99 Accord wouldn't start

My daughter has a 99 Accord LX with about 94K miles on it. We bought
it as a one owner, off a lot last Thanksgiving. Very clean, known
female owner, only extra option was an aftermarket remote starter. The
car has been running very nicely and I replaced the timing belt at
85K. The car has been running so nicely I haven't done anything else
to it, except drill it into her that she needs to change the oil ever
3K and rotate the tires every 6 months. She puts on about 12K a year.

She came home from New Jersey for Christmas and as she was getting
ready to visit friends on Saturday night (after Xmas) it had been
raining heavily all day here in Massachusetts and the car sat in the
cold rain all day. She went to remote start it and it turned over just
fine, but wouldn't start. This is the first time it wouldn't start
immediately. So she went out and tried sitting in it and it wouldn't
start. Lot's of battery, but no start. So I tried, and still no start.

We ;popped the hood and I watched the engine and tried the remote
starter. I could see what seemed to be the reflection of arcing inside
the distributor, about 1 inch ling arcs of parallel arcs, on the
distributor as she turned over, but no start. I wondered if these
lights were emanating from inside the distributor or shining ion the
distributor from arcing in the spark plug wires? I still don't know on
that score. The spark plug wires run in their loom just above the
distributor.

I took a hair dryer and blew some warm air on the distributor for 5
minutes. This is some silly old trick I used to do back in the he 60s
when we'd get wet electrics in cars. Viola, the car sputtered and then
caught and started. Hmmmm....

The next day I went and bought a new distributor cap, rotor, a plug
wire kit, and plugs. Replaced them all. The plugs I took out looked
fine, but for all I know they were original. or maybe not, I couldn't
tell. I looked over all the other parts and what I notices was the end
of the rotor where it "sweeps" the distributor contacts was very worn
down and there was barely any copper there at all. I think the rotor
may have been the culprit.

Car has been starting fine for the last two days and running fine.
Just figured I'd ask for some feedback from the formidable brain trust
here. Did I just luck out and still haven't fixed the problem, or did
I maybe find the culprit with the rotor? I thought at first it might
be a fuel pump issue, but after it started when I applied some heat to
the distributor I then suspected the electronics.

Peace out and Happy New Year all!

PS Any New Jersey folks out there that might know of a good service
place (wither indy or Honda dealer) near Leonia? (Just at the NJ side
of the George Washington bridge)



Steve L
Ashby Ma

 

Plug wires were too old and the insulation had broken down, resulting in
current shorting to ground before the plugs. Common problem on neglected
vehicles.

Wires should be replaced (with OEM) every five years.

Generous doses of WD-40 does the same thing much more quickly, but is
lot smellier.

Maybe that also. Especially if it was aftermarket.

You fixed it.

The wires, more likely.

Change the entire high-tension side every five years (2 years for the
plugs) and you'll be fine.

I do hope you used OEM and not aftermarket parts.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I would have used OEM except this was an
unplanned repair and it was Sunday morning. Honda service/parts not
open, so I bought Bosch at Advanced Auto parts. NGK plugs. It was so
easy to do I'll do it again next year and try to get on the proactive
side of this.

 

It was an "unplanned repair" solely because of poor and neglected
maintenance. No other reason.

You'll "try"? Everybody says they will "try", or will "eventually get
around to it". I hope you really do.

 

I bought these once for my sister's Elantra. Had them fail within a
year. Got a replacement set under warranty and that set failed as
well. Get the OEM ones as soon as you can and take these back if you
are able to.

 

Wow.. I figured all that German engineering quality, they were much
more than the cheaper stuff.