My car won't run when it's raining

I get a lot of these type questions. "Whenever it is raining my car runs miserably. Hard starting, misfiring, no power etc. I take the car to the shop on a nice dry day and they can find nothing wrong with it, but they charge me for the diagnosis and it still isn't fixed!" Here is the answer I recently gave to Kim, one of my readers.

Kim, Run don't walk to your pantry and get an empty spray bottle. Fill it with water. Run out to your car when the sun is shining and it's dry and hot out. Open the hood. Start the car. Now be careful here cuz I don't want you coming out of this with a few nubs where there once were fingers - stay away from belts and pulleys - watch out for hot parts like the exhaust manifold.

Set your spray bottle on STUN (we want a fine and directed spray, not a deluge here) and point it at the first spark plug you find. STUN!! Listen - - - did it start to misfire? Yes? Then that is the culprit. Replace the plug or wire or both. No? Then STUN the next plug - keep on until you find the bad guy. If no bad guys are found then direct the spray at the HV tower of the coil - STUN! Stall? Yes, replace the coil,. No? On to the distributor cap. STUN! About here you will have run out of HV things to STUN - If that did it then replace the distributor cap. If not then message me back with details and we'll take it from there. These shops have no imagination. If it isn't raining, make it rain? Duuuh!!!

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