'97 Camry Random Misfire after Rain when cold.

[joopa]

Hello,
Only when it has been or is raining and I start drving in the morning I get a lot of stutter in my '97 Camry (4-cyl). It is to a point where the engine almost cuts out for a 1/2 second or so when stepping on the gas. If I really step on the gas I get a "Random Misfire" code. But if I go softly, I get no code. The stutter goes on, but gets better as the engine gets warm and after 5-10 minutes the car drives fine. The car is not garaged. I looked for obvious wet spots in the engine, cleaned and sprayed WD40 in coil connectors, spark plug wires etc to no avail.

I am afraid that one day, whatever is loos or corroded or whatever, will finally give and I won’t be able to go anywhere.

Any suggestions to what my next step would be?

Thanks!

[Mike Gerber]

When asking for help, it's best to give current mileage and any maintenance history on the car.

Is the random missfire code the only code present?

I would start by checking or replacing the spark plug wires, especially if they are original or are an aftermarket set that are older than 1 year. A simple test for spark plug wires that almost anyone can do, is to park the car in a dark garage, if one is available, and spray down the spark plug wires with water with something like a plant mister or some spray bottle. Start the engine and look for evidence of sparking from the wires. A dark street at night will probably do, if that's all that is available. Don't touch anything until you shut the engine.

Also, how old are the spark plugs? Again, more information would be helpful.

Mike

[joopa]

Car has 172,000 miles on it. Otherwise running OK for it's age. Spark plug wires were changed about 4 years ago, so i guess it could be time for new ones. I will try the spray bottle trick this weekend and report back.
Thanks for you hint.
James