Constantly Replacing Distributer Cap

[g1953]

For about the last three years I have had a problem with my 2000 astro. Since I paid 600.00 for a tune up as a matter of fact or it could have been around the time there was a little front end damage(repaired) First the van starts sputtering when it has been in the rain for a while. It just doesn't start after doing that on and off for a few months. What I have discovered is that it can be running great and if I use the wiper fluid it will start sputtering at high speeds then eventually it just won"t start. Is it possibe that after the tune-up or repair that a drain of some sort was not replaced. I keep an extra cap and rotor in the car and change it when it doesn't start and then it runs great until the next rain or wiper fluid incident then it sputters for a while(depending on the weather) and eventually doesn't start. I don't know how else to describe this. I'm not a real car person, but I am thinking after all this time that it has something to do with water drainage, because it can be running just fine and then I use the wiper fluid and the trouble starts. Wish I were more knowlegable about cars,but this has me and the mechanic baffled, Greg

[j1budo]

Crazy! A little front end damage can cause a lot of issues. If you have to keep replacing the distributor cap, i would check to make sure the distributor shaft that the rotor is on is not bent. When you have the cover off the engine, you can hold the ignition in the start position for a few seconds with the cap not on. (Try not to run down the battery too much) If the distributor cap has only one or two terminals that are fowled up, tht would be another clue.

As for the washer fluid causing problems, no clue. I would check the intake system. Pull all the ducting out and make sure that the sensor plugs are connected and everything is sealed properly. Sounds like a Saturday afternoon and a Sunday Morning job to me.

J

[old_master]

What brand of distributor cap and rotor are you using? Are you using silicone dielectric grease on each of the terminals inside the cap?