My son's 1995 Honda Accord EX doesn't want to start after rain, or when it is very damp. The car will start, but immediately shut off. It will repeat this over and over. After letting the car sit for a few hours, it will usually start up again and keep running. What is the most likely cause for this? Could a wet distributor cause this?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Try this:
On the next done-dry day grab your wife's spritz bottle from the laundry and with the engine running (hood open) and fully warmed up, start spraying the ignition wires. Start furthest from the distributor and move progressively closer as you go.
If the engine starts missing or shuts off entirely, this will confirm you need wires at the minimum. If this is indeed the case, I'd also suggest replacing the cap and rotor as well. All of these components get porous over time and usage, absorb water during high humidity and short to ground.

Wait about an hour and your should be able to restart the car when the latent heat from the engine drys the wires.

P

 

Thank you for the suggestion. I will try this tomorrow.

 

I've seen distributor caps installed without the rubber oring which lead to this same symptom.

 

Did you have any luck?

P

 

P Adams,

I'm not the original poster, but I had an intermittent starting problem on cool and humid mornings, so I employed your advice to spray the ignition system with water.

I worked my way from the spark plug connections back to the cap, as you advised. As soon the water hit the connection between the cap and the coil wire, the engine shorted out.

I replaced the cap and the rotor, and have had no problems since.

Thanks.

 

Great advice.