So its was rainy last night, and the truck was running fine.
I stopped outside my girlfriends and she wasnt back from work so i shut it off the engine and waited five minutes. She was late and i got cold so i turned it back on. The idle started to rev and drop, rev and drop. When i gave it juice she stalled. In the past ive had similar stalling issues when driving on the highway, which i thought were ignition related (i changed the coil).

I pop the hood and check things out. In the dark i cant see much - except a faint blue glow flashing every cycle like a halo around the plugs where they screw into the engine block.

So somehow im loosing spark b/c its shooting out before reaching the plug tip inside the combustion chamber. Is it as simple as bad plugs or wires, or is there something more disasterous at work here? The spark is very diffused (like sheet lighting instead of bolt lightning) and faint - i think the only reason i saw it is because the night was so dark. could it be leaking right out from the chamber?

Also, could it be related to the rain (since rain conducts)

figured id pick your brains before i set mine to it after work tomrrow. thanks.

 

my dad had the same problem with his 88' ram the problem on his turned out to be plug wires.

What does it look like at night in dry conditions?

 

bad plug wire. at a minimum, replace the plug wire thats sparking. best to just replace the whole set.

 

i replaced.

at night under dry conditions im not sure. i cant check now cause ive changed them.

thanks all.

 

Seen this halo before too. Think it has to do with the resistor in the plug. My old '83 used to buck,jerk and miss when it got wet. Coil was jumping to the heater hose which was about 1'' away. Drove me nuts trying to find it.

 

yea i think youre on to something lug.

i changed the wires and i dont see the halo anymore, but i do still get misses and a sort of "mini-stall" when its wet. itll just cut out and the kick back in if im gassing hard up a hill or something.

when you say it has to do with the resistor in the plug, you mean spark plugs right? i think ill change them next. I dont see anymore sparks jumping anymore - but ill have a closer look.
thanks...