Fixed an engine with a miss today

[nelstomlinson]

I finally got an easy one! The 2002 was missing intermittently, bad enough to affect driveability. We got under the hood and tried spraying propane from an unlit torch along the vacuum hoses, for just in case it had a vacuum leak. No luck with that, but I did hear a tick each time it missed. I started paying attention, and was able to see a spark jumping from one of the coil end plug wire boots to a rubber hose! 

The boots had gotten dirty, and the medium voltage had made a track to ground.  I pulled each boot and wiped the outside of the boot with a rag moistened in WD40, and wiped the dirt and carbon off the coil where the boot plugs on. FIXED! New plug wires are on the way.

On a side note, we tried sticking the unlit torch into the air intake and opening it as wide as it would go. Couldn't hear any change in the motor noise. That trick might have worked with carbureted engines, but it doesn't seem to work with this engine.