I'm hoping this is a noob question, so please school me up!

Took my 85 out for it's first (with me) overnight trip in the woods. Everything ran perfectly on the way out. It rained hard during the night. Come morning, the motor would turn over just fine... but it wouldn't catch. I thought maybe something was wet, but I couldn't find any possible issues. I wondered if I could bump start it, so I gave it a push. No chance... it rolled half a car length, then I realized where I'd parked it was in a shallow hole. At this point I was considering how I was going to get back to cell service and I tried it again.

It started like nothing had ever happened and has run perfectly ever since. So... something with the clutch or transmission maybe? Why would moving it just slightly make any difference? Or was it just luck?

 

IMHO, I would look closely at either the COR, or the fuses/relays on the other side.

There's a well known problem with leaks from the bottom corners of the windshield. They dribble right down behind the kick panels on either side. The COR, and fuse panel on the other side, get the brunt of the drips. Water drips=contact corrosion=problems. The contacts of the COR, and the interior connections, get corroded. Can make starting an adventure.
The fuse panel on the other side gets the same thing. There's a 4 into 1 ground contact on the driver's side as well. It gets a lot of corrosion too. The thin metal everything is mounted to corrodes easily, and keeps grounds from making well, or at all. Often, as well, a corroded connection will burn through during a start, and sort of weld itself back together. For a while. Then it goes bad again. Something to look into, anyway.

You might want to check the connections on the battery and starter, as well. Especially the heavy wires. One from the battery direct to the starter, one from the engine mount to the battery negative. It doesn't take much, surprizingly, for a little bit of corrosion on either end of those two to prevent starting. Just something else to look at. Not a bad idea to keep a battery terminal cleaner tool in the glove box, and a wrench to bull the battery terminals so you can clean them real well. Bright and shiney is the rule for connections.

Since the current for the starter connection to the key switch is amazingly high, a very bad design, a slight amount of corrosion is enough to prevent the operation of the starter. Keep things clean!

Good luck to you
Pat☺

 

I know I have some minor leaks either around the windshield and/or the front cowl, while I haven't noticed any moisture behind the kick panels I'd guess it doesn't take much more than a drop in the wrong place. What is the best way (besides fixing the leak, or course) to protect all that wiring? Disconnect everything one connection at a time and and hit with spritz of contact cleaner? This rig has a full engine management system from SDS, and I'd really like to not fry it...

For the starting circuit I have kicked around the idea of wiring up a "hotshot", but the starter itself seems to be very healthy.

Thanks for your help! I'm in a little over my head, but at least I recognize that!