Rain Precautions?

I've not had this problem but the engines I've been working on all had a metal insert in the head that the rubber grommet sealed around . . the latest engine I'm tearing down is an older model and does not have the metal inserts in the heads . .. . these are probably the ones that have the water problems I'm thinking.

FWIW I don't cover my engine at all anymore when I wash my car . . . the reason I use to do it was water in the distributors 'cause I didn't have the rubber boots on them.

 

Joe,

I've driven my car in all sorts of rainstorms and never had any problems whether I was moving (make sure your wipers and speed control switch on the console work) or parked. I suppose you can carry a waterproof cover with you and cover your car when you anticipate rain.

Barry

 

Make sure your spark plug well seals are good and demand a spot under the covered Porch at restaurants and Hotels, it's a Ferrari after all.....

 

Coils should have rain boots on top as well....

 

Bring WD-40 it helps dissipate moisture in case electrical connections and/or inside distributor gets wet

 

WD40 is a good suggestion to carry along regardless. And duct tape. Those two and you're all set. If it moves and shouldn't -duct tape. If it doesn't move and should - WD40.

Seriously though, I used to be paranoid about getting the engine wet, largely due to horror stories here. I am no longer concerned, because my mechanic assures me everything that should be sealed up tight is. I asked him the last time I had it in for work how he recommended I clean the engine bay. His recommendation was basically spray on a degreaser, wait a few minutes, and hose it down. He tells me that's what he has done to it the last couple of times, and I have done it myself since. Faced with that, a little rain doesn't worry me.

The obvious caveat here is cars with cracked or damaged rubber under the hood, and cars that left Maranello without rustproofing. Those guys need to be more concerned about the weather than I am...

 

As a resident of Florida, I have driven my F-cars everyday, in every posssible weather condition, including hurrricanes. I have never had a problem in the rain. They run just as good in the hot weather, or whatever conditions maybe. Ask Mike T. Last week I was reading my maneuls for my F-cars from page to page, And I could not find in the manuel where it said DO NOT DRIVE IN THE RAIN. lol. They are meant to be DRIVEN!!!

 

Perhaps you should consider covered transport...geez!!!

 

NOTE: If your car came with a pair of wipers on the windshield,

then you can drive in the rain

 

Hallelujah!

 

A few sensible precautions will serve you well. Most important thing is to be rational about this. Going into a potential rain situation, I recommend loading the 3x8 in an enclosed weathertight trailer set up with one of those car coccoons inside. Get a good solid coat of wax on the trailer and then cover the trailer itself in a waterproof cover. You can run a dehumidifier in the trailer using the auxiliary power connection. If the forecast is for prolonged wet, your postal carrier can forward your mail to the trailer.

I prefer a double-length trailer, so you can pull the tow vehicle inside, behind the Ferrari, if it looks threatening outside. If you have to actually make progress on your trip, rent another tow vehicle for pulling in the rain.

If I'm caught in a serious storm, without all this equipment, I shut the Ferrari off, pull over and throw my body over the vents in the decklid.

 

Whatever you do, do not move to So. Fl, because during the summer months, you will be on the car move than your in it.LOL

 

My first drive of my 308 GT4 ended in misfires due to water in the spark plug wells. Mind you my first drive was from Sydney to Brisbane some 1000Klms.
I had to stop overnight halfway through the trip and it rained all night.
I think if you're moving at some sort of pace (>60Klm/h) then there's no problems. It's when you're in traffic or standing still the problems begin.
In the gt4 the water gets in on the leading edge of the engine cover. Water leaks straight down onto the front head and if there's enough rain, water will eventually get into the spark plug wells. I installed new rubber boots on the plug leads and this helped a bit but water/moisture still gets in.
I installed lenght of J-channel on the bulk head just below the engine lid front edge to act as a gutter to drain the water away from the front head.
I have never had rain affect distributors or coils.
I keep a length of hose in the boot just in case I have to manually blow the water out of the plug wells.

Hope this helps.

 

Earlier 308's came a splash shield over the front bank to prevent water getting in the plug wells, as well as the dist. covers. My first 77 had those covers, and I never had a rain issue in 17+ years (and as noted, it rains a lot in south FL). My second 77 did not have the splash shield when I got it, and I wound up with misfires several times from setting in rain before the light finally dawned (seeing spark plugs with visible water discoloration is pretty conclusive). My rubber inserts didn't look bad at all, but water found its way in. The later style cam covers with the raised lip around the opening was a good fix, but for the early cars, I really recommend the splash shield if rain is a possibility.

 

It very rarely rains in the UK so it's not a problem that I have to face.

 

Oh geeeze! Look, just drive it and the only precaution is that on the distributor wire ends that cover the 'hole' for the spark plug is secure. i have driven in POURING RAIN on the track and streets plus have pressure washed the engine bay many times.

If you have doubts, then perhaps you need to have a mechanic have a look and properly service your car. The 308 is reliable in the sun, the rain, the snow....

Apologies if anyone feels insulted here, yet c'mon guys, it is just a car and is designed to be driven. Besides, if your car does have a problem then you know it needs attention and that is a good thing so you can get her working properly.

Of note is that the 308 (later models?) came with black plastic covers for the dist caps, and the alt also had a vented cover over it.

 

Get a big umbrella.

Enjoy guys/guyesses. This is going to be a huge weekend. Not only is my car in a million bits, theres quite a bit of water between us. lol

 

Some 308s will get a little moisture in the luggage compartment (behind the engine) in a heavy rain. Feel for dampness in the carpet, especially toward the rear.

 

Personally, I would not take my car any distance greater than fifty miles without an enclosed trailer. The rust proofing (pre 1984 cars) on these cars is a joke, just check out Newman's restoration thread for further proof. In fact, I am very concerned with just washing the car especially around door windows.

 

First time for everything I guess. Like the OP, I am not fond of rain on my ride, and its been kept dry for the 9 months that I've had it. But it wasn't supposed to rain today so off to work we went. And, of course, the 10% chance of rain in the forecast this morning was not accurate, we're having a pretty good shower right now. Not that I'm happy about it, mind you, and I obviously have a date with a bottle of Griot's Speed Shine later, but I can see my car from my office and, lo and behold, it is NOT slowly dissolving into a red and tan pile of goo. I'll let everyone know what happens when I turn the key to go home this afternoon, hopefully it won't disintegrate into a jumble of parts.

 

Well, some people fawn over these cars, and some of us drive them.

For your corrosion concerns, may I suggest some of the following body cavity waxes and corrosion inhibitors:

http://www.wurthusa.com/project/en/leftnavi/catalog/product.php?path=06.0511.jpg

http://www.crcindustries.com/marine/content/prod_detail.aspx?PN=06026&S=N

Your door panels have to come off and your trunk carpeting has to come out, and the appropriate stuff needs to be sprayed into all of the crevices and back sides of panels where 308s have ever rusted.

 

Hmmm, next Thursday I'm driving my "new" '89 328 GTS from Las Vegas, NV to San Antonio, TX then to Annapolis MD. Sure hope it doesn't rain at all during that 3000 mile trip!