Is anyone familiar with cars?
I have an auto question. The past 24 hours we have recieved a lot of rain, and I hadn’t driven my car in something like 36 hours. This morning, when I left for church, my car as really hesitating, but then seemed to run better after I accelerated some. When I got to church, after a 5 minute drive or so, it was still idling roughly. After church i let it warm up more (even though it wasn’t cold out), and initially it seemed to run better. I also noticed that the check engine light was on, but it’s done this before when the gas cap wasn’t closed completely and will go off after I’ve driven it for a bit 3 times or so. I checked the gascap, and it seemed it hadn’t clicked closed all the way, so I opened it and closed it much better. Now, driving down the road, when I tried to accelerate too much, the engine seemed like it was backfiring a bit (although that’s probably too extreme a term for the noise it was making-it wasn’t that loud or intense). It seemed to be having trouble accelerating…Help! Does anybody know if the heavy rain could have contributed to this, or do I have a major problem on my hands?
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It could be a matter of moisture building up on your distributor cap and wires. That can happen after a lot of rain and not having driven your car for days. (At least that’s what happens to hubby’s a lot of times).
Okay-so what does one do in this case, @AmWiser? Does the moisture dissipate with time? Will it help to drive it around a little more at not real fast speeds?
My gut was also wet wires. What is the year and model of the car? Of course it’s always possible that the rain has nothing to do with it, and you have a new problem. With the check engine light coming on, those symptoms are similar to those I’ve seen with a failing O2 sensor. Or maybe a clogged fuel injector.
I doubt your problem is major, but if the problem doesn’t go away in a couple days, take it to a shop.
It sounds serious, in that it could cause your car to break down and stop running, but it doesn’t sound expensive to fix. Take it to a mechanic. It could be a dozen things, and it is cheaper to let them figure it out, than to start replacing all the things it could be.
It’s a 2004 Ford Taurus @cockswain…and it was running just fine before all the rain, which made me wonder if all the moisture had anything to do with it…Thanks.
Yes, my husband drives it for a while and I guess the heat from the engine eventually dries it out. Buying new wires and distributer cap might be helpful.
I’m fairly sure that a 2004 Taurus has completely electronic ignition, so it won’t be the distributor cap as it doesn’t have/need one!
Oh, ok great @gmander. I did take it out for a 15 minute drive or so a little while back and it seemed to be running better…not perfect, but better. Also, I put gas in it and before I did so, I put in some fuel injector cleaner, so we’ll see. I really appreciate everyone’s feedback!
Moisture has a habit of going everywhere it can, and fully electronic ignition, while affected less, is not immune. I have had cracked coils before and that caused similar issues.
I will say that using that little packet of grease that many parts places try to sell you whenever you buy plugs or wires helps a bit; it keeps the water from getting to the connectors.
Sometimes the distributor cap will develop cracks so small you can’t see them but still will work as long as it stays dry. Replacing it can be a cheap starting place to solve this.
Thanks, @woodcutter. My engine light has not gone off, so I am going to have it diagnosed…
Before you do that, disconnect the battery, wait a couple minutes, then reconnect it. This commonly resets the error codes in the car’s computer. If your problem has cleared up, the light may go out.
I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’m not sure I know how to do this…
On most cars, it is pretty simple. The battery generally has a red wire and a black wire going to it, and it’s the black one that you need to disconnect. (You can usually leave the red one alone.) Most have a clamp with a bolt running through it, and you just need to loosen that bolt enough to wriggle the entire clamp free of the battery post. It may take a little strength, but you should be able to get it off with one hand; if not then it isn’t unclamped enough.
Alright, I might try this @jerv…As long as I can’t get fried in the process, lol!
It’s only 12 volts, so messing with the battery isn’t dangerous like rewiring a house can be.
I know, I just have a paranoia about this…going out to try this now…it’s been nice knowing everyone, lol!
Well, I couldn’t even budge the thing! Where’s a guy with big, strong hands when you need him?
Did you loosen the bolts?
I couldn’t get them loose-hence my reply above yours…
I wasn’t sure if you’d tried, was wondering if you’d just tried pulling them off. Are you using pliers or a wrench? If you have a socket or wrench set that has the correct size, that would probably work better.
I do not, just a hand wrench…:(
Yeah, that’s not the ideal tool for that. Particularly if it’s really tight. If you don’t have a friend who can help you, you should probably just take it to the shop. But keep in mind, the cost to take it to the shop and have them disconnect the battery is less than you can get a cheap socket/wrench set.
Well, someone told me that AutoZone will diagnose it for free, so I think I’ll go with that option tomorrow. Thanks for all of your help, @cockswain !
True, they have a little computer that hooks up to your car that will tell them why the check engine light is on. They can probably disconnect your battery for you too.
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That sounds like a O2 sensor or fuel pump. Enless it poured rivers, and you have no hood im pretty sure rain has nothing to do with your problem.
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