Chrysler Repair: 1997 Cirrus will not start in certain damp conditions including after snowing, insulation breakdown, spark plug wire

Question
Roland,

Thank you for your time in answering questions.

Over the past year my 1997 Cirrus LXI 3.5, will not start during "certain damp" conditions(approx.8 times) even after/during a snow fall. During some heavy rain the car may start. I feel the problem is something to do with - condensation, certain temperature and/or humidity.

Is there anything I should replace, or look for?

Thanks...Colin.

Answer
Hi Colin,
The most likely reason for the problem is that the high tension (spark) side of the ignition system is suffering a breakdown due to increased arcing from the spark wires to metal parts of the engine nearby. If the spark wires are the originals that came when the car is new now would be a good time to replace them. You may be able to see the "light show" if you open the hood while the engine is idling on a humid evening in dark ambient light conditions.
There are other checks that would be worthwhile. You will note that there a 3 pairs of spark plug wire towers at the spark coil. The resistance between the center contacts of each pair of towers should be in the range of 11,500 to 16,000 ohms. The wires themselves also have resistance built-in to reduce radio noise. So verify that the wires read between 3,000 and 12,000 ohm per foot of length when you measure between the ends of the wires. There is no specific test for insulation breakdown except the arcing "light show".
It is also possible that there is a poor connection somewhere in the low tension circuit. A good way to find that would be to ask the memory of the engine controller if it has recognized any 'fault' codes and stored these as two digit numbers. You may be able to do this yourself, though '97 is on the edge of time frame when that feature was phased out due to more complex diagnostics. Try using the ignition key: turn it "on-off-on-off-on" and leave it "on" (doing this quickly, no longer than 5 seconds). Then watch the 'check engine' light which will be illuminated to begin flashing, then pause, flashing, pause, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause and keep track of the numbers. Repeat the readout and verify the counts are correct. Then group them in pairs in the order that they came out, thus forming two digit numbers. You may notice that the pause is shorter between the digits of a given number, and longer between the numbers themselves. Then send me a 'follow-up' question telling me the results of your readout. By the way, 55 will be the last number (two groups of 5 flashes each) and that is the code for "end of readout". Let me know if you get any codes other than 55 and I will give you some corrective action suggestions. If no flashing of the check engine light occurs then you pretty much have to get a code readout at a repair shop or some autoparts stores will do it to (e.g. Autozone). If you get a fault code number ask what it means and what are the possible repairs and how much. Then write me back and we'll compare that with the troubleshooting mnauals I have. By the way, are you sure you have a 3.5L? I thought the largest engine in the Cirrus was a 2.5L
Roland