Famke

So I wanted to fire up my C4 this weekend (92 coupe) but there is so much moisture in the garage that it's built up in the engine bay and my distributor and engine block look quite damp... I pulled the top plug off the distributor and it's soaked...

Does anyone else have this issue while storing their C4? It's an unheated garage with a concrete brick floor and I live in a swamp it seems.. sigh.. If I can get her running again I'll definitely store her somewhere else next year.

SloJo

If it will start once the engine gets hot the water will evaporate and the engine will dry out. If you live anywhere where the temperature gets cold and then it warms up you will get condensation on all metal parts. Everything in my garage gets wet when this happens. The floor, the car all tools, everything metal. The only way to stop this is have a heated garage.

Tom400CFI

Oh man....you should have parked in on little carpet squares!! What were you thinking!?

Seriously, what SloJo said. Fire it up, warm it up....GO DRIVE IT! That will dry it out. In the future, if the garage isn't insulated, insulate it. It's not expensive and it will dramatically slow temp changes and thus, condensation. Another "fix" would be to positively ventilate the garage.

hulksdaddy

Gotta be tough to have a Vette in the UP. Good luck man!

Phobos84

Living in PA this is just a fact of life for me. There is condensation on every part of the car when in storage. This made engine and transmission building a PITA.

tfvesquire

You might consider a plywood floor and placing the vehicle on jack stands during hibernation. My parents have a garage built in the 1920s and the concrete floor here in upper IL would get really damp. We placed 5/8" sheets with the seams taped and then put the cars on jack stands, put several damp rid packs in the interior and engine bay and that seemed to minimize the condensation and flash rust on the underside of the cars.

Good luck.

Ted

Tom400CFI

How? Engine is cold. The air warms. Condensation will occur on the (relatively) cold metal surfaces regardless. Won't it? How would plywood and jack stands help?

hulksdaddy

Simple answer is a dehumidifier as well

Famke

Problem is it's too wet to fire up, car refuses to start until I can get it dried out... It's an old garage on a poorly done brick foundation that came off the footing on one side because frost heave. Would be ideal if I could jack it up and poor a nice slab under it... But you know, money and single income make it tough lol
So until the garage gets fixed I'll have to store her somewhere else next winter...

It sure is!! Summers are so short and driving this car last summer was the best thing ever! (especially as it's the only purple one in town haha)

hornetball

I'd be careful about firing up a car with a wet distributor. Really easy to get carbon tracks and ruin the cap. Better to pull the cap and dry it before trying to start. Of course, that only applies to pre-Opti C4s.

Air movement helps. I'm fortunate to live in a dry climate, but even here there are a couple of days a year when everything gets covered in dew.

Tom400CFI

This. And/or a fan.

Why won't it start? Does it have spark? That the motor is "wet" shouldn't prevent it from starting.

Blue Bucket List

The OP states that it is a 92 so could well be singing the OPTI blues. My understanding is that the early ones were more prone to having moisture issues. From his description that everything is wet I wouldn't be surprised that it is the reason for no start.

Tom400CFI

Right. It could be that. Could be, but we don't know and the OP doesn't seem to know. It seems like WAG's and some assumption.

So....I asked the OP if it has spark. If it has spark, it's pretty unlikely that it's the Opti.

It could be the opti, but what I'm thinking is; I wash my engine....engine is all wet...all covered in water...it starts right up. So, while it's possible that the opti is wet inside, I'm thinking that it's also quite possible that there is another issue, and a little quick, easy checking is in order. If it were MY car, I'd check spark and fuel pressure. Then I'd know about 99% more about why it wouldn't start than I did 5 minutes earlier.

JimArn

If you do the plywood floor, put plastic sheet under the plywood to provide a vapor barrier. Ventilation is a good idea if the inside is warmer than the outside. Inside colder just brings moisture in to condense in the colder space. I would put plastic down, with or without wood, seal up the outside, and run a dehumidifier raised up to drain outside when inside temp is above 50* or so.

CorvetteRules

One thing you should try is don't put it away all winter. It is a car and was made to drive year long. If your heater works temp outside doesn't matter. If roads are not icy enjoy a ride on nice sunny days. Some will disagree but there is no reason to stick it on jack stands and add a trickle charger. all winter. You know you want to

Even on the coldest of days I rarely have to run the heater because the engine warms the cockpit nicely.

Blue Bucket List

Very good points that you are making. A systematic approach of trouble shooting is going to cause you less grief and get you farther along with less pain in the pocketbook.

Tom400CFI

This is an excellent point. If we have mild winter, I'll drive it. Here it is sitting in my (old) office parking lot at work....10,000' elevation in Telluride. Note the ski tracks behind it....

Famke

Well we got over 300 inches of snow this year and the roads get salted like crazy so... No thank you lol. I'm not driving this car in the winter when it's 20 below zero and with all the other idiots on the winter roads. That's what my truck is for.

I'll be checking for spark soon, been busy with work and all that fun... Put a fan going on it for now, and the temps will be in the 40s/50s later this week finally. (snowed last week..)
OP is a she btw... (girls don't exist on the internet, we know lol)

If I have spark is there a chance the ICM is shot?
Edit: Saw a video of a shop checking/changing the ICM for a no start issue, and they did not have spark, so I guess either way I'm wondering if the ICM is having any effect on the no start issue. Last year I was having starting issues if I didn't run it every day but when I put in a brand new battery I assumed that solved it. Maybe it's still an issue?

Tom400CFI

300" That's it??



Maybe. I doubt it, but MAYbe. Test it. Find out. Do you have a volt meter? Put a volt meter on the battery posts, position you meter so you can view the screen while cranking, then crank. What's the batt voltage during cranking?

Jud Chapin

I must be missing something here. I live if S. FL where the humidity is supposed to be the highest in the country. I've stored a few Vettes in my garages for years and never had such a problem and never heard of anyone having it. There must be something else going on in your garage. Roof leak or something. How in the world you could get water in the dist. cap is beyond me.