What would cause a car to not start when it's humid ?

[user removed]

11.5 volts indicates a dead alternator. Running off the battery. Charge the battery if you can, get it over 12.3 volts after being off the charger for 15-30 minutes.

Did you test the alternator with the engine running? It should be putting out over 13.5 volts depending on the state of charge of the battery. Try jump starting the car with another good battery, but DO NOT run the engine or REV the engine on the good battery car.

regards
Mech

[Cd]

Some Other Dave " posted this on another thread related to this one here :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...n-19273-4.html
Quote :
The MAP sensor should not be able to affect the inside of the distributor. It sounds like you may have some kind of bad contact in your ignition system? Double- and triple-check the plugs and wires, cap and rotor.

If the stuff you saw in the cap was reddish-colored, I would tell you to get a new distributor. The "red dust of death" is a known failure mode for those...

-soD "

Well guess what i found lots of under my leak cover ? Yup ! Reddish dust.

I have a brand spanking new distributor, complete with cap and rotor ready to install.
I paid $115.00 - much cheaper than a rebuilt unit from autozone .

BTW, I had just had the coil, rotor and cap replaced around 600 miles ago due to the weak spark issue.
It makes me wonder if the guys at the shop were just throwing parts at it.

( I'm glad i'm doing the work myself this time. )

[California98Civic]

Well, if I understand the drift of this thread well, it does seem you like me might be throwing parts at a problem that is deeper than it seems. I'm just an amateur, but in my current situation with my poorly running car the ignition system seemed to be the cause but now it seems to be the symptom. For a time the ignition problems seemed to be a symptom of a MAP sensor problem. I almost bought a new $95 MAP sensor, but I restrained myself, and did more testing. After testing, now the MAP sensor problems seem like a symptom of an ECU failure. I will test that tomorrow, hopefully, with a known-good ECU. If it solves the problem, maybe all is well.

Testing is cool.

And I love this quote from Old Mechanic: "The most important knowledge is not knowledge at all, just boneheaded perseverance."

[Cd]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

11.5 volts indicates a dead alternator. Running off the battery. Charge the battery if you can, get it over 12.3 volts after being off the charger for 15-30 minutes.

Did you test the alternator with the engine running? It should be putting out over 13.5 volts depending on the state of charge of the battery. Try jump starting the car with another good battery, but DO NOT run the engine or REV the engine on the good battery car.

regards
Mech

I hadn't checked the alternator yet.
Sorry.Correction from earlier post.
Sorry. Correction : I ran a check on the ICM, not the ECU.

[Cd]

So how much of my problem could be attributed to the distributor ?
It still doesn't explain the main relay not working if the problem was in the distributor.
I did continuity testing on all the prongs of the main relay, and they all check out fine. The solder also looks fine.

[Cd]

Bump

[BrianAbington]

Change your distributor cap. They get microscopic cracks in them and get moisture in side. My nissan sentra had that, my friends ford aspire had it. It's $15 at the most.

[California98Civic]

I don't understand. You already replaced the distributor cap once, maybe twice, yes? You have checked the alternator out?

[Cd]

The distributor cap, as well as rotor and coil have been replaced. The cap has been replaced twice.
Alternator is next on the list to check.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Cd

The distributor cap, as well as rotor and coil have been replaced. The cap has been replaced twice.
Alternator is next on the list to check.

Good luck. I am still struggling and beginning to suspect my own alternator. Here are a couple tests I will try tomorrow: How to Troubleshoot a Honda Civic Alternator | eHow.com. And the ever helpful honda-tech moderator with a characteristic short and sweet recommendation: Honda-Tech - View Single Post - Alternator testing.