Has this ever happened to you personally? One of our clients drove after a heavy rainstorm, and struck a puddle that was massive. A wave of water came across the windshield and his hood. The Check Engine Light lit up, and the engine began to misfire. That lasted until he got home.The following morning when he started the vehicle, the engine light came on again and the car misfired. The misfiring eventually stopped but, that routine continued for around three days.The motor appeared fine and started. The engine light went out.
Until it rained, matters were fine for a couple of days.The light came on again the morning after, and the engine started misfiring. It only occurred if it was really humid or it had rained. His perception is that when he struck the water something cracked and chilled, exposing something electric, and also the issue is being caused by the humidity. Sound familiar?
This seems like the most basic of automotive problems that are water-related. This automobile has a distributor cap and rotor. Most likely, that night, when the engine was doused in water, what happened was a brief short in the circuit, causing the misfire. And I would guess that the problem is overrun by older spark plug wires which “flow” power whenever there’s moisture or a lot of humidity from the atmosphere.
This used to happen all of the time. Distributors and automobiles’ wires would perish after getting wet on rainy days. However, with gas injection that prevents flood, and ignition systems today, cars that operate or don’t start in the rain are rare.
It is that the moisture that is stuck within your distributor cap is causing the spark to fail leading to engine misfire. The spark is adequate when the conditions are ideal, but the motor starts misfiring once heavy moisture or rain rob the needed energy from the spark plug wires.
Finally, as the moisture from the distributor warms up, the plug wires dry out a little and warm up, and also the cylinders all flame. But the moisture re-condenses within the distributor cap when the motor becomes chilly, and on the next morning that it rains, you’ve got exactly the identical issue.
While you might have the ability to get around the issue by taking the cap of and drying out the distributor, I’d recommend replacing the wires, the rotor and the cap. That stuff is pretty inexpensive. Plus it will solve your own moisture-caused issues. If you are ever in doubt, bring it in to Blake and let him check it out. Blake’s Auto Repair in Sun City, CA can assist you with any weather related issue your vehicle may be experiencing. Blake and his team of experienced auto repair technicians are ready to care for your car or truck.
