Car is hard to start in rain - not opti, and not wires
10-08-2013, 08:09 AM
#1
Car is hard to start in rain - not opti, and not wires Earlier this year, I went to get my car out of storage, it wouldn't start. It was a damp day out. I towed it to my (former) mechanic and he concluded I needed a new Opti (cap was supposedly bad). He replaced my MSD unit with like 600 miles on it with a brand new Delphi.
I get the car back and it still won't start in the rain. I discover two burnt plug wires, I replaced all of them with an OTVC MSD set. Fixed the high RPM misfire I was experiencing, and I went from a no start to a very difficult start in the rain.
It took about 20 seconds of cranking to get it to start this morning. It sounded like it was running pretty rich when it finally started (I would assume from the excessive amount of fuel being dumped in)
Car has about 118,000 miles on it and the following:
-OEM distributor, now with about 900-1000 miles on it
-NGK spark plugs with about 2500 miles on it
-MSD OTVC Wires with about 400 miles on them
-MSD Ignition Coil, with about 4000 miles(?) on it
I'm tempted to replace the ignition coil, but I'd rather avoid blindly swapping parts (It's an expensive and clumsy practise).
I have an OBD1 cable and access to all datalogging software. Not sure if that helps with a starting problem.
I get the car back and it still won't start in the rain. I discover two burnt plug wires, I replaced all of them with an OTVC MSD set. Fixed the high RPM misfire I was experiencing, and I went from a no start to a very difficult start in the rain.
It took about 20 seconds of cranking to get it to start this morning. It sounded like it was running pretty rich when it finally started (I would assume from the excessive amount of fuel being dumped in)
Car has about 118,000 miles on it and the following:
-OEM distributor, now with about 900-1000 miles on it
-NGK spark plugs with about 2500 miles on it
-MSD OTVC Wires with about 400 miles on them
-MSD Ignition Coil, with about 4000 miles(?) on it
I'm tempted to replace the ignition coil, but I'd rather avoid blindly swapping parts (It's an expensive and clumsy practise).
I have an OBD1 cable and access to all datalogging software. Not sure if that helps with a starting problem.
10-08-2013, 08:17 AM
#3
I also have my air vents drilled out if that matters (vents on hood)
EDIT: Filter in stock box is K&N
Last edited by Epro; 10-08-2013 at 08:24 AM.
10-08-2013, 08:33 AM
#5
Nope, no SES light.
I have a serious hesitation problem when I floor it from a dead stop though. Car sits there and sounds like it's about to stall, then takes off all at once. Only does it from a dead stop. I assume this is unrelated to my moisture problem.
I have a serious hesitation problem when I floor it from a dead stop though. Car sits there and sounds like it's about to stall, then takes off all at once. Only does it from a dead stop. I assume this is unrelated to my moisture problem.
10-08-2013, 09:27 AM
#6
Village Troll 
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May be a vacuum leak somewhere and/or your MAF is acting up. Have you made sure the diods in the MAF sensor are not broken? I know it may be a dumb question since it should trigger a SES light, but why not check them anyway...
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10-08-2013, 09:43 AM
#8
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I had horrible luck with the old style msd ignition coils! After the second one I put a stock one back on and never had another problem.You could try a parts store coil for like 15-20bucks and if problem persist return it.
10-08-2013, 11:44 AM
#10
TECH Fanatic
So only in rainy or moisture conditions does this stuff happen? Every single sunny dry day the car runs perfect? If its moisture related it really would make me wonder about electronic parts and their INTERCONNECTING WIRES. The car should be in open loop for initial startup automatically so, not sure if disconnecting maf will help diagnose a startup issue. Stick with basics on startup issues- spark, fuel, and air. If the whole opti was replaced (optical sensor and distributor), you still might have an issue with the coil or the icm or the wires may have a nick in the insulation and are susceptible to the elements. Weird though that its only on wet days. Dont know but maybe try and just troubleshoot it as if moisture didnt matter. Eliminate obvious possibilties and it may narrow it down better for you. Sorry this aint much help. I have a car with all kind of wiring issues so, I'm well aware at how much uneccessary troubleshooting goes on only to find a corroded wire making an intermittent connection.
10-09-2013, 11:33 AM
#11
So only in rainy or moisture conditions does this stuff happen? Every single sunny dry day the car runs perfect? If its moisture related it really would make me wonder about electronic parts and their INTERCONNECTING WIRES. The car should be in open loop for initial startup automatically so, not sure if disconnecting maf will help diagnose a startup issue. Stick with basics on startup issues- spark, fuel, and air. If the whole opti was replaced (optical sensor and distributor), you still might have an issue with the coil or the icm or the wires may have a nick in the insulation and are susceptible to the elements. Weird though that its only on wet days. Dont know but maybe try and just troubleshoot it as if moisture didnt matter. Eliminate obvious possibilties and it may narrow it down better for you. Sorry this aint much help. I have a car with all kind of wiring issues so, I'm well aware at how much uneccessary troubleshooting goes on only to find a corroded wire making an intermittent connection.
I'm going to contact MSD about the coil to see if they've had issues with moisture. The issue occurred when I took the car out of storage, so I assume something inside the coil could have corroded? Or potentially a rodent may have chewed a moisture sensitive wire.
When the car fires up after the hard start, it runs beautifully without any misfires... so that says to me that it's not the coil.
