My son has an 89 Camry - 4 cyl, automatic. Last winter he had constant problems.....sputtering, stalling...... accelerating from the line whenever it was raining. Once it got going it ran ok until he stopped and had to accellerate from the line again. He learned how to nurse it through acceleration and got by. He had absolutely no problems all summer with the dry weather....it ran great, but now that the rain has come back, it's started doing it again. We have replaced the wires, plugs, rotor and distributor cap. Any ideas?

This is a common problem with this generation Camry (3SFE engine). If the items you have replaced haven't cured the problem, then the problem is most likely a hairline crack in the coil inside the distributor. When it's damp out it causes the current to short to the metal housing of the inside if the distributor. My niece's 91 had this problem a few years ago. I ended up getting an aftermarket replacement coil at Pep Boys (I think it was a Borg Warner) for around $40-$45. You have to pull the distributor out to replace the coil, but it is not a hard job. They only go back in the right way or 180 degrees off. You can scribe a line on the distributor housing and the hold-down so you can reinstall it without changing the timing. I would suggest a manual to help you through this. After replacing this, the car has run perfect for the last 5 years or so. The dealer wanted to replace the whole distributor for around $600.

Mike