When it rains it pours.... water into my electronics. :(
05-10-2006, 08:03 PM
#1
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When it rains it pours.... water into my electronics. :(
I thought I had taken care of the cancer in my battery box, but alas, round 2 is in the near future. Anybody got tips on what I need to look out for? I'd like to graft in a good battery box from a parts car, should someone have one.
I plan on replacing the interior since the dash needs to come out anyway. Dash looks to be a pain!
BTW, my alarm module was 1/2 full of water and would not shut off. Had to bypass... but I got it home.
I plan on replacing the interior since the dash needs to come out anyway. Dash looks to be a pain!
BTW, my alarm module was 1/2 full of water and would not shut off. Had to bypass... but I got it home.
05-10-2006, 09:18 PM
#3
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I'm planning a vacation at dad's garage next month to do a good temp fix on it. If that does not work out, I'd appreciate parking it at your place for a little while and tinker with it. I'll do the interior once I get my garage since I want to clean and re-wire the elecronics.
05-10-2006, 10:33 PM
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There was a thread a while ago showing pics of someone who fibereglassed their battery box to fix the rust. Might be worth a look.
Or just tape plastic bags around all the eletronics
Or just tape plastic bags around all the eletronics
05-12-2006, 01:43 PM
#6
Three Wheelin'
Crap, that was me. I can't find the photos anywhere....They're not really important for this job.
Basically, you'll never stop fixing this until you really fix it. Because I "fixed" it twice after my dad "fixed" it with silicone and crap.
Here's a quick writeup:
- Fiberglass (sheet of cloth, little can of resin)
- Disposable paint brush
- Power drill or rotary tool
- Wire brush bit (either circular or...ah, forward facing thing--I needed both to get at all the crannies)
- Some kind of rust-proof primer. I used an ugly brown Krylon.
Pull the battery out. Strip the whole box. The whole ****. The bottom is layered with silicone gunk. You need to get all that up. Strip the whole bottom to shiny bare steel. Depending on what you find, you may have to go up the sides, too. Get rid of all rust. All of it. Don't worry about the hole you're creating (unless it's the whole thing.
My problem was that, though i patched the obvious hole(s), there was a sneaky crack along the metal riser that holds the battery down.
Once that thing is stripped bare, paint it. Then fiberglass it. Get every possible hole. Once it dries (may take 24 hours), this thing should hold water like a bucket. Plug up the drain hole and fill the battery box with water. Check for leaks.
When you put the battery back in, depending on how much you fiberglassed, you may have to bend the metal riser a smidge for the battery to fit underneath. It's easy to do with vice-grips.
Whacky thing about 944s...Sometimes the battery terminals make contact with the hood and short...We're talking about 1mm here, so it really shouldn't make a difference, but now might be a good time to check for the plastic thing attached tot he hood...It's been known to disappear (there's a plastic thing, right? Did I make that up?).
You'll never have to do it again.
Basically, you'll never stop fixing this until you really fix it. Because I "fixed" it twice after my dad "fixed" it with silicone and crap.
Here's a quick writeup:
- Fiberglass (sheet of cloth, little can of resin)
- Disposable paint brush
- Power drill or rotary tool
- Wire brush bit (either circular or...ah, forward facing thing--I needed both to get at all the crannies)
- Some kind of rust-proof primer. I used an ugly brown Krylon.
Pull the battery out. Strip the whole box. The whole ****. The bottom is layered with silicone gunk. You need to get all that up. Strip the whole bottom to shiny bare steel. Depending on what you find, you may have to go up the sides, too. Get rid of all rust. All of it. Don't worry about the hole you're creating (unless it's the whole thing.
My problem was that, though i patched the obvious hole(s), there was a sneaky crack along the metal riser that holds the battery down.
Once that thing is stripped bare, paint it. Then fiberglass it. Get every possible hole. Once it dries (may take 24 hours), this thing should hold water like a bucket. Plug up the drain hole and fill the battery box with water. Check for leaks.
When you put the battery back in, depending on how much you fiberglassed, you may have to bend the metal riser a smidge for the battery to fit underneath. It's easy to do with vice-grips.
Whacky thing about 944s...Sometimes the battery terminals make contact with the hood and short...We're talking about 1mm here, so it really shouldn't make a difference, but now might be a good time to check for the plastic thing attached tot he hood...It's been known to disappear (there's a plastic thing, right? Did I make that up?).
You'll never have to do it again.