jah (03/22/83)
I recently bought a 1979 Honda Accord. The car runs just fine, except in the rain, when it won't start! This is obviously a problem, especially as I live in Providence RI, where it rains VERY often. ANy ideas on cause? Any suggestions for fix? Any suggstions for starting it in the rain??? -Jim Hendler p.s. car is a standard.
cascio (03/22/83)
ANy ideas on cause? Hard starting in wet weather is usually due to a leak somewhere in the high voltage wiring or devices (viz; coil, distributor cap, plug wires). Age will cause insulation to become brittle. When moisture, usually from condensation, gets on the parts, the very high voltages will leak out through the cracks, and travel along the wet surfaces to find ground somewhere. Any suggestions for fix? A sharp eyed mechanic can sometimes see the leakage (a blue spark) and replace the offending part. Most times, though, its a matter of replacing stuff until the problem goes away. The usual fix is to do all the high voltage wiring first, since it's usually cracked insulation that's the culprit. Then move on to distributor cap, etc. Any suggstions for starting it in the rain??? Yes! Just spray all the high voltage stuff with WD-40, wait a minute or two and she'll usually sputter to life on the first try. Works with my Volvo every time! Good luck, Joe Cascio
nlm (03/24/83)
I have a similar problem with my 77 honda civic (standard). Sometimes it condescends to start in the rain, but dies shortly thereafter (usually when I slow for a turn or stop for a light). If I catch it just before it dies and give it LOTS of gas for several minutes, it recovers and runs ok. If it dies, it sits, stubbornly refusing to start again, for about 5 minutes. Then it starts easily and runs ok. ANY IDEAS???? Nancy Mintz mhb5b!nlm
prgclb (03/24/83)
There are commercial drying agents sold in spray cans, and as a rule, these work very well. I first learned of these when I called the AAA to start my car on a Monday after a whole weekend out in the rain. I bought a can for myself, and used it a year later when, after driving for about two hours in a pouring rain, my car came sputtering to a stop. I was able to glide into a motel parking lot and coast to a stop under the canopy, spray the living daylights out of the distributor cap and wiring, idle the car for about 20 minutes to warm it up and dry it out, then proceed on my not-so-merry way! Carl Blesch Bell Labs - Naperville, Ill. IH 2A-159, (312) 979-3360 ihuxm!prgclb
yuan (03/25/83)
#R:brunix:-207000:uicsl:2800003:000:499 uicsl!yuan Mar 24 20:42:00 1983 I had the same problem with my old Plymouth, and the culprit is the coil. It seems that the high voltage in the center of the coil is too close to the ground on the side. And you can see the arcing sparks in the dark. I would suggest you try the coil first. WD-40 as suggested by the first response is an excellent idea. One time a mechanic told me the same thing, and I tried it. It works perfectly. Just be careful with WD-40, it is highly flammable. One of my friend use it as a starting fluid!!
leichter (03/25/83)
Just a little note to go along with Carl Blesch's information about drying agents: The main thing to watch out for when this kind of thing happens to you is not to run down your battery. The drying agent will let you start the car, but will NOT keep it running. Be sure to give the engine enough gas to keep going. The natural thing to do is lose patience and "try it out to see if it's dry enough yet". Do this often early enough, and the engine stalls, and you get to start it again. Eventually, your battery goes. Give it time! With a little practice, you get the feel for when the car is about to stall as you ease off on the gas slowly; that way, you don't have to ease off all the way into a stall. (This is made trivial if you have a tach; just learn what your normal idle speed is & don't let it drop below that.) BTW, in my experience you very quickly get to the point at which the car will idle in neutral, but dies when you shift to drive. This is the point where real patience is needed, since at this point you do nothing at all, not even give the car gas. Other notes: The drying agents are VERY flammable and you should avoid breathing their vapors (they consist mainly of ether). Replacing the plug wires is often a big help - although in my experience it hasn't eliminated the problem, just cut down on its frequency. -- Jerry decvax!yale-comix!leichter leichter@yale