trans problems? or misfire

[DwardT4R]

So its a 2000 sport. K&N intake. When i get the rig wet it dies on me. Not instantly but it seems to take a few mins to get to whatever is causing the problem. I first noticed it when i took it to the car wash and sprayed it off. I never opened the hood but i sprayed the undercarriage very thoroughly. Then when i got back out onto the road it drove like it had a misfire. Rpm changing randomly. So since then i changed plugs and wires hoping maybe the wires lost their conductive nature. Drove fine ever since. Then i went out to a local river crossing and the water only came up to the stock front bumper..barely. (I also have a 5in lift) As i pulled out of the crossing it hesitated and then died on me twice in a row. After that it all cleared up. Drove normal the rest of the night.. So the next day i started it in the driveway and sprayed everything down with the water hose...nothing crazy tho. As i did that i kept getting in it and hitting the accelerator to see if it would miss. Nothing. Revved up great in park and neutral. But when i move the gear to D and try moving it will barley even pull itself. Any ideas on what this could be? I take very good care of the maint. side of things with my rig. and have never had any issues with it in the past.

 

[alumarine]

It takes very little power for it to rev well in neutral.

I would check out the O2 sensor for frayed wires that short when wet.
Have you checked for stored codes?

 

[DwardT4R]

Yea ever since my body lift i have had constant trouble with my 02 sensor codes throwing. but it never seems to make it run different. And ive looked to see if they are stretched or cut and they seem fine. I wouldnt think that getting them wet would stop it from even pulling out from a stopped position? But i will def check again. Any ideas will be looked at. i hate having a broke rig. Also i have no stored codes.

 

[DwardT4R]

It takes very little power for it to rev well in neutral.

I would check out the O2 sensor for frayed wires that short when wet.
Have you checked for stored codes?

Ive looked at all the wires i can see just now but that isnt saying much. Seems fine. I guess a good way would be to start it and only wet that area and see if it acts up

 

[RPS99SHO]

Kinda sounds like water is getting into your gas somehow. But I would think if water can get in, gas would be coming out, since it's under pressure.

 

[DwardT4R]

Kinda sounds like water is getting into your gas somehow. But I would think if water can get in, gas would be coming out, since it's under pressure.

Im not thinking water is getting in my gas. It could be a possibility but ive never smelled gas or had any problems b4. And to clear things up a bit for the problem it actually started b4 my body lift. I just happend to lift it mid problem lol

 

[96LTDrus]

I very strongly suspect a poorly seated spark plug wire boot on the coils. I had this exact issue, except not as severe with my '96. After a rainy night I'd get a misfire under load, but it would idle smooth. Once the truck warmed up and the moisture evaporated, all was well. Tracked down the misfire to one cylinder in particular with my SGII, then my brother did a very simple test of spraying down all the coils with water while the truck was running. Sure enough, that trouble-prone cylinder started to cut out. Put some dilectric grease on the offending boot and reseated it, all has been well since. The true issue was that the NGK plug wire boot was slightly mis-formed and did not form a good seal. I ordered a set of OEM Toyota plug wires for $60 off Amazon Prime and will be installing them soon. For the minor difference in cost ($20), I should have just gone OEM in the first place.

In fact he made a video for his youtube channel of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUOgRx5xOcE

I'd say try spraying water from a bottle straight onto the plug wires to see if you can trigger a misfire. If that doesn't do it at least you can eliminate that as a variable.

 

[Aelfwine]

I'm not sure if the charcoal canister on 2000s was under the hood still or above the gas tank??? I have a 2002 and mine is at the rear. If yours is also at the rear check vacuum lines running to it, maybe something is sucking up water.

 

[DwardT4R]

I very strongly suspect a poorly seated spark plug wire boot on the coils. I had this exact issue, except not as severe with my '96. After a rainy night I'd get a misfire under load, but it would idle smooth. Once the truck warmed up and the moisture evaporated, all was well. Tracked down the misfire to one cylinder in particular with my SGII, then my brother did a very simple test of spraying down all the coils with water while the truck was running. Sure enough, that trouble-prone cylinder started to cut out. Put some dilectric grease on the offending boot and reseated it, all has been well since. The true issue was that the NGK plug wire boot was slightly mis-formed and did not form a good seal. I ordered a set of OEM Toyota plug wires for $60 off Amazon Prime and will be installing them soon. For the minor difference in cost ($20), I should have just gone OEM in the first place.

In fact he made a video for his youtube channel of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUOgRx5xOcE

I'd say try spraying water from a bottle straight onto the plug wires to see if you can trigger a misfire. If that doesn't do it at least you can eliminate that as a variable.

I will be trying this after work tomorrow. And getting back to you

 

[DwardT4R]

I'm not sure if the charcoal canister on 2000s was under the hood still or above the gas tank??? I have a 2002 and mine is at the rear. If yours is also at the rear check vacuum lines running to it, maybe something is sucking up water.

I will check this out as well. Thanks for the tips guys. I'll let ya know what I find

 

[Aelfwine]

I will check this out as well. Thanks for the tips guys. I'll let ya know what I find

To find a vacuum leak - get a bottle of brake parts cleaner and spray vacuum connections. If theres a leak you'll hear the sound of your engine change, if its a big leak it'll stall.

 

[DwardT4R]

To find a vacuum leak - get a bottle of brake parts cleaner and spray vacuum connections. If theres a leak you'll hear the sound of your engine change, if its a big leak it'll stall.

Ya I use to be a mechanic. I'm pretty good with vehicles. But I haven't had time to play guessing games with this problem and it's had me wondering. I'm hoping to get time to actually work on it Sunday.

 

[DwardT4R]

No luck guys. I've soaked everything and sprayed all the vacuum lines and intake areas I can find. Sprayed every sensor I could see. Every plug wire. Coil packs. I can seem to get it to act up again. All I know to do is drive back to the river and cross it again. See what happens.