So i have a b18c1 swap in a 97 civic. Everything on this motor is mint. regular maintenance, swap was done by the book, etc. So...only when it rains really heavy...the motor will start stuttering really bad at low rpms, even if i down shift it will eventually start to lose power and next thing you know the car is sputtering and jumping and then...nothing. It wont start for a few minutes and then when it finally does it is still all jumpy and stutters. I had a 93 hatch with stock motor and it did the EXACT same thing! i have seen a few threads here and there on this, it seems like a common thing...what the hell is causing this? It almost happened to me today but luckily i got through the rain, i pulled over and popped the hood, nothing was really that wet. Air filter was dry, grounds were dry, i have a msd blaster but i put a plastic baggy over it and zip tied it to keep it dry, what the hell is going on! uhg!

 

it sounds like you are sucking water into the intake but you say the air filter is dry so im not sure what else could be causing it since everything is dry. does your distributor have any condensation in it?

 

thats the one thing i haven't checked and the more i look into this it seems like something electrical. Like the motor is "shorting out" but does the gradual loss of power play into that? moisture in the distribution cap? this "stalls when rain" is a very common thing i have found and i am really surprised no one has an answer/fix for it yet. i have a aem short ram, even if i was sucking up water this doesnt feel like hydrolock. when it does happen it seems to be its worst when u try to baby the gas, the more you go the worse it gets , lose power, then finally it jumps, sputters and dies.

 

I would definatly check the distributor, pop off the cap and wipe the inside with a clean dry rag, if car starts, replace the cap gasket... #9 http://www.acuraautomotiveparts.org/...ystemcomp=List All&vinnoT=&trim=&trans=&view=normal 94