[John M]

Hey Jan:

Lots of possibilities. Maybe even a couple of things going on. Best advice I can give you is to start ruling out the electrical system. This means testing the battery and alternator/voltage regulator. Just about any major chain auto parts store like Autozone, Advanced Auto, Pep Boys, even WalMart can do this and determine if the battery or the alternator/voltage reg is bad. Could just be a bad battery not holding charge. Could be a bad alternator not putting out enough amps to charge the battery or improper current. Could be a bad voltage regulator. If you think about your discussion, it sounds like after driving at night, you had to turn around and jump the next day. Lights on, fan on, radio on really put a load on a weak system and will show itself at night and the day after.

So once you rule those out, you can start to look at drains. What have you added to the car? Do you have an alarm system? Do you have an aftermarket stereo? My bet is that is has nothing to do with getting wet.....possibly just very coincidental in regards to the battery.

On the water thought, you mentioned loosing power and check engine light coming on. You need to pull that code from the check engine light. Most common problem check engine light related is an air leak between the air flow meter and the intake. Check the intake hoses. Air leaks will cause the car to run rough and even stall and fail to start. Another thing to consider is the O2 sensor. The connector for the O2 sensor lies along the firewall near the brake master cylinder and perhaps could be getting wet and shorting it out when it rains. It wouldn't run your battery down but it would make your car run rough. But the long and short of a check engine light.....and its a gift....is to pull the code to have a place to start.

Best Regards,
John M