I really don't know whats going on with this thing. For whatever reason, It absolutely does not like getting wet.

2001 GMC Sonoma, I have been having this issue on and off for several years now and no one can figure it out. Whenever it rains heavy overnight or sometimes just a weekend in general, it simply refuses to start the next morning. It will crank no problem but will not fire. It will occasionally pop and spit like it wants to go, but it wont.

It hasn't happened in quite a while but it got me again this morning. Rained pretty heavy Saturday and snow when I woke up. I do eventually get it to go but it takes several hours and usually a charger/jump pack after a while. If I get a ride to work or just let it sit for the day, it usually will start when I get home but sometimes still takes a couple tries.

I replaced cap, rotor and wires a couple years ago which seemed to fix it for a while but it started doing it again. Replaced the cap again and it was fine again for a while but now seem to be back again.

The bummer part is, that is the only real issue I have with it. I have had several places and people look at it but because it works 98% of the time, no one can figure out the issue.

Pretty much everyone I know keeps telling me I should sell it and buy a "new" vehicle, as in go to a dealer and buy a new/used vehicle. Not only can I not afford that, I have absolutely no interest in doing so even if I could afford it.

2001 is too new for me, even my previous 1998 was too new. If I were to buy a different vehicle it would be no newer than 1995, for ease of repair and no stupid emissions testing.... which funny enough is another recent issue lol and I do look but on the rare occasion I actually find something that would be worth buying, the price is just way too nuts. If I actually can find something in my price range, it is not at all worth buying. In most cases it's pretty much a wreck... "mechanics special" as it were.

Had work done two years ago and it took 6 full months for some stupid sensors to be "ready" and was able to get it to test for the emissions. And now again this time, had some work done a couple months ago and again the same stupid sensors not ready. No light on or anything, and no way to manually reset them. Just need to "drive it normally" for however long until they reset.

Man do I really miss the "good old days"

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PakRatJR,

Is your windshield leaking onto your fuse panel? Ford Super Dutys have this issue

Not that I can see. I have had the cover off a couple times and everything looks nice and dry.

I had a similar issue with a 2002 suburban.
Under just the right conditions (hot/cold delta, humidity, etc) it would do the “crank but no start” thing if it had less than 3/8 tank of fuel.
Apparently it is a “known” issue as I found a reference to it online.
Sure enough, next time it happened, I just poured a few gallons of fuel in it from one of my lawnmower cans and it busted right off.

I does seem like just the "right" conditions sometimes. It won't always have the issue when it rains, just when it seems to rain a lot lol. All the googling I do only ever comes up with piles of no crank issues... and most of which are not even remotely related to my truck lol. It doesn't seem to matter on the fuel level for me, most of the time I don't get much below 1/2 tank before I fill it again.

Any cracks or splits in the insulation of the 20-year old electrical wiring either in the engine compartment or going thru the firewall that might be causing current leakage when damp?

quote:

Originally posted by tsmccull:
Any cracks or splits in the insulation of the 20-year old electrical wiring either in the engine compartment or going thru the firewall that might be causing current leakage when damp?

I am kinda assuming it has to be something like that, but as of yet I have not been able to find anything really obvious. Everything still looks solid.

Suggest you try the spray bottle with only water and a light spray method around coil area when the engine is cool. Like so

It smells like an ignition issue.

I've only ever had that happen once. It was my Subaru, IIRC. It happened while it was just sitting there in the company parking lot.

"Distributor?" I thought. "How could that be? It's just been sitting here." But I popped-off the distributor cap, anyway. Sure as hell: Wet inside. Dried it out, put it back on, turned the key, et violà!

Replaced the distributor cap and wires with after-market performance parts and never had the problem again.

It definitely does seem ignition related. After I replace the cap, rotor and wires the first time, it seemed like it was fixed. when it started doing it again, another new cap and it stopped. I will definitely be giving the water bottle a try once it starts warming up a bit.

Auto parts are not the quality they used to be. Also check the coil. I would use AC delco parts if you can find them.

Any chance water is finding its way into fuel system? It can cause several of the problems you mentioned.

Possibly could be a loose/bad/corroded ground somewhere.

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
Possibly could be a loose/bad/corroded ground somewhere.

My 1999 Chevy S10 acted up like that. I took it to the car wash and they had an Under Carriage wash. I decided that sounded pretty good and did it.

I heard the woosh of water underneath it as that system did its thing.

Dang thing would crank but not start and run. Finally, after it dried out, it started but wasn't quite right. Finally it dried out completely and no more problems.

The wash water underneath grounded out something, I think it was a connection that just wasn't water tight enough.

Good luck to you.
.

Friend had a Harley that would buck snort and pop when he rode it, after a few questions we figured out it only happened when riding in or after rain storms.

Started it and took a hose on low pressure working up from the bottom to the top, when I hit the front plug wire it snorted popped and we could see where one of the plug wires had a slit in the boot that was not easily seen when dry since you could see the arc from the wire to the engine block

Replaced the wire and problem solved, the water spray is a good idea, check the wires, it might be one or two bad or not seated, be sure to use a water proof sealant on the plug caps on each end, dielectric grease.

It sure sounds like the secondary ignition system is breaking down. On a nice, dry day, park somewhere that is not brightly lit. Run the engine with the hood up but keep it as low as possible to cut down on ambient light. Using a spray bottle full of water, spray liberally around the distributor cap and plug wires. If the cap is cracked or the insulation on the wires is breaking down, you should see a fireworks show of spark going everywhere but the spark plugs. If you do, replace parts accordingly.

Thanks. I will definitely be giving the water bottle a go. It's odd tho that it only does it after a heavy rain. I can go through the car wash with the under spray and it has no issues.

Once I get it to start, it will run a bit rough for a bit but does smooth out. After that it runs fine again.

4.3 V6 I’m assuming.

Distributor for that vehicle I think only contains minimal components. Ignition coil and module are externally mounted to a heat sink bracket that is near the distributor. I’d hone in on those two items as the cause.

Yup 4.3 V6. I'm actually shopping around for the coil right now to see what it will cost lol. Looks like it might actually warm up a bit next week so hopefully I cando some testing on that and the distributor. I'm actually looking up prices on a distributor as well just in case

Bizarre, electrical issues are the worst. I'm stumped.

Regarding: "I had a similar issue with a 2002 suburban.
Under just the right conditions (hot/cold delta, humidity, etc) it would do the “crank but no start” thing if it had less than 3/8 tank of fuel.
Apparently it is a “known” issue as I found a reference to it online.
Sure enough, next time it happened, I just poured a few gallons of fuel in it from one of my lawnmower cans and it busted right off."

Curious, did you ever find out what was happening ?