan-85 02:39:34 EST
References: <275@pertec.UUCP> <479@mako.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Terak Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Lines: 22

> At four feet, the air
> intake would be under water.
> 
> Helpful things to have in the trunk: can of "Wire-dry", spare set
> of spark plugs (and spark plug wrench), dry rags, rain gear (for you),
> tow cable.

Reminds me of a problem a friend of mine had with his 77? Firebird.
He had stormed through a puddle which was somewhat deeper than it
looked, and the car stalled.  The engine compartment was soaked, so
he left it till the next day.  Although the engine was dry and we
sprayed LPS all over the wires, distributor cap, and inside the
distributor, it wouldn't start.  Finally called a mechanic.  He
had it working in half an hour.

The problem:  water ingested through the air intake went (of course)
into the combustion chambers and... soaked the carbon in the resistor
type spark plugs, shorting the plugs to ground.  The mechanic advised
that it is really a common problem, and that the only fix is a full
set of new plugs.

Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{hao,ihnp4,decvax}!noao!terak!doug