Hey, my name is terry, i have a 98 sunfire 2200.
Well we just got a big snow storm here yesterday(wed) in Halifax, nova Scotia.
Any how every time there is a great amount of snow that falls with high winds, the snow always ends up under my hood completely covering my engine; wich happened with yesterdays storm; its bad i could not even see the engine.
Any how my car when ever it seems to get wet under the hood with alot of snow or heavy rain, something seems to get wet and my car acts up.
My car will start no problem, and idle for a few minutes without any issue, but after a few minutes it begings to chug, and get ready to stall, i even took it around the block today and it actted up the whole time, like its not getting the gas or something.
It did this before a few months back when we had rain; i drive it quite often and this only happens when we get heavy rain or lots of snow, so something under my hood is getting wet.
Anyone here with a j-body that drives it in the winter exsperince tons of snow under the hood after a storm, and if so does your car act like mine.
Anyone know what is getting wet to cause the car to chug and want to stall, with no power and @!#$.
Thanks very much; sorry for the long post; i find it hard to say what i want to say in a short paragraph,lol.......
98 j-body sedan
Water, and not ice/snow, is a wonderful conductor of electricity. My guess is that The snow ain't doin' anything, BUT when it melts, there's all that water coating everything. The alternator, coil packs, plugs and wires don't like working in a near-solid water environment, especially the alternator! You may make out better if you put a bag over the alternator before the next big snow.
Thanks buddy, i actual had a bag over the air filter, battery, next time one will go over the alternator as well ,just to play it safe.
I poped the hood while it was running and there was a spark from under one of the plug wires; pulled that wire off and put it on tighter and slid the wire into the boot part better, and now it works fine, the wires are 3 years old and are not the best, so i am assuming i need a new set soon, water must be getting in that one wire.
Thanks man..
98 j-body sedan
For future reference, buy a tarp from walmart, (10 bucks) and cover your hood with it, and let it hang down on the sides so when the snow melts, (or when it rains), it'll just run off and hit the ground.
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I had a huge tarp shoved all underneath the front of the car so the snow would not blow up under the engine; so the snow must have come inbetween the fenders and hood; and at the tip of the hood, there is a gap there where it suppose to meet the front bumper.
Thnaks fellows, i just worry about putting a tarp on my car that it wopuld scratch my paint and blow around.
98 j-body sedan
