Ford Repair: Engine, spark plug wires, moist weather


Question
When I am driving in the rain my engine sometimes stutters and I seem to loose power when traveling at speed, and when I am going slower it feels like I have selected too high a gear. This only seems to occur during very heavy rain. The feeling I have is that rainwater is somehow getting into the fuel mixture, but this is only a guess. Any idea what could be causing this problem and how to rectify it?

Thanks in advance.

Answer
Trevor-

  I'd try changing your spark plug wires.  If they're old then the insulation can easily be worn down.  What happens, especially in moist weather conditions, is that the spark will look for the nearest ground it can find, whether it's the exhaust manifold or the engine itself.  A quick way to test this is, at night (or in a darkened garage), start the car up and use a spray bottle to spray a light mist around the wires.  If they're bad you should be able to see the electricity actually arc out of them.  Hope this helps.

Steve