Hi All!

I have a 1988 Honda Accord 2.0L 16V European version.

Whenever it gets humid or the engine gets wet at the car wash, it sounds as if the car is running on 3 cylinders, there's a knocking sound, and the engine has very little power.

On a cold winter day I couldn't get it to start at all. I searched the web a little and found that there's something called a wet igniton. Someone suggested that I spray WD-40 all over the distributor cap and spark plug wires and guess what? It works really well! The problem goes away almost immediately.

The car has had this problem for a while, even when my dad used to drive it, but he never managed to get it fixed.

I've had the spark plug wires and plugs replaced a long time ago, and it helped a little bit, but just a little bit. What should I look for and would it be expensive to get it fixed?

Paul

 

I would say you have a hairline crack on your distributor cap near a plug or near the base.

I had similar symptoms in the past whenever it rained.

This should cure what ails ya:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWD1V


Modified by MuthaFodder at 5:31 PM 12/4/2005

 

So how do I find out which part is the culprit? Oh, the 2.0l is 12V, not 16V

Thanks for your reply.

Paul

 

Get yourself either a squirt gun or a spritz bottle.
With the engine fully warmed up, start spraying small quantities of water on the spark plug cables (wires); starting on the spark plug end.
I suspect one (or more) of your spark plug cables has become pourous over age, and they short to the easiest ground when they get wet.
Spraying water over them simulates that rainy/foggy night sinario.
If you should get all the way to the distributor b4 anything starts getting funky, suspect the cap as well.

P


Modified by P_Adams at 5:00 AM 12/5/2005

 

replace cap. rotor,plug wires, make sure to use Honda parts and also make sure the distr cap gasket is there,,, actually put a new 1 as well ..it is rubber and with heat and age they crack and break and don't seal properly

 

Excellent idea, P -- thank you. I'll have a go at it and update you on the results.

Paul

 

If you want to give the distributor cap the 'educated eyeball" for signs it's got to go, look for these:
1) Carbon Track - looks like some one or something unknown drew a pencil line from between two cap terminals.
2) Water Spots - unlike the wife's dishes, Kalganite won't remove these spots. This confirms moisture is getting into the distributor.
3) Flash Thru - looks like some hippy light show. It will be indicated by a (what can best be described) area which looks like a blue hologram or halo effect on the inside of the cap. It indicates a porous cap where a path has been established thru the cap itself. Happens most often on external coil distributors. It can also be found on the rotor.

Hope this helps too

P