help! my car doesnt start whenever it rains

[drazzie]

hey guys.

m gen 3.5 just wont start whenever it rains. this happened last week when it rained and it only started after everything dried up. now its happening again since it rained this morning and i cant find an explanation for it. i opened the hood and everything was a little wet. but how is the water getting under the hood?

any ideas?

[dc_98_cam]

Does it crank ... but not run?
Does your engine have a distributor .... which engine?

[drazzie]

4-cyl it does crank when i try to start it, but it never starts

[Kep]

Moisture related problems are often the ignition electrical system. Usually plug wires but also coil(s), distributor caps and other ignition wiring. If plug wires are bad you will often be able to mist them down when its dark and literally see the sparks jumping from them. I would suspect the wires and cap first, then the coil. After that it gets tedious.

Kep

[Mike Gerber]

^ +1. Exactly as Kep said. Replace the spark plug wires, distributor cap and distributor rotor first. If that doesn't solve the problem, then replace the coil inside the distributor. The coils have a tendancy to develop hairline cracks and short themselves out to any metal inside the distributor, when it is wet or damp out.

Mike

[RichieRichJP]

Just take out some of the wires and let it dry