Hyundai Repair: trouble starting when its wet and other probs, electrical diagnosis, starter solenoid

Question
Hello, I have a 94 Excel which has run well and economically for the past five years.
1) Last year I started having problems starting it when it was raining or snowing wet snow but after about 5-10 minutes it would turn over and start and I would have no further problems starting it that day. Now I cannot even go thru a carwash because it immediately stalls.
2) If I have been driving for more that 45 minutes it will not stall but just refuses to go forward after I come to a stop even when I give it gas. Funny, though it will go in reverse and I have on occasion driven it home in reverse. When I turn the car off a fan can be heard going under the hood. Today I couldn't get it going at all and even after recharging my (new) battery it still won't turn over. It's really wet out. What to do?
Thanks
Karen  

Answer
You seem to be describing three problems here.  I'll try to group things logically for diagnosis.

A.  Won't start/won't crank/when wet/new battery/recharged new battery.

Anytime you have a problem where the starter won't turn the engine, an electrical diagnosis of the starting and charging systems should be performed.  What do the battery terminals look like?  They should be clean and with no corrosion.  What's rest battery voltage?  Fully charged, this should be around 12.8V.  What's the battery voltage when attempting to crank the engine?  It should be around 10-11V.  If it's significantly higher than that, it's an indication that the starter solenoid contacts aren't engaging.  If the voltage is significantly lower, it's an indication that the battery has a low state of charge.

Additionally, why did you recharge the battery?  Did you find it in need of recharge?  If so, how did you determine this?  If your new battery is going dead, you'll need to investigate to find out why.

B.  Stalls when going through carwash.  

Does the vehicle restart when this occurs?  If not does it crank?  There are many, many things in several systems that could make an engine stop running.  The stalling is possibly related to the failure to start, but I'll need the above information to help determine whether that's the case.

C.  After driving 45min, will not move in forward gear/reverse okay.  

This is probably an internal automatic transmission problem.  If the shift cable is properly adjusted and the range switch is operating properly, you'll need a transmission overhaul or replacement.