I discovered that water had splashed up (big puddle) and water had gotten into my #1 spark plug tube causing misfire. Took out the coil pak, fried everything off including the tube and reinstalled the coil, but I was not sure which way the gasket sits and if it is designed to just sit on top of the valve cover. I installed with the flat side up, tightened the 10mm and my bad miss is solved but I’d like to avoid this happening again
Does your car have both front fender liners and the plastic splash guards behind the bumper? If those are in place it really shouldn't get that wet in the engine compartment. Unless by "big" you meant "deep", in which case all bets are off unless you have an amphibious vehicle.
Yes the liners and guards are there but I know not fitted correctly, loose. The puddle was much deeper than I anticipated, a clogged drain at an intersection. In any event I will look more seriously at the splash guards.
It is more likely to be water overflowing from the wiper tray that gets into the spark plug tubes. Check that the drain holes in the wiper tray are clear from obstructions and able to drain freely. Also, check the seal strip that goes along the rear (underside) of the hood is firmly attached and undamaged.
If the car lives outside it may well have clogged water vents from leaf debris like dolj said. There was a TSB out on that water dam seal failing many many years ago. i would just replace it with a new oem seal. The new seal is better. I replaced mine. To check the water vents take a water hose and fill up the water dam at the bottom of the windshield. Water should run out the back of each front tire on each side. Nice good stream. If not its clogged. Any overflow of water from a clog or the seal failing will fall right on top of the motor and foul the cops. Its fairly easy to remove the plastic dam and clean it out. Just need to take the wiper arms off. Btw, removing that dam for a cleaning is the best time to replace the spark plugs its wicked easy with that dam tray out of the way. Here's what it looks like under the dam:
Yes, they were totally clogged from Honey Locust Tree pollen! Plus the seal was wrapped, I did clean it and flip the seal, but I’ll Try to get a replacement seal. Thx’
Side note, the coils have grommets to seal them and keep water out. I expect they loose their effectiveness over time, I did replace one as the original slipped out of my hands and landed somewhere in the back of the engine.
They sure do. Btw, never buy after market cops they suck. An oem coil will 10 years or more. And has the proper rubber seal quality. OEM cops are not cheap: https://parts.olathetoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-direct-ignition-coil-9091902240?c=Zz1pZ25pdGlvbiZzPWlnbml0aW9uLWNvaWwmbD00Jm49U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHMmYT10b3lvdGEmbz1wcml1cyZ5PTIwMDcmdD1iYXNlJmU9MS01bC1sNC1lbGVjdHJpYy1nYXM%3D
