Help! My husband washed the engine of our 1997 Honda Civic. Now the engine will not start. It sounds like it is going to start up but doesn't. We purchased some wire dry and sprayed on the plug wires, distributor, etc, but it still doesn't start. What else should we do?

It could be a case of a cracked distributer cap. The crack can be so slight you wouldn't see it. Or any vapor getting up into the cap can cause this too.

Washing the engine of a modern-day car is asking for trouble, since you run the risk of shorting out the ECM (computer), alternator, or other sensors.

. Raise the hood and allow everything to dry.

. Remove the distributor cap and allow it to dry. Spray the inside of the cap with WD-40 and wipe it out with a soft cloth.

. Test all underhood and underdash fuses with a test light or multimeter:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-trucks/faq-how-troubleshoot-repair-maintain-hondas-selected-other-vehicles-46563-3.html#post252145

. Perform tests in Sections A and B below, if the engine does not start:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-trucks/faq-how-troubleshoot-repair-maintain-hondas-selected-other-vehicles-46563.html

Follow up to my question. Here's what we did and what finally fixed it.

1. dried engine out
2. replaced distributor cap, plugs, and wires
3. replaced ignition control module
4. switched back to old ignition contol module
5. replaced ignition coil

Ignition Coil fixed it!!

Jac, thanks for the follow up! Very rare around here.

I washed my 95 Honda civic's engine as well, the car turned on for about 5 sec. then it died and wouldn't turn on again. I replaced the Ignition Coil as suggested by jac1980 and it works again, thanks.