17 replies to this topic

[Biggles1957]

I remember having some problems (aka Blackpool Illuminations) with my old Riley Elf in the wet.  What do people think about some sort of distributor/electrics shield?  I'm not sure if the rectangular type fit an Elf because of the different front panel?  Or do they fit to the rocker cover bolts or something?  I can't remember from back in the 1970's but I remember having what I assume was an aftermarket fibreglass 'rounded' shield that somehow went in front of the dizzy.

I suppose I could always just fit some clear plastic on the inside of the grille?  Any advice welcome!

[phillrulz]

I remember having some problems (aka Blackpool Illuminations) with my old Riley Elf in the wet.  What do people think about some sort of distributor/electrics shield?  I'm not sure if the rectangular type fit an Elf because of the different front panel?  Or do they fit to the rocker cover bolts or something?  I can't remember from back in the 1970's but I remember having what I assume was an aftermarket fibreglass 'rounded' shield that somehow went in front of the dizzy.

I suppose I could always just fit some clear plastic on the inside of the grille?  Any advice welcome!

 

 

I know with minis its a common thing. Can easily buy guards that block air or waterflow through the grill onto the distributor. Or even full engine covers that attach to the engine lifting eyes.

[MrBounce]

My first Mini went through 2 different engines. The first would throw all its toys out of the pram at the slightest hint of rain whereas the second engine (exactly the same spec) would happily chug through a river if you asked it.

 

I would heartily recommend the full "shroud" that bolts to brackets that go on the rocker cover. It looks ungainly, but you can take it off if you want to show the engine, In my experience from trying most fixes (rubber glove & cable ties, black fibreglass panel behind the grill, the proper Rover "Plastic bag" for the dizzy and the full shroud), you should only consider the shroud and not waste your money on anything else. Also, despite having electronic ignition, my last Mini suffered in the wet so that shouldn't be considered as a fix either 

[Cooperman]

I never use any sort of shield, even on serious rally Minis. What I do is to liberally coat the distributor cap, coil connections and leads with a non-conductive grease then spray with ignition sealer. I give the entire electrics a good few coats of ignition sealer. So far I have never had any wet ignition issues..

If the ignition system does mis-fire due to water, spray it with WD40 (WD stands for Water Dispersant) then re-spray with ignition sealer.

[mullet]

Hello Cooperman.  I wonder if your suggestions in your last post here relate to a problem I have.

 

I am sure in dry conditions I could drive 1000s of miles with no issue.  However, in the rain (or after rain, so steamy road on wet Summer's day) my mini mayfair (1000cc, 1985) splutters.  I have even had to pull over completely.  So not very confident on longer journeys now.  Then if parked for a while in heavy rain, it sometimes doesn't start (dull red light indicating a battery charge warning, I believe).  In both situations, so sign of water inside the engine or around electrical areas, or the main 'earth bolt' under the windscreen solution bottle.

 

Could it be a bit steamy, or humid?  Is that all it takes, a little humidity? 

 

Are there any specific instructions/diagrams of doing a full "electrical seal?" as you have done yourself?  Thanks for your help!

[surfblue]

How old are your spark plug leads and distributor cap?

Although looking fine they can degrade in time.

Quality replacements should prevent those issues. Have alternator checked that its putting out proper voltage. Is fan (alternator) belt adjusted correctly?

[humph]

I have a clear version of this on my Elf, fits in the same way as a Mini. Went for clear as it's a bit more visible through the Elf grille than on a Mini.

 

http://www.minispare...04.aspx|Back to

Edited by humph, 27 November 2019 - 08:37 AM.

[blacktulip]

I've always used a marigold glove with the fingertips cut off. I found a set of dark green ones which kept the in keeping look in the engine bay.

[absx2]

I`ve been daily driving minis through winters for a good 35 years now and I have never owned a mini that suffers from damp electrics although I have fixed quite a few :)

Its all down to correct maintenance and a good splash shield. I have used clear Landrover plastic windows for canvas backs as a shield since the 80`s and a good set of ignition leads. I have never used ignition sealer as looking at the neighbors old mk1 Fiesta covered in it put me off for life years ago.

I just keep everything clean and dry from any chemicals WD40 etc and like I said no issues ever.

I passed a stranded 307 HDI last week that was in water almost covering the 15" alloy rims so I guess the air intake is on the floor, the only problem I once had was breaking a couple of fan blades driving through a deep ford.

luckily it didn`t burst the radiator and I only noticed the blades were missing a couple of weeks later.  

[mab01uk]

I passed a stranded 307 HDI last week that was in water almost covering the 15" alloy rims so I guess the air intake is on the floor, the only problem I once had was breaking a couple of fan blades driving through a deep ford.

luckily it didn`t burst the radiator and I only noticed the blades were missing a couple of weeks later.  

 

Many modern cars have air intakes low down in the front bumper and when entering a flood to drive through the water, it gets sucked into the engine and causes a hydrolock destroying the engine as water can't be compressed like a gas, depending on the cost and labour for a new engine this often makes the car an insurance write-off.

[nicklouse]

 

I passed a stranded 307 HDI last week that was in water almost covering the 15" alloy rims so I guess the air intake is on the floor, the only problem I once had was breaking a couple of fan blades driving through a deep ford.

luckily it didn`t burst the radiator and I only noticed the blades were missing a couple of weeks later.  

 

Many modern cars have air intakes low down in the front bumper and when entering a flood to drive through the water, it gets sucked into the engine and causes a hydrolock destroying the engine as water can't be compressed like a gas, depending on the cost and labour for a new engine this often makes the car an insurance write-off.

 

Been there had that. Disconnect the induction pipes before the filter now.

 

Mini never had issues as long as the leads were clean and good condition.

[mullet]

Dear all.  Sorry I thought I had notifications of replies set on this.  Same issue again since I posted this, this time cold wet weather, car always stationary (so can't really be steam either from hot engine or from steamy road surface).  I also forgot to mention that when driving in wet and this happens (spluttering/cutting out) engine seems to get hot (too much combusted gas in non-firing/re-firing on affected cylinder?).  Also, how I can totally drench the car when washing it and have no issue, but rain seems magical?  So coming back to this and reading your collective thoughts (1st sentences) and my answers (indented sentences):

 

Quality replacements (spark plug leads and distributor cap) should prevent those issues. Have alternator checked that its putting out proper voltage. Is fan (alternator) belt adjusted correctly?

  Thank you. Honestly, they are probably very old.  But the car does run perfectly in dry conditions, so is this an alternator issue?  I can imagine old leads might be a be crumbling and letting moisture in.  Taking a look a few minutes ago, I can see the distributor leads might have an area where water might trickle in (lead-to-cap not a great seal).  Maybe some grease before new parts?

 

 

I've always used a marigold glove with the fingertips cut off.

  Do you mean you made little finger-tubes and slipped them over leads/plugs?

 

I have used clear Landrover plastic windows for canvas backs as a shield since the 80`s

  This sounds interesting, especially since the shield on mini spares (for an automatic) is 50 quid, if I am understanding you made your own?  There's a small square one over the distributor, but not covering alternater area.

 

 

I have never used ignition sealer as looking at the neighbors old mk1 Fiesta covered in it put me off for life years ago.

  I can imagine it is a gunky mess.  For me, not too worried over appearence so long as it beats this rain issue.  So your preference is not to use it, but it could solve this problem if I did?

 

Thanks everyone.  Really a great forum and I expect this can help others as I understand this is a common issue!

Edited by mullet, 07 December 2019 - 11:39 AM.

[cal844]

Replace the HT leads, put a small amount of grease at the rubber boots and test the car

[SolarB]

Good quality HT leads.

Good condition cap and rotor arm.

Everything clean and dry in the distributor.

I used to appply WaxOil on the mating surface of the distributor cap and around the base of the HT lead rubber caps. Also on the low tension connections.

 

That is usually enough to sort the problem but a shield will also help.

[mullet]

Hi all!  Again, really helpful forum and thanks for your additional replies.  I bought some silicon grease, in a can, sprayed all areas where there are connections (spark plug contacts too).  So far it has been washed, rained 3 times and with a recent storm.  3 times started without an issue. 

 

I think there are more 'mechanical' things I can do.  If it packs up again, I will do all the following:

 - physical barriers (shields/rubber gloves);

 - buy new HT leads

 - clean up the distributor

 - will look at some DIY shield option (ie, safe plastic type to use)

 - periodically use this silicon grease spray too, but clean up residue/dirt before re-spraying.

 

I'll come back to this thread with updates over the winter as probably going to be someone else's problem again one day.