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Dies when driving in heavy rain

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3.2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Shakeman  
#1 ·
I have a 5 speed manual 1998 forester s that sputters out every time i drive it in the rain. My CEL has been on for a few months and the error reads evap. emissions error. The car seems to sputter out and the CEL always turns off when this happens. I usually can get the car started after 5 minutes or so but it dies as soon as i try to move it. I generally have to wait a day or two before it will run normally again. What do i need to buy to fix this?
 
#2 ·
My 99 impreza had this same issue and it turned out there was a crack in the intake and it was sucking in water and messing with the MAF. I also had to wait for the MAF to dry out before the car ran right again.After going through 2 MAF sensors I ended up cutting the stock plumbing off and fabbing up a intake snorkel that wouldn't allow water to come in. Do you have an aftermarket intake or anything of that nature? did you remove the silencer from the fender?
 
#3 ·
I had this issue with my XT once and it was also MAF-related. It turned out water was leaking through the hood scoop seal and soaking the insulation blanket under the hood. When parked overnight, the blanket was sagging and transferring moisture to the MAF. Once things dried out, everything was fine again.

Not sure if your issue has anything to do with your evap code at all, but check for any source of wetness under the hood and especially around the MAF sensor.
 
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#4 ·
Also, a good way to tell if its the MAF getting soaked, next time it rains really hard and starts sputtering and dieing, unplug your MAF. You should be able to drive it after that, it will be running in limp mode but trust me ( I drove 450 miles that way). It'll work to get you around if you need it to. If this is what happens, then I would deffinately assume the MAF getting wet is the culprit.
 
#6 ·
Also, a good way to tell if its the MAF getting soaked, next time it rains really hard and starts sputtering and dieing, unplug your MAF. You should be able to drive it after that, it will be running in limp mode but trust me ( I drove 450 miles that way). It'll work to get you around if you need it to. If this is what happens, then I would definitely assume the MAF getting wet is the culprit.
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