Hi all, new to the forums. Having a problem with my felicia fun pickup. it's 1.6 petrol, and having issues starting up when it's wet/cold out. Some details,

 

year:2000

mileage: 101000

Battery is only a year old.

 

 

problem: it struggles to start in when the weather is wet or cold, it's currently been sitting in the drive for a 5 days as iv'e been away. It never doe's this when the weather is good, and once it's been running for a an hour or so, it starts pretty much perfectly the next time I start it. 

 

Iv'e been told it could be a few things;

 

distributor cap,

spark plugs,

leads, 

rotator arm.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Welcome to this forum.

 

You've been told correctly what to look for. From your description the no start issue is ignition related. Basically the spark is too weak or absent in the combustion chamber because there is a crack, corrosion or a conductive bridge in the parts you have mentioned.

 

My first advice is to not throw parts at car without finding evidence first.

 

Step 1: remove distributor cap and rotor arm. Search under bright light for cracks, dirt, carbon bridges, corrosion, signs of arcing. Sand metallic terminals with very fine sandpaper. Clean thoroughly both parts with alcohol. Dry. Install.

 

Step 2: remove high voltage leads. Inspect for cracks while bending, signs of arcing, corrosion, dirt. You may find a lot of crap inside the boots. Sand out corrosion, degrease boots inside. Dry. Install.

 

Step 3: remove all spark plugs. Search under bright light for cracks, dirt, carbon bridges, corrosion, signs of arcing. Clean with a degreaser the electrodes area. Check very closely the status of electrodes, porcelain around central electrode. Measure the gap. Clean, dry, install.

 

Give it a go.

Step 0: When dark and wet, open bonnet and get an assistant to turn the engine over. Inspect the distributor cap and HT leads for signs of electrical arcing. If you see any, replace the cap or leads.

 

Also, and Ricardo note this is based on decades of experience in the UK, I'd do Step 2 before Step 1.

I was keeping the "spray water on HV leads in dim light" advice for the next reply. But yeah, good observation.