Now is my time to ask for suggestions. I doubt I can save my beast, but perhaps someone knows an effective method for which I would be most grateful.

Water from the windshield (removed exterior trim strips/seals at the A pillars) has saturated the fuse block and computer area to the point of causing the battery to die stone cold dead. I know that there are drying agents, such as carbon tetrachloride, which can be used to dehumidify the area. I also have experience with saturated fuse blocks and despite replacements, corrosion persists for several months afterward and connections are rendered useless. It will be a neverending battle over electrical gremlins. I have a professional life and prefer not to spend my every waking moment battling those gremlins. I ask for the aid of the collective Rennlist gods in approaching this problem. I also am financially tapped out, so it must be cost effective. Any suggestions?

And yes, the car is for sale, so a DIY mechanic could do worse than to buy this '86.5 with just about all the other ailments eliminated over the course of the last 1 1/2 yrs. Either someone with deep pockets or a DIYer should own this machine.

 

Please understand that i'm not affiliated with any of these suggested products; however if was my car this is what I would use.
LPS 1 on your fuse panel and computer sparingly; http://www.lpslabs.com/Products/ProductLine.asp
I know you can clean the inside of a distributor at the car wash and without trying to dry it just spray LPS1 and reassemble and it will run every time. I use it on all ignition boots & plugs. LPS3 is great for bolts that have developed rust when reinstalled (use anti seize too.)
Spray the windshield seal with carburetor cleaner anywhere it may be leaking then apply Marine Goop (at Home Dept) where the leaks may be. Use your finger to rub it in and leave a layer on top that wont prevent trim installation.
Oereall a $10 fix plus your time and you will have some for the next fix.

 

Thanks Steve. I'm on my way to OSH for some now. The battery is history because something caused it to discharge to nothing. But maybe LPS will save the electrical stuff.

 

Although there are other aerosol lubes you can use, LPS 1 is excellent: the idea is to have a product that is partially 'hydrophillic' - miscible enough with water to displace it and leave a protective film behind. It could help a lot if you have access to an air line: spray & blow dry!
If relays/ECU/etc have picked up moisture, pop them in a zip-lock bag with an activated silica-gel pack and set aside for a couple of days in a warm spot - or place in a barely warm oven(150F) for 1-2 hrs. do not cook until tender!

 

So I dry the rear of the fuse block and the computer area with a hair dryer for a couple of hours. I spray LPS1 on some questionable connections of the fuse block and some near the floor behind the fuse block. I notice that my charger had charged the battery to about 1/2 capacity, so I set off for Sears to get the battery load tested. On the way out the door, I decide to try to start the car to test the computer. I install the battery and crank the starter and the car starts right up and idles perfectly. Elation !! And the voltmeter on the dash shows around 13. I think to myself that I should shut it off to save the alternator which is trying to cram some charge into the low battery, so I turn the key off.....and the engine keeps running.
The voltmeter drops to 10 with the engine running and the key off. I pull the battery ground strap and the engine keeps running. I turn the key off and pull the ground strap and then the positive from the battery and the engine keeps running. Panic. So then I go back and turn the key on again with both terminals of the battery disconnected, and the engine dies. I reason that there is still water somewhere in the system and it caused the battery to discharge originally and has not dried out. I also reason that the alternator is running the engine through the positive cable to the battery UNTIL I turn the ignition key off.
Next I plan to start the car and run the heater to cook the interior of the car until it is super dry. Hopefully this will evaporate whatever rained on my parade.
Any electrical techs out there know a better way? I doubt the ignition switch got wet in the rain.
Maybe it is time to go to church, eh??

 

if you are going to cook the inside with the heater good also if you can or have ac in the car turn it on it is a dehumidifier. personally though when it comes to electrcal getting wet you should dry it as much as possible to get the moisture out before you apply electricity. not to short and take your computer out.

 

Ron, I had the same thing happen to me....the car was in my very steep drive way and water over wellmed the drain and soaked the fuse panel and all the carpet.
Greg aprecisionon removed all carpet,pad,undercoating, and the fuse panel and let them dry out over two weeks in a heatedgaragee with the doors and hatch open.
He then took the panel apart and cleaned all connections. insurance paid almost $4,000 for the work.
My point is .......remove all power from car,dry car, spray LPS on all connections and you should be good to go.

P.S I have had no problems since the rain out.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.
This seems to have come about because a shop left the exterior windshield trim strips on the A pillar off and the car was driven in a rainstorm for two days. I think there is a lot of moisture up under the dash and even in the pod. Since it is so cold now, I must wait until daylight to resume drying. But during the night, I can see the condensation on the glass. I have a tarp over the car now in case the rain resumes, and would prefer to move it to my garage but the problems with it not shutting down worry me so I prefer not to run it again until I am sure it has dried out. There is always the possibility that it is not a wetness issue, as prior to this incident, the dash was taken apart to find a burned wire(s) in the harness. Some were found as they passed through the firewall. Perhaps not all the burned wires were located. Ultimately, it will dry out and that should eliminate the possibility of wetness. It will take time. In the meantime, I will drive my Energiser Rabbit.

 

When you get it all dried out and running again, be sure to check your voltage regulator and alternator as you may have fried them (diodes) by disconnecting the positive battery cable with the alternator turning. They don't like to run without a load connected. Good luck and keep us posted.

Pulling the fuel pump fuse or relay should shut the car down safely if the ignition switch fails to kill it.

 

Thanks Barry:

I guess I wasn't thinking of that and was surprised, so took the first path that came to mind. I'll check the alternator.