I've used WD-40 on multiple occasions to 'rescue' older motorcycle and automotive ignition systems that died in rain or heavy humidity. In all cases, these were the older point-and-coil type systems, not the more modern HEI systems (found in post-1976 in most cars & light trucks, post-1980-82 in most cycles).
Just wipe off as much water as you can, and hose-on the WD-40. I don't think it ever failed to get the machine running, until proper repairs could be made to the ignition system. Silicone spray is also excellent as a preservative and waterproofing for ignitions, but I've never tried it (or had it on-hand) for a roadside rescue. On Tue, Apr 12, 2016 at 7:28 PM, Paul Koning <paulkon...@comcast.net> wrote: > > > On Apr 12, 2016, at 8:19 PM, drlegendre . <drlegen...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > "I suppose it might do that, but that's not its main purpose. Its main > > purpose is to loosen rusted and otherwise stuck fasteners and shafts." > > > > Here I thought that the 'WD' stood for Water Dispersant (version 40). > Also, > > while I have no use for the stuff myself, I've certainly never > encountered > > any of the 'horror stories' about it turning to wax, gum, +attracting+ > > moisture and fostering rust, ad nauseam. > > Yes, it does stand for water displacing, but I figured that refers to the > water that's in the rust of rusted parts. For drying ignition parts I've > seen silicone spray; using a flammable spray like WD-40 seems a bit iffy. > Also, one finds WD-40 sold (in bulk as well as cans) in machinery catalogs, > far from car ignitions. > > And I've seen plenty of warnings against WD-40 in forums discussing > metalworking machinery and firearms, or gunsmithing reference books. > > paul > >
