Misfire in rain. (new plugs/wires) water getting in coil?
03-10-2013, 04:22 PM
#1
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Misfire in rain. (new plugs/wires) water getting in coil? The title explains it all.
When it rains i'm getting a terrible misfires. Pretty sure my o2's are deleted. New plugs/wires installed with dielectric grease. I found that there seems to be water dripping from my cowl weatherstrip onto the coils. I'm assuming that is the problem.
Has anyone else ran into this problem and what have you done or do you recommend to fix this? I assume I can use adhesive to make the weatherstrip stick down better, but I feel like water is going through the cowl vent as well and dripping under there.
Any input is appreciated. Thanks
When it rains i'm getting a terrible misfires. Pretty sure my o2's are deleted. New plugs/wires installed with dielectric grease. I found that there seems to be water dripping from my cowl weatherstrip onto the coils. I'm assuming that is the problem.
Has anyone else ran into this problem and what have you done or do you recommend to fix this? I assume I can use adhesive to make the weatherstrip stick down better, but I feel like water is going through the cowl vent as well and dripping under there.
Any input is appreciated. Thanks
03-10-2013, 10:43 PM
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If you are getting a misfire, I think you should be getting a ses, if not at least a pending code. Put a reader/scanner on it and see if there is anything going on. Maybe go to a car wash, or just hit it with the garden hose at home with it running to pull a code.
Shouldn't be getting a misfire due to water dripping from the cowl. Check near the opti to see if there is a wet spot there, or a crack or somewhere that water could be getting by causing your condition.
Shouldn't be getting a misfire due to water dripping from the cowl. Check near the opti to see if there is a wet spot there, or a crack or somewhere that water could be getting by causing your condition.
03-11-2013, 08:50 AM
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Is there an opti on 98-02? I will check everywhere and use a spray bottle on a dry day to pinpoint the problem. And yes it was giving me a ses light. Flashing too once the misfire got very bad. And i did see water on top of a coil or two.. Im thinking ill spray around the coils as well as the o2s and see what happens. If there is an opti on the 98-02 (i thought it was on 93-97 only, unless its just a common conversation bc of the location on the lt1 where is it on the ls1? This problem drives me crazy lol
03-11-2013, 06:21 PM
#6
No opti on an LS1. Make sure all the plug wire connections are seated properly. Spraying the coils might help you locate the problem. I'd spray around the plugs also, might have a cracked insulator?
03-11-2013, 06:26 PM
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If in fact it starts misfiring when I spray around some coils, would a coil (or several) need to be replaced or should I find a way to keep water away?
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03-12-2013, 11:16 AM
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where are the "front" and "rear" o2 sensors located? I see the ones that go into the headers.. .are those considered front? i don't have cats, i have a borla exhuast. would the "rears" go behind the cats somewhere? or what? and the car needs the front o2's to be hooked up in order to run right? i know, newb questions. i've dealt with carbureted cars for the last 4 years.
03-12-2013, 12:51 PM
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UPDATE: I started up my car, still had the SES light on but it wasn't flashing as it does under load. I sprayed my o2 sensors on each side, no misfire really. Sprayed any other connections i could see. the ABS connection when I sprayed it seemed to cause a small misfire but I am not sure if this makes any sense. As I was unable to duplicate the big miss that I was having, I moved up to the ignition coils. Misted over the coils and it started misfiring. Should I look for a cracked coil? As I said, I have new wires and plugs and I used dielectric grease on them. I can re seal the coil to wire connection, but should I look for a cracked coil or what?
03-13-2013, 01:56 PM
#10
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SES light flashes only when its SEVERE.
e.g. when my car was misfiring due to low fuel at high rpms it would flash but not at low.
where all your plugs gapped? < stupid q but hey who knows
be sure that the wires are well connected, the water might be reaching to them im supposing.
and yes why not check for a crack it's very easy to remove both sides take em straight off with the mount.
e.g. when my car was misfiring due to low fuel at high rpms it would flash but not at low.
where all your plugs gapped? < stupid q but hey who knows
be sure that the wires are well connected, the water might be reaching to them im supposing.
and yes why not check for a crack it's very easy to remove both sides take em straight off with the mount.
03-13-2013, 02:19 PM
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SES light flashes only when its SEVERE.
e.g. when my car was misfiring due to low fuel at high rpms it would flash but not at low.
where all your plugs gapped? < stupid q but hey who knows
be sure that the wires are well connected, the water might be reaching to them im supposing.
and yes why not check for a crack it's very easy to remove both sides take em straight off with the mount.
e.g. when my car was misfiring due to low fuel at high rpms it would flash but not at low.
where all your plugs gapped? < stupid q but hey who knows
be sure that the wires are well connected, the water might be reaching to them im supposing.
and yes why not check for a crack it's very easy to remove both sides take em straight off with the mount.
My SES light flashes when the engine is under load in heavy rain.
My plugs are gapped at .040, the way the Iridiums came from the store in the box- I read not to gap them because it will damage the tip.
I have checked all connections and not found any problems, and I looked at the outsides of my coils and didn't find anything but I may take them off to see if there are any cracks
03-13-2013, 09:23 PM
#12
I had this same problem. Turned out my front o2's were getting soaked bc the previous owner used extensions to get the wires around the headers. I bought new Corvette rear o2's( long enough wires to get around the headers) and problem solved. Maybe you could check your o2 wires/connections out. Good luck!
03-14-2013, 06:57 PM
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I had this same problem. Turned out my front o2's were getting soaked bc the previous owner used extensions to get the wires around the headers. I bought new Corvette rear o2's( long enough wires to get around the headers) and problem solved. Maybe you could check your o2 wires/connections out. Good luck!
OP- since you SES is on, get the code it will help more to solve your problem.
03-14-2013, 07:03 PM
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The SES light turned off after everything dried out. So I will mist over the coils, try to get the SES light and then pull a code and get back to you guys from there.
03-17-2013, 02:47 PM
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I was pretty sure that it happened when I misted over the coils but I will have to do it one more time without getting the o2's wet to confirm.
The SES light turned off after everything dried out. So I will mist over the coils, try to get the SES light and then pull a code and get back to you guys from there.
The SES light turned off after everything dried out. So I will mist over the coils, try to get the SES light and then pull a code and get back to you guys from there.
O2's are way far ! and i don't think they are reachable to mist from the engine bay.
03-17-2013, 04:36 PM
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So next time i'll mist the coils with completely dry o2's and see what happens. That just rules out the seemingly already unlikely factor that it may be the o2's.
03-18-2013, 01:04 PM
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I am going to start off by getting some electrical connection cleaner, disconnecting the injector harnesses, cleaning them, applying dielectric grease to them, re connecting them. I will also be pulling apart some of the harnesses above the coils and doing the same. I am hoping that that will help. If not then I will go from there!
03-18-2013, 04:22 PM
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I have disconnected, cleaned, and sealed with dielectric grease every single connection I can find in the engine bay, including the injector harnesses, coil harnesses, pcm harnesses, other sensor harnesses, coil to wire connections.
I found that the #5 injector harness was missing the blue gasket, unless it somehow went somewhere when I removed it but I am pretty sure it was gone to begin with. Coincidentally this is right near where water was dripping into my engine bay from the cowl under the driver windshield wiper. That could have been the culprit. So I will be finding that little gasket, and applying dielectric grease to that connection and hoping that was the problem
I am having a very hard time removing injector harness #7! And I can tell 6 and 8 are going to be big pains. Should get it all done though.
I found that the #5 injector harness was missing the blue gasket, unless it somehow went somewhere when I removed it but I am pretty sure it was gone to begin with. Coincidentally this is right near where water was dripping into my engine bay from the cowl under the driver windshield wiper. That could have been the culprit. So I will be finding that little gasket, and applying dielectric grease to that connection and hoping that was the problem
I am having a very hard time removing injector harness #7! And I can tell 6 and 8 are going to be big pains. Should get it all done though.
03-19-2013, 02:50 PM
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Well guys I know I am basically talking to myself in this thread
Just wanted to let you know that it looks like it worked!
Cleaned ALL wiring harnesses I could find in my engine bay, and then put dielectric grease on them and reconnected them all. Found a missing gasket in a harness for the #7 injector- installed one.
Also glued down my headliner and sealed around a pin that was leaking water into the engine compartment.
Doused my engine bay with water. No miss.
Doused my o2's with water and a harness I saw on the driver side going to the o2. No miss.
I think the problem has been solved!!
In conclusion, if you are having a misfire in the rain, a 7 dollar electrical connection cleaner, a 3 dollar tube of dielectric grease, and an hour or two of cleaning goes a long way.
no miss!
Just wanted to let you know that it looks like it worked!
Cleaned ALL wiring harnesses I could find in my engine bay, and then put dielectric grease on them and reconnected them all. Found a missing gasket in a harness for the #7 injector- installed one.
Also glued down my headliner and sealed around a pin that was leaking water into the engine compartment.
Doused my engine bay with water. No miss.
Doused my o2's with water and a harness I saw on the driver side going to the o2. No miss.
I think the problem has been solved!!
In conclusion, if you are having a misfire in the rain, a 7 dollar electrical connection cleaner, a 3 dollar tube of dielectric grease, and an hour or two of cleaning goes a long way.
no miss!
