Misfires in the rain!

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spgoode

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I've had my '01 V6 5spd for about two months. I immediately did the tune up with new valve cover gaskets and some new coils. When conditions are dry, the car could not be running better. The past couple times i've driven in the rain though, i've had hesitation, sometimes severe.
Has anybody experienced this?
 
Yes, I had a similar experience in my 2000 V6. Does it mis at all in dry conditions? Mine did, it needed new plugs, gaskets, and coils. What happened was the boot of the coils got malformed and allowed water straight in, but, while you're in there you should go ahead and do it all. Saves time and money in the long run.
 
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The funny thing is that I never get misfires when it's dry.
I replaced the coils on the bank that's under the intake. The other side I used dielectric grease on the boots to seal them.
 
I want to say there is a TSB out there concerning the seal for the hood/crawl contact... something about allowing water to enter the engine compartment, then end up in the plug wells. Someone else will have more info on it; I know I've seen this before.
 
97stscaddy said:
Do you have a CAI?
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No I don't have one.
I was thinking that it had something to do with the humidity, because it stops misfiring very quickly when the weather clears up. Could the connector at the top of the coils short out?
 
NateRW21 said:
I want to say there is a TSB out there concerning the seal for the hood/crawl contact... something about allowing water to enter the engine compartment, then end up in the plug wells. Someone else will have more info on it; I know I've seen this before.
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Yup. I know that was included in the "customer satisfaction program" letter I received.
 
My first v6 manual, never happened. My replacement, always happens. Scares the dogshoot out of me when it does, too. Only in wet snow, never in rain. It has yet to stall out, though, if that helps build your confidence. I found all sorts of wetness issues with this car, right from the start (last feb). Rust all over the lugs, rust inside the unpainted dash framework, etc. Not sure what happened, but I feel as though there is a marginal connection somewhere in the ignition or fuel pump circuits. Not sure if I am going to fix it, either. :)
 
milehighmikey said:
My first v6 manual, never happened. My replacement, always happens. Scares the dogshoot out of me when it does, too. Only in wet snow, never in rain. It has yet to stall out, though, if that helps build your confidence. I found all sorts of wetness issues with this car, right from the start (last feb). Rust all over the lugs, rust inside the unpainted dash framework, etc. Not sure what happened, but I feel as though there is a marginal connection somewhere in the ignition or fuel pump circuits. Not sure if I am going to fix it, either. :)
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Maybe you have a cleaned up Katrina car??? :)
 
NateRW21 said:
Maybe you have a cleaned up Katrina car??? :)
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Great idea, but I used carfax and OASIS to see what the story was on this car before I bought it. It was clean and in New England for pretty much the last 5 years before I bought it. It's still pretty strange how this thing cuts out when it snows. Almost like key off / key on events, but no dash indications that would be present if that happened. It's just the engine getting fuel or ignition turned off for a quarter second. No other foul running conditions result, like lost power or skipping. It happens perhaps each 10-20 miles when driving in a snow storm. My first thought when it happened was that I had water in my gas, but it runs fine as long as it's not snowing.
 
Rust all over the lugs, rust inside the unpainted dash framework, etc.
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Why is that not normal?

Lug nuts are unpainted steel exposed to open air, same with the under-workings of the dash. That's completely normal. There does not need to be water present for steel to rust, though it does speed up the process. But even the small amount of moisture that gets dragged in on your shoes when it rains will evaporate into the air in the car and then it has nowhere to go. It will eventually condense on surfaces that are cooler than the air in the car, like dew on grass. Usually on glass or metal parts like the support structure under the dash.

Almost like key off / key on events
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Does your traction control light work?
 
spgoode said:
No I don't have one.
I was thinking that it had something to do with the humidity, because it stops misfiring very quickly when the weather clears up. Could the connector at the top of the coils short out?
Click to expand...

I was thinking it might be sucking water into the engine, but with a stock air filter box that isn't likely to happen.
 
Hey guys,

My car does this same thing when it rains. It doesn't do it all the time but it will misfire and then dry up and the misfire will go away. Is there really anyway to check to see if water is getting down in them? I don't see any rust, and really ultimately looks good?

What is the best way to seal the Ignition Boot to make sure that you are fully protected from anything getting down in there? I pushed the boots backed down in and tightened the bolts, but again I i didn't see any signs of water getting down there...
 
spgoode said:
The funny thing is that I never get misfires when it's dry.
I replaced the coils on the bank that's under the intake. The other side I used dielectric grease on the boots to seal them.
Click to expand...

exact thing thing happened to me. started off only in heavy rain then slowly progressed to any rain. it had a misfire in 2 of my cylinders on the drivers side but u might as well replace then all the coils and plugs at once. i would take care of it before it gets any worse or not even drive ur car when it rains so you don't damage your cats.
 
Hey Joegr,

These are the things I think I am going to do: While im in there should I replace anything else since the upper manifold will be off?

I am going to take the upper manifold off and make sure it is not cracked.

From there I am going to replace the Ignition Coils with these: Igntion Coils from Alanisdeal06 on ebay

The spark plug with one of these - Does it matter which one I use?: Spark Plugs from Autozone

The valve gasket cover with this: Valve Gasket Cover

I saw on the ford website that you can buy spark plug tube seal - you can see it here: Spark Plug Tube Seal - Do I need this????

Should I also just go ahead and replace the PCV elbow with this: pcv valve from autozone

I know you guys know your stuff, so if you could please give me your input that would be great. Will I need anything else, or should i do anything else while im in there since I will have the whole upper manifold off?

Thanks everyone!
 
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