Ok ok, sorry for the mis=leading title…but I have to attract attention somehow. I have a 72 Buick Skylark that doesn’t like to start when it’s damp out. Usually just after it rains, or during. Any advice on how I can fix this? Or what’s causing it? Someone once mentioned that it could be the distributor getting moisture in it. If so, do I need to replace?..or is there something else I can do.
Thanks
You can spray your ignition wires with WD-40 to displace the moisture ( like the spark plug wires and the coil wire ) and I guess you could spray the cap too. Maybe replacing those things wouldn’t be a bad idea first, if it hasn’t been done in a while.
Remove the distributor cap when the engine is hard to start and see if there is moisture in it. If so, wipe it out and see if the car starts right up. If it does, then there’s your problem. Time to get a new cap. While the cap is off, check for cracks that could let moisture in. If you find cracks it will have to be replaced. While you’re in there, check the spark plug wires. See that they are in good condition. If they haven’t been replaced in a while, you may want to replace them anyway. How’s the rotor?
It’s very easy to replace the distributor cap, rotor and spark plug wires. As a bonus, it shouldn’t be that expensive. Some cars have a little electronic thing in the cap too. (Points? I don’t know. I’m not a mechanic.) In any case, it’s so easy to replace these things that even I can do it. When was the last time the car had a tune-up? Need new plugs? Check the plugs to see if they are good. If there is “crud” on them or if they are covered with oil, that might be a sign of a larger problem. Make sure you’re using the correct plugs for the engine.
For the immediate problem, check for moisture first. If that is indeed the problem, you may as well replace the cap, spark plug wires, rotor and points, and maybe the spark plugs. Go ahead and replace the fuel filter while you’re at it (especially if you see crud in the spark plug gaps – you should also check the gap in your plugs and make sure they meet specs – see your service manual).
Good luck.
I agree. This is almost always a simple case of moisture in the distributor cap. Check the cap, make sure water is not condensing, and make sure you don’t have excessively corroded contacts inside the cap and on the rotor (running the car with moisture in the cap seems to greatly accelerate the corrosion, IME). If water is inside, either wipe it out or use CRC Electrical Parts Cleaner - WD40 will work as well, but I don’t recommend it personally - I like the electrical parts cleaner because it leaves no residue or oil behind.
Check to see if the cap is cracked, or the gasket at the base is bad - these will let water in.
If you have any shadetree mechanic skills at all - hell, if you have enough skill to open the cap and clean it out, you can certainly replace it. Just make sure you move one wire over at a time, so you don’t get the plug wires mixed up.
You don’t have to remove the wires just to check the cap. But I think Anthracite meant that you should only remove one wire at a time when you are replacing the cap with a new one.
The reason you don’t want to get the wires mixed up is because the engine has a certain order in which the plugs are fired. If you mix up the wires, it won’t run properly (if at all). When you replace a cap, take one wire off of the original cap and put it in the same position on the new cap. Repeat for all of the wires. You can also put pieces of masking tape on the wires and mark them so that you don’t get the wires crossed, but Anthracite’s suggestion to move one wire at a time is better, as there is no chance to mix them up.
Thanks for the suggestions…I guess if I can replace the starter, I can probably manage to change the distributor…maybe…if I can find it…and if they still make parts to fit the car. I’ll be sure and scream real loud if I mess it up too bad.