Sputtering/Stalling issue when heavy on throttle after rain.

[fr0th]

Hi all!

My 1990 4-cylinder manual transmission Camry has been plagued with this issue for some time now... here's the situation:

If my car is out in the rain for at least a few hours, enough time for moisture to get under the hood, and I drive it until the engine is warm, when I step on the accelerator with moderate or heavy force (to get going from a dead stop on a hill, for example) the engine will sputter and choke, and sometimes stall completely. If I ease off of the accelerator when this occurs it will sputter for about 4 seconds and then return to idle. If I remain on the accelerator it will usually stall.

If I gently ease on the accelerator the engine will rev up fine, it only happens when I push it in quickly.

Since this only happens after rains, I have to assume it's related to moisture seeping in somewhere it shouldn't. Why it only happens after I've driven it for a bit, I'm not sure. Perhaps the engine has warmed up the moisture and it's spreading via steam/condensation?

Also, it's not related to the clutch/tranny -- I can reproduce it by revving the engine in neutral.

I'm not a big car buff, but the sputtering sounds like the engine is being starved, or given too much gas. There's no power output at all when this happens and its as if the revs fluctuate and drop down to almost none.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by fr0th

Hi all!

My 1990 4-cylinder manual transmission Camry has been plagued with this issue for some time now... here's the situation:

If my car is out in the rain for at least a few hours, enough time for moisture to get under the hood, and I drive it until the engine is warm, when I step on the accelerator with moderate or heavy force (to get going from a dead stop on a hill, for example) the engine will sputter and choke, and sometimes stall completely. If I ease off of the accelerator when this occurs it will sputter for about 4 seconds and then return to idle. If I remain on the accelerator it will usually stall.

If I gently ease on the accelerator the engine will rev up fine, it only happens when I push it in quickly.

Since this only happens after rains, I have to assume it's related to moisture seeping in somewhere it shouldn't. Why it only happens after I've driven it for a bit, I'm not sure. Perhaps the engine has warmed up the moisture and it's spreading via steam/condensation?

Also, it's not related to the clutch/tranny -- I can reproduce it by revving the engine in neutral.

I'm not a big car buff, but the sputtering sounds like the engine is being starved, or given too much gas. There's no power output at all when this happens and its as if the revs fluctuate and drop down to almost none.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

This one is pretty easy - and you could have found your answer via a quick search.

Replace your ignition coil, and it will be all good.

-Charlie