James302

1993 Civic LX.
Hi this problem has been going on for 1 week now. After a night where it rained and some times even just moisture, my car won't start up the next morning. But midday after the sun has been shining it will start right up.

When I first noticed this, I replaced the Distributor Cap n Rotor along with new Plugs n Wires. But before changing I realized the old Cap had no seal protecting it. So I put a new one on when the Cap was changed. Problem still persisted.

Next I had a buddy of mine who specializes in Hondas check it out and he instantly thought it was the Main Relay. He brought one with him and swapped the old with the new a couple times to test it out. My car would start right up now, with the old one it wouldn't. Problem solved, or so we thought..

That night it rains yet again and my Civic will not start up the next day either. Give it a few hours in the Sun and it will start right up. Weird. So I tried taking it to Autozone to have it read and apparently prior to 96, Hondas didnt have an OBD2 sensor?

So here I am now, My car will run only in the afternoon assuming it is sunny and hot out. Even when it doesn't rain overnite, due to the moisture it will not start up either? Sooo, I come here asking for help and guidance as I don't want to spend a fortune on something I believe might be minor.

Your guys thoughts?

ezone

Seems like someone will have to figure out what is wrong while it won't start.

Missing spark?
Missing fuel?
Not enough?
Too much?
Wrong amount?
Wrong places?


Wait til it's all nice and dry, then use a spray bottle to carefully wet the dist cap and wires, manually isolate the problem area.


93 is not OBD2. If the CEL is on, you would have to read flash codes if you don't have access to a PGM tester (scanner).

yamayama1980

Hi there, I had a same issue with my accord next time when it rain's or if there is moisture, you can try one thing when u turn on the car the get somebody to tap on the starter cause I am pretty sure it's your starter.

James302

@yamayama, Did you have to replace your starter or was it something more minor? Because if mine was bad it would not start at all right, even in dry hot weather?

@ezone, It is missing Spark in the early morning, until it is hot and dry out if that makes sense, because the car will star right up with the first turn of the key in nicer conditions. There is about a half tank of gas, not too much and not too little. But there probably is a little over a quart of extra oil in the engine. I noticed that when the old spark plugs were replaced, there was oil coating the bottom of 3 or 4 of them?

ezone

Oil in the plug holes is usually caused by hardened O rings between the upper and lower halves of the plug tubes (rocker stand seals), this is not the same a s the 4 tube seals in the valve cover..
You'd have to pull the rocker shafts and stuff off the head to replace the 4 seals.



93...93...93.... no spark.....I might get out some test equipment and see if the coil is getting triggered by the ICM (igniter), then see if the ICM is getting triggered by the ECM, and I might get suspicious of the ECM having leaking capacitors.


If your starter was flaky, it wouldn't crank at all or would crank slow or something obvious.

Stonermike7

Coolant temp sensor on the engine