DME & KLR got wet

[chrischrischris]

I discovered something unfortunate today. The front of my 944 got submerged a few days ago. It's hard to explain how this happened but it has to do with a pool of meltwater under the lift where I park, and the lift tilts forward as it moves downward. So, this is why only the front of the car got wet.

You can see the water line witness mark as a rust line about 3/4 the way up on the front caliper. This water was just deep enough to submerge the DME and KLR. I removed the DME and I can see evidence of the water line about 1/2 way up on the DME. Currently all is OK with car other than some wet interior and also it won't start.

The no start is clearly due to water damage to the DME and/or KLR.

It seems that my best option would be to replace both of these units but wanted some advice. I have the DME opened up and it looks OK. Is there any reasonable way forward with this particular DME? Should I dry it out and try it again? Should I replace with a good-used unit? Should I invest in a Focus9 unit?

Thanks, Chris 87 turbo

[Tom]

I discovered something unfortunate today. The front of my 944 got submerged a few days ago. It's hard to explain how this happened but it has to do with a pool of meltwater under the lift where I park, and the lift tilts forward as it moves downward. So, this is why only the front of the car got wet.

You can see the water line witness mark as a rust line about 3/4 the way up on the front caliper. This water was just deep enough to submerge the DME and KLR. I removed the DME and I can see evidence of the water line about 1/2 way up on the DME. Currently all is OK with car other than some wet interior and also it won't start.

The no start is clearly due to water damage to the DME and/or KLR.

It seems that my best option would be to replace both of these units but wanted some advice. I have the DME opened up and it looks OK. Is there any reasonable way forward with this particular DME? Should I dry it out and try it again? Should I replace with a good-used unit? Should I invest in a Focus9 unit?

Thanks, Chris 87 turbo

My DME/KLR got soaked from a rust hole in the battery box in driving rain. Pretty much the worse time for the car to stop running on the highway. I had the car towed home and once I figured out what happened I dried the DME and KLR in the sun for a a couple of days and the car fired right up. A hair drier might work in winter if needed. I wouldn't give up on it just yet. Let things dry out and see where you are. It doesn't take much moisture to bridge IC pins, etc. and kill the circuit. Once it is 100% dried out, if it still won't fire, then it might be time to look at other options... Back in the day, people used to get stranded at self-serve car washes too because they'd try to pressure wash their engine bay and get the ignition wet. If the water got up in the distributor area, but sure that's dry too. If there was water down below, the cam belt can act like a little water conveyor belt and deliver water into the cap -- I learned that one once when I had a leaking water pump.... Worth popping the cap and checking.

[chrischrischris]

Thanks Tom. I will try to dry out the DME and KLR and see if the car will start. I needed to drain some water out of the rear footwell area. I dug around under the carpet and found something that I thought was a drain plug, but I had to dig it out from under the tar coating. I assumed it was rubber and would pop out, but seems like it is plastic and I accidentally poked a hole in the material. Can this be replaced? Is this a drain plug?

[Tom]

Thanks Tom. I will try to dry out the DME and KLR and see if the car will start. I needed to drain some water out of the rear footwell area. I dug around under the carpet and found something that I thought was a drain plug, but I had to dig it out from under the tar coating. I assumed it was rubber and would pop out, but seems like it is plastic and I accidentally poked a hole in the material. Can this be replaced? Is this a drain plug?

If it's a round panel maybe 5" around, that piece was originally in there with seal sealer. I assume it helped in the mfg process but not really sure. Take a picture though as the piece I'm thinking is metal -- unless i'm confusing old german cars in my head...

[mwc951]

I put my DME & KLR in a bowl of rice to ibsorb the moisture.
Then hosed the boards and connectors with contact cleaner.
Fired right up, no problems at all.
About a year ago, I did replace the DME with the F9T solid state unit

[Tom]

I put my DME & KLR in a bowl of rice to ibsorb the moisture.
Then hosed the boards and connectors with contact cleaner.
Fired right up, no problems at all.
About a year ago, I did replace the DME with the F9T solid state unit

I never understood the rice thing. Is that really better than a fan or setting out in the sun?? I replaced DME with the F9Tech one too -- just for peace of mind --but the old one was still going strong 10 years after its water bath.

[mwc951]

[/quote]
I never understood the rice thing. Is that really better than a fan or setting out in the sun?? I replaced DME with the F9Tech one too -- just for peace of mind --but the old one was still going strong 10 years after its water bath.
[/quote]

Rice worked for me well drying a cell phone I dropped while docking a boat.
I'm sure low heat in the oven, the sun, hair dryer or heat gun would have the same effect.
I've heard of people having success fixing DME's with bad cold solder joints by putting them in the oven.
The F9T DME is a work of art, espcially with OBD+...as is the Kroon harness.

[johnb]

I put my DME & KLR in a bowl of rice to ibsorb the moisture.
Then hosed the boards and connectors with contact cleaner.
Fired right up, no problems at all.
About a year ago, I did replace the DME with the F9T solid state unit

I never understood the rice thing. Is that really better than a fan or setting out in the sun?? I replaced DME with the F9Tech one too -- just for peace of mind --but the old one was still going strong 10 years after its water bath.

I think the idea is that the rice is dried so it will absorb moisture from the air, so the air pockets between the grains of rice should be drier than normal. In practice though you can leave rice out indefinitely and it doesn't really get any less dry so I have doubts. Maybe in really humid places it might work.

OP, dry the wiring harness and connector too. Water can sit between the wires and wick down to the terminals, preventing the car form starting. When I had my battery tray breakdown, that's how it happened. The DME itself was fine.

Also, if the car ultimately still won't start, bypass the KLR - maybe it's damaged but the DME is ok. Pin 9 on the KLR harness is where the ignition signal comes in from the DME, and pin 16 is where it returns to the DME from. So connect those together and if the DME is ok then the car should start.

[944m3]

I have a DME and KLR sitting in the garage. Pulled last fall when I installed my standalone. Happy to loan them out if you need to test. We can work something out if you need to keep them.

Note it’s a 28 pin DME.

[Tom]

I put my DME & KLR in a bowl of rice to ibsorb the moisture.
Then hosed the boards and connectors with contact cleaner.
Fired right up, no problems at all.
About a year ago, I did replace the DME with the F9T solid state unit

I never understood the rice thing. Is that really better than a fan or setting out in the sun?? I replaced DME with the F9Tech one too -- just for peace of mind --but the old one was still going strong 10 years after its water bath.

I think the idea is that the rice is dried so it will absorb moisture from the air, so the air pockets between the grains of rice should be drier than normal. In practice though you can leave rice out indefinitely and it doesn't really get any less dry so I have doubts. Maybe in really humid places it might work.

OP, dry the wiring harness and connector too. Water can sit between the wires and wick down to the terminals, preventing the car form starting. When I had my battery tray breakdown, that's how it happened. The DME itself was fine.

Also, if the car ultimately still won't start, bypass the KLR - maybe it's damaged but the DME is ok. Pin 9 on the KLR harness is where the ignition signal comes in from the DME, and pin 16 is where it returns to the DME from. So connect those together and if the DME is ok then the car should start.

Great points all around. On the rice, my experience with desiccants is mostly about keeping 3d printing filament dry. I'm sure it would do more in humid climates as you say, but it has almost no effect where I live in California. Those little packets probably keep beef jerky fresh a little longer on the margin, but for electronics (and 3D filaments) mild heat seems more effective to me.