Hi,
I have a Honda Civic Coupe 1.6 LS S reg (1999?) and for a year now it has struggled to start after being left out in prolonged rain. Twice this year after being in constant rain all day it has failed to start, it sounds like I get a spark but it cannot start. On both occasions I have opened the bonnet and sprayed WD40 on all the wires and the spark plugs, and then it starts. It does, however, judder at low revs (1000) and threaten to conk out until the engine reaches normal temp.

Sometimes when it starts in the morning, until the engine reaches normal temp it will judder while driving and I get no acceleration when pulling away from a junction, like I have a brick under the gas pedal.

Three garages looked and found nothing wrong..........PLEASE HELP. Is it a ditributor cap problem?

Thanks,
Steven

 

Clearly it's a spark problem. What parts have been replaced? No one can tell if the wires are bad by looking, just replace them. I suggest buying a genuine Honda set at the dealer rather than aftermarket. Inspect your cap for cracks and burned marks inside and out and if any are there, replace it, again use genuine Honda. If the problem persists then you move on to replacing the cap anyway even if it doesn't look bad..