94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
05-08-2012, 08:38 PM
#76
Re: 94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
It's all taken a dark twist.
After three weeks at the mechanic I finally get a call. He said it's repaired and it'll cost me $1,200 to get the car back. When I first took the car in I explained it was only worth $800 and that I would not be interested in repairing the car if it exceeded what the car was actually worth. This was repeated in phone calls "The car is only worth $800, so if it's going to be more it's not worth it, I'll just sell the car for parts or scrap."
What exactly did he fix on the car that it got up to $1200? I asked for more details. Right away he tells me the distributor and ignition coil. (Note: I had already replaced the distributor and ignition coil. With brand new parts. I made him aware of this fact when I first brought it in.)
I told him those parts had already been replaced. He says he has no explanation for me, but that when he replaced the parts the car started working again.
On top of the $1200 he also told me he's tacking on a $25 per DAY "storage fee" if I don't come get the car within 48 hours. So if it takes me a couple weeks to come up with the original $1200, I now have several hundred more for "storage fees." He knows I'll not be able to get caught up, and that I won't be willing to pay $3k for what is essentially and $800 car.
I feel what's happened here is, he's already found a buyer for the car and want's to sell it, so he's come up with an amount above what he knows I'd be willing to pay. Without any prompting from me he said he'd be taking a mechanic's lien out on the car.
I feel like he's probably done this many times before.
Opinions, anyone?
After three weeks at the mechanic I finally get a call. He said it's repaired and it'll cost me $1,200 to get the car back. When I first took the car in I explained it was only worth $800 and that I would not be interested in repairing the car if it exceeded what the car was actually worth. This was repeated in phone calls "The car is only worth $800, so if it's going to be more it's not worth it, I'll just sell the car for parts or scrap."
What exactly did he fix on the car that it got up to $1200? I asked for more details. Right away he tells me the distributor and ignition coil. (Note: I had already replaced the distributor and ignition coil. With brand new parts. I made him aware of this fact when I first brought it in.)
I told him those parts had already been replaced. He says he has no explanation for me, but that when he replaced the parts the car started working again.
On top of the $1200 he also told me he's tacking on a $25 per DAY "storage fee" if I don't come get the car within 48 hours. So if it takes me a couple weeks to come up with the original $1200, I now have several hundred more for "storage fees." He knows I'll not be able to get caught up, and that I won't be willing to pay $3k for what is essentially and $800 car.
I feel what's happened here is, he's already found a buyer for the car and want's to sell it, so he's come up with an amount above what he knows I'd be willing to pay. Without any prompting from me he said he'd be taking a mechanic's lien out on the car.
I feel like he's probably done this many times before.
Opinions, anyone?
One important lesson to learn here is that you'll save yourself a lot of money and time by learning more about your car and how to service it yourself. Unfortunately, there a lot of people who will take advantage of you if they think they can get away with it.
05-08-2012, 10:11 PM
#77
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Re: 94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
You are not obligated to pay for any work done on your car without a written cost estimate approved by you. Did the mechanic provide you with any written estimate for the cost of diagnosis or repairs and did you approve it? If not, take this dispute to small claims court.
One important lesson to learn here is that you'll save yourself a lot of money and time by learning more about your car and how to service it yourself. Unfortunately, there a lot of people who will take advantage of you if they think they can get away with it.
One important lesson to learn here is that you'll save yourself a lot of money and time by learning more about your car and how to service it yourself. Unfortunately, there a lot of people who will take advantage of you if they think they can get away with it.
Yes, I did my very best to service the car myself. Too bad it didn't work out.
Do you guys think it would even be worth it? Even if he turns the car back over to me, he could just rig it so it blows up 5 miles down the road.
Last edited by BSG; 05-08-2012 at 10:26 PM.
05-08-2012, 11:14 PM
#78
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Re: 94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
And you could sue him for everything he's worth.
Yes, it's worth it. It's your goddamn car. We all do everything we can to keep our cars from being stolen. Don't let him steal it from right in front of you.
Yes, it's worth it. It's your goddamn car. We all do everything we can to keep our cars from being stolen. Don't let him steal it from right in front of you.
05-09-2012, 12:30 AM
#79
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Re: 94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
WOW, I did a quick read of this thread. You ignored eveyones advice on how to troubleshoot. You blindly threw parts at the car. You don't know how to perform any of the work you did either. Lasty you made a huge mistake by going to a mechanic and not the DEALER.
If I have an issue/problem that I can't figure out on my own or is too much to handle the car goes to the dealer. People complain the dealer costs too much but in the end the job is done correctly the first time saving you the money as you have blindly wasted here.
My advice now is to get a lawyer and let him handle the situtation. You aren't experienced in this either. You will only make it worse.
If I have an issue/problem that I can't figure out on my own or is too much to handle the car goes to the dealer. People complain the dealer costs too much but in the end the job is done correctly the first time saving you the money as you have blindly wasted here.
My advice now is to get a lawyer and let him handle the situtation. You aren't experienced in this either. You will only make it worse.
05-09-2012, 04:28 AM
#80
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Re: 94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
when you buy parts, buy from the dealer. honda's dont like autozone parts.
i can't believe you would buy a new distributor without a coil or ICM just to swap the old one into it... the distributor itself is just the housing, a chunk of aluminum with a shaft and seal on it. you should have put a new coil AND ICM..
have you checked the ignitoin switch to make sure it isn't faulty? turn the key to position 2 (ON) and og outside, and jump the solenoid on the starter to the batter and see if it starts then. a faulty switch could prevent power being sent during cranking. in essense, the car will crank, but with no power to the injectors or distributor, nothing is going to happen.
i can't believe you would buy a new distributor without a coil or ICM just to swap the old one into it... the distributor itself is just the housing, a chunk of aluminum with a shaft and seal on it. you should have put a new coil AND ICM..
have you checked the ignitoin switch to make sure it isn't faulty? turn the key to position 2 (ON) and og outside, and jump the solenoid on the starter to the batter and see if it starts then. a faulty switch could prevent power being sent during cranking. in essense, the car will crank, but with no power to the injectors or distributor, nothing is going to happen.
05-09-2012, 02:56 PM
#81
Re: 94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
I had the same problem with my 93 del sol. It was the ECU with moisture damage. When I opened it up there was no visible damage but condensation can effect the circuit board. I got a replacement ECU (P28) from a junkyard for $135. Car has been fine for over a year. See my old posts on the subject.
If you play with old Hondas always keep a spare main relay and a spare ECU around.
If you play with old Hondas always keep a spare main relay and a spare ECU around.
05-09-2012, 11:10 PM
#82
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Re: 94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
Sometimes a car is just tough to solve. The mechanic called twice saying how frustrated he was with it.
This guy followed pretty much the same exact same procedure I had done. Which validates my approach was correct. He went through the list of symptoms, checking every part I had already checked, testing what I had already tested, replacing the same parts I did as he went. And it still took him three weeks to fix.
That too is what makes it so mystifying. How did he get it running again, when everything he did to it was something that had already been done?
My friends are advising me to just say ef it. It won't be worth the time, hassle, and expense of paying a lawyer and showing up to court over it to get the car back. Plus, if I lose that'll look very bad on my credit report that my car was taken in a mechanics lien.
This guy followed pretty much the same exact same procedure I had done. Which validates my approach was correct. He went through the list of symptoms, checking every part I had already checked, testing what I had already tested, replacing the same parts I did as he went. And it still took him three weeks to fix.
That too is what makes it so mystifying. How did he get it running again, when everything he did to it was something that had already been done?
My friends are advising me to just say ef it. It won't be worth the time, hassle, and expense of paying a lawyer and showing up to court over it to get the car back. Plus, if I lose that'll look very bad on my credit report that my car was taken in a mechanics lien.
Last edited by BSG; 05-10-2012 at 01:03 AM.
05-14-2012, 12:28 PM
#83
Re: 94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM!!!! UGH! I have been battling this issue since I have had the car...it still dies every time it rains decent. Not a sprinkle but if it rains heavy or for more than a few hours 99% of the time the car wont start. If i sit and keep trying for a while, after a many many many attempts it will start tp putter like it wants to start but nothing. after it does that forever it will eventually get to a point where it might start but as soon as you rev the motor and give it gas it grogs out and dies if you dont release the pedal. Each time it happens i pull the distro cap...dry as an 80 year olds vajajay. Popped the hood the other day and started it and began spraying water on the spark plug wires and distro, harnesses, etc...thing ran fine! I soaked everything...nothing died, arced, etc. I can hear the 3 clicks of the relay, I can hear the Fuel pump prime for 2 seconds, I have yet to test the plug off the distro to check for voltage (hasn't rained again yet). I am starting to think it's a short in the body harness somewhere. I know there are only so many wires involved with getting "spark" at the plugs but I don't know exactly where the lines are that supply spark in the body harness in order to follow it and look for frayed wires or issues.
05-14-2012, 12:31 PM
#84
Re: 94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
I had the same problem with my 93 del sol. It was the ECU with moisture damage. When I opened it up there was no visible damage but condensation can effect the circuit board. I got a replacement ECU (P28) from a junkyard for $135. Car has been fine for over a year. See my old posts on the subject.
If you play with old Hondas always keep a spare main relay and a spare ECU around.
If you play with old Hondas always keep a spare main relay and a spare ECU around.
If i get caught in a rain storm on the road say, the car runs fine for a while but eventually it starts loosing power and evetually just dies....like the spark is getting weaker and weaker....ecu would do this would it? ecu doesn't supply the power to coil....
05-14-2012, 12:33 PM
#85
Re: 94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
p.s. I ordered new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and coil as basic tune up stuff (coil becasue I am getting rid of MSD balster cap setup) but i have a feeling even after I out all that on it will still do it. Just need to track the lines that are involved with spark reaching the motor. forgot to mention its a JDM B18C swap.
05-05-2013, 01:53 PM
#86
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Re: 94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
I have the same problem with a '94 Del Sol. I still haven't seen an answer to the question. The car runs fine in the rain.
05-10-2013, 03:21 PM
#87
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Re: 94 Civic LX won't start when ever it rains - no spark
My spark plug wires are old, and the boots are dried out and cracking, so they need to be replaced anyway. I ordered a set of wires. If that cures my problem I'll let you know.
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