Strange startup - wet electronics or bad starter

[JHZR2]

Hi,

My 91 BMW 318i is a great car, I love to drive it and it is an optimal commuter car. Due to being on travel, it sat for the last week, and in the last two days, we have been hit with dense fog, and literally constant mist in the air, which you can just see floating around.

This morning, I went to start my car to drive to work. The starter sounded really funny as it was turning the engine. the first time it caught, it died right away. I cranked it a second time and it sounded the same, but caught and kept, the thing was, the engine was shaking like crazy for about 10 seconds. I revvedit up, then let it down, and it shook less. After about a minute of idling, it was smooth as ever.

I drove it to work, and it drove fine with good power. No issues since. All electricals were fine, and I did not have any dummy lights, not a CEL.

I recently tested my electrical parasitic draw, and it is exactly correct, so there are no issues. The battery is new and turns the engine great. Voltage is fine, etc.

Do you think this is a sign of a startr starting to go bad, wet electronics, too much moisture in the intake, or something else???

Any insight would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

JMH

 

[alreadygone]

I'd guess somewhere a connector got damp from sitting in hi humidity. Only thing to dois wait and see if it happens again. With no code and working properly now,,if it aint broke you CAN"T fix it.

Bob

 

[michaelc80]

Since the engine was "shaking like crazy" I doubt it has anything to do with the starter. You've likely got an electrical connection that is absorbing some moisture. It will likely continue to get worse as the car ages.

I had a Dodge Dakota that as it started to get older would run rough after a high pressure car wash. It took about 5-10 minutes for it to dry out enough to run smoothly again.

I finally took a Saturday afternoon, filled a spray bottle with water and a little dishsoap, and soaked down each electrical connector one at a time until I found the culprit.

 

[brianl703]

You might want to start disconnecting connectors under the hood and adding terminal grease to them if they don't have any.

 

[Papa Bear]

Wet distributor cap

 

[JHZR2]

there is no distributor on that engine, but it probablyis the about time to grease all the connections...

How do you diagnose with dishsoap?? Its not like there is a gas stream that will bubble up... does the soap just make it obvious when it leaches in?

Thanks,

JMH

 

[alreadygone]

JHZR2,

Water beads and runs off, soapy water adheres.

bob

 

[SHOZ]

Spray WD 40 on the connectors and plug wires.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

My Civic does that rarely. It will idle poorly and correct itself after about 15 seconds. It only does it about twice a year and I don't know what causes it.

 

[Tosh]

Quote:

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I had a Dodge Dakota that as it started to get older would run rough after a high pressure car wash. It took about 5-10 minutes for it to dry out enough to run smoothly again.

I finally took a Saturday afternoon, filled a spray bottle with water and a little dishsoap, and soaked down each electrical connector one at a time until I found the culprit.

---

That sounds like fighting fire with fire, but not in a good way. Sure, you may have found the problem, but you've also just added a lot of water were there should be none. Seems the lesson here is not to use a high pressure car wash...?