hello, i have a 1991 rx-7 NA. if it rains or just gets too humid it refuses to start, if its running the rain doesn't bother it, and it seems to start fine in the rain if it has been run within the past hour or so.

I sprayed each thing under the hood then started it till i found the area that has the problem and its rite around the alternator area in the front of the engine block. is there a ground or some other easily shorted electrical connection there?

also I noticed that it never floods when its doing this, so my guess is it isn't getting any fuel and thats why it won't start but im not sure. the engine turns but it doesnt even try to start and once it dries up it starts up on the first crank like nothings wrong. I'm completely stumped...and on a side note it cuts out when i take hard left turns, not sure if that would be related but never know.

Anybody have this problem or have any suggestions for fixing it / testing to see what exactly is wrong? I'm new to working on cars and dont have the money to take it to the dealership so any help here would be very much appreciated.

 

ive been through that before, and i feel your pain... first off, how many miles do you have on it? and what did you spray under the hood with? and what parts ?

 

about 96,000 miles. i sprayed the coils, plugs, fuse box, and battery with water. but the car didn't break till I sprayed the front of the engine block around were the alternator is

 

low battery voltage or bad starter

 

Located near the alternator is the crank sensor and associated wiring harness. It sounds as though the connector has deteriorated and is allowing moisture to interfere with the signal. During cranking this is only a few millivolts so it is easily disrupted.

Try this to confirm the problem: Unplug the CAS connector and clean all the contacts thoroughly with electrical contact cleaner. Apply dielectric grease to both halves of the connector and reconnect. Now grease up the entire exterior of the connector with a liberal amount. This should keep it fairly dry for now. If all is well, you have found the issue and the connector/CAS must be replaced.

The starter is nowhere near the alternator. Why would the battery voltage be spontaneously low one day and not another? I know you are trying to help, but after reading the advice you have posted to other threads it looks like you should wait until you get a bit more experience with these cars before you lead someone astray.