[pontibeast]

My wife went to start my truck yesterday and it was missing really bad. If you hit the gas hard like to blip the throttle it shakes really bad. Slowly pushing in the gas pedal it runs smooth up to about 3500 and then it's like it's hitting a rev limiter and starts missing really bad. We drove the truck the day before and had zero trouble. It rained really hard that day after we parked it and I think it might be water related like something is shorting out. Any idea where to start with this? Thanks for any help you can give.

[rsavage]

Plug wires, cap, and rotor if they are old.

[pontibeast]

Went out to start the truck and do some checking and it started up and ran just great. My guess is something got wet during our heavy ran and shorted out. The truck has a leak that when it is facing down hill water gets in on the passenger side, so bad it soaks the carpet, but if it's facing uphill there is no leak. She parked it facing down hill and I guess the leak got on some electrical component. These kind of issues drive me insane but at least it's running as we are over at our lake house about an hour away from home and I don't have the back seat in the Lemans since I am putting POR15 and new rear armrests in so I can't carry all three of us. I'll try to check where the water is coming in from but based on prior experience I am not hopeful I'll find it. Anyone have experience with these trucks and or some ideas on where to look I would really appreciate it.

[salem1912]

X2 on the cap/rotor/wires and plugs if they are old. Look at the coil wire it sits up by the alt. and is exposed to water coming though the radiator. Also check the cowl drains are clear of leaves etc. I doubt that's your performance issue. Radio antenna wire where it goes though the A post can leak too. Is the a/c drain clear?

[pontibeast]

Cowl weather-stripping on the drivers side is detached from the cowl, it looks like it tore or the glue has dried out and water can get under it. There are three bundles of wire right under it on the firewall with what looks like relays, I need to get my Hayes manual when I get home and find out what they are. It probably could use a tune up but the sudden onset of symptoms coinciding with the heavy rain makes me suspect water. It was missing like a couple of plugs were dead, it was hitting a brick wall at 3500 rpm's just like my rev limiter used to do on my Mustang when I had one. I will fix the weather-striping and check on the wiring detail with the Hayes to see if one of them could be what was shorting out. I will also check out the antenna wire for the leak on that side, thanks for the advice these things drive me nuts.

[salem1912]

Get a water bottle and spray the cap and wires. Do it at night and you will get a nice electrical display. The weather strip where the hood and the cowl meet does keep water out but is mainly to keep engine flumes from getting sucked down the cowl and into the heater/ac box.

[pontibeast]

Originally Posted by salem1912

Get a water bottle and spray the cap and wires. Do it at night and you will get a nice electrical display. The weather strip where the hood and the cowl meet does keep water out but is mainly to keep engine flumes from getting sucked down the cowl and into the heater/ac box.

That sounds like a great idea, I never would have thought of that. With my track record I will probably electrocute myself as I specialize in shocking myself but it's a small price to pay to track this down and get it fixed before it becomes something more serious. Thanks for the idea.

[67gtospud]

I've got the same truck and I have to replace wires every other year due to them drying out and cracking. It creates this exact problem your describing. On a dry day spray it with a squirt bottle as stated and it'll be like a mini lightning storm under your hood!