Chrysler Repair: my chrysler, chrysler cirrus, 1995 chrysler cirrus


Question
I have  1995 CHRYSLER CIRRUS LX .. WHEN IT IS COLD WEATHER MY CAR WANT START,,, AND IF IT RAINS MY CAR WANT START .. DO YOU NO WHAT COULD BE WRONGE WITH MY CAR? HELP PLEASE

Answer
Hi Alice,
It could be a sensor, the ignition wires or the spark coil pack. Here is a response I sent to another person with a similar problem:
"The most likely reason for the no start in rain 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 consider replacing them. To verify this cause, you may be able to see a "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 if you have a ohmmeter. 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 sensor that is inaccurate so the fuel mixture is wrong.  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 can do this yourself. 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. Tell me which size engine is in the car.
After you report back I can tell you which repair is the most likely one to solve this problem.
Roland