decklid grill

Is it normal to have just the decklid grill, or is there some rain protection under it?

Marco:

It is Marco, isn't it?

Anyway, I believe some older cars came with a rain-shield under the grill. The rain shield was offset from the grill by spacers, allowing air to get around, not through, the shield. This supposedly kept the engine cleaner, but it also make the air path cicuitous. Probably did not hurt performance, but it was probably not really effective, either.

Younger cars with air conditioning used the AC condenser as a rain "shield"; but, as you can suspect, rain and thus dirt still gets through.

In any event, all of the components under the engine cover are protected from rain and moisture, so there is no real advantage to having a rain-shield, except the slight advantage of maintaining a cleaner engine....Andras

Hi andras, its marcelo.

Ok, if I realy donīt nead the shield, what would be the problem that every time it rains and I start my car I get a sprak plug flooded? and its random, each time a different spark plug.
solution: I take off the injector of the respective spark plug and let the motor run for a few seconds, put the injector back on, and everything is ok.
Do you have any ideas? maybe spark plug wires?

tks...

It's funny, I have been watching this go back and forth, but nowhere in your description of the problem do you say that you have the air filter covering the injection stacks or what year your car is. I didn't want to assume this, since it sounds as though water is entering the engine compartment and flowing down the stacks creating this problem.

Are you 100% sure that it is water, not gas flooding the engine and that the timing is a coincedence. If, in fact, it is water... I am curious if the air cleaner assembly is installed correctly, since condensation shouldn't create this type of problem.

I would love to know the resolve to this one. Good luck with it.

[This message has been edited by marc weintraub (edited 02-17-2000).]

marc,
my car is a 76 911s with a 74 2.7l cis.
The air cleaning assembly you mean the air box?
I have K&N filters, and as I can see it looks like everything is correct.
And yes, it only occurs when it rains inside the motor compartment.
One thing I noticed, when I take the spark plug wire off the spark plug, sometimes I get electrical shocks from the wire.

complementing the above....
It only occurs when the car is parked....if it rains with the motor running, nothing happens.

Marcelo:

Since you have the 2.7 CIS (which I assume you have complete from your donor 1974) then you do not have air stacks, and it sounds as if you are saying that you get electrical shorting with the rain. True?

Anyway, there was an upgrade on later model 911SC cars, where the factory suggested that mesh-shielded ignition wires replace the rubber ones. This may be the cause of your shorting out, if you still have the rubber covered ignition wires. Heat can cause them to crack and short out (spark to ground) if there is rain. Also, have you checked your spark plug covers? They may also be old and causing the shorting.

As I had mentioned, later 911 with AC do not have a shield, and water gets in there all the time. In fact, when I show my car (even after tack events), I always "wash" out the engine compartment, and I have never had an problem starting the car again. I would really suspect that you have some dried-out wiring somewhere, and the rain is exacerbating the problem.

Try looking carefully at the wiring and the spark plug caps (at the end of the ignition wires), and see if they are damaged...Andras

Marcello,

It sounds as if your air box is getting filled up with water ... I don't know if the K&N filter is part of the problem, or not, but is the 'lid' to the air box tight and secure with both of the rubber 'bungy cords' tight? Did this problem happen before you installed the K&N filter, or since then? If the rubber straps are in good condition, try removing the K&N filter, put an OEM paper filter back in, and test the sealing of the air box with a 'homemade' rainstorm of your own making ... a garden hose!!! If the air sensor 'boot' was cracked, I would think you would be having severe idling and drivability problems.

------------------
Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

[This message has been edited by Early_S_Man (edited 02-17-2000).]

Andras,
I have the mesh-shielded wires, and the shorting comes from the spark plug covers. Can I replace just the covers, or I need to replace the whole wire?

Warren,
It did happen with the OEM too. I donīt have iddling problem, except when the spark plug floods cause the rain.
Iīll check the sealing of the air box this weekend.

Tks a lot....

Marcelo:

I don't think you can replace the boots alone. I have not done so, but I think they are connected at the spark plug end to the wires.

Try to remove them; however, with a flashlight or strong light look to see if they are removable. If they are, then be sure to use silicon spray or some such (vegetable oil is okay too), to keep from damaging the ends that attache to the plugs. Availability of the boots alone might require some research.

Quite frankly, I have never heard of the air filter cover leaking, IF it is intact, IF holes have not been drilled to aid "breathing", and IF the rubber straps are still pliable. The cover fits over the airbox with outside flanges, and all water should divert over the cover, and not get into the air filter, and down onto the pulleys, thence out the drain holes of the sheetmetal. But Warren is right, check this also. If your air filter is wet, then that is the cause.

However, if there is electrical shocking to you when you touch the wires, you have isolated one potential source of shorting, and that might be your problem. Others have suggested looking into the engine compartment in a dark room or at night, to see if there is arcing from the wires to metal, but I have never successfully seen such arcing.

This problem does sound to me to be electrical in nature, so be patient in looking at the entire electrical path from the distributor to your plugs.....Andras