Distributor meltdown (1 Viewer)

[mbashier]

What could have caused this?

After running some errands in this hot afternoon, i try turning on my car and it cranks but won’t start. Cel light is on, there’s no 12v at at the B+ terminal on the diagnostic port and no spark from coil. Last time I opened the dizzy cover I did notice some oxidation (Or what seems to be oxidation) going on, but it wasn’t this severe. Now I’m afraid to put a new distributor on without knowing the cause, or if whatever caused this will bring my new distributor to its quick demise. 1991 3fe fj80. Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

[jonheld]

That is clearly water contamination and it has been happening for a while. You can see where the o ring at the base of the cap seat was leaking.
That o ring should be replaced each time you replace the cap and rotor.
There should also be a thick rubber snap on cover for the distributor.

 

[flintknapper]

You've 2-3 MILS of some kind of 'crud' all throughout your distributor. It has either caused resistance (gets my vote) or is conductive.

Your ignition coil is providing up to 40,000 volts....not surprised to see that.

 

[slow95z]

I have a used one I can hook you up with if you can't find a new one

 

[Grandlooser]

Something tells me it's going to run a tad better with a new one.

 

[KC masterpiece]

Maybe the PO set up a methanol injection for the distributor?

 

[BILT4ME]

What could have caused this?

View attachment 2664776

View attachment 2664777
After running some errands in this hot afternoon, i try turning on my car and it cranks but won’t start. Cel light is on, there’s no 12v at at the B+ terminal on the diagnostic port and no spark from coil. Last time I opened the dizzy cover I did notice some oxidation (Or what seems to be oxidation) going on, but it wasn’t this severe. Now I’m afraid to put a new distributor on without knowing the cause, or if whatever caused this will bring my new distributor to its quick demise. 1991 3fe fj80. Thanks in advance for any insight.

My first thought was water intrusion as well, until I saw that you are in Libya.

The material in there could be sand dust. It may be enough to short out the internals due to static electricity and abrasion. You definitely need new seals on the distributor cap. It is possible that the cap is not sealed and the PCV is creating enough vacuum on the distributor for it to suck in sand dust during operation.

I would make it a point to make sure it is on the PM list for cleaning out the interior of the distributor.

 

[RockDoc]

Does the FJ80 dizzy not have the same cross flow ventilation that is used on the FJ62 to keep things clean and fresh inside?

 

[flintknapper]

Edit

 

[Kernal]

Red dust from the desert (think MIssion Impossible, Ghost Protocol) but is that the wire windings from the pick-up coil coming apart or??



Maybe clean out the dust (using Electronics cleaner if you can find it) and post up another photo of the internals.

Good reason to install a breather filter into the housing.

 

[jonheld]

My first thought was water intrusion as well, until I saw that you are in Libya.

The material in there could be sand dust. It may be enough to short out the internals due to static electricity and abrasion. You definitely need new seals on the distributor cap. It is possible that the cap is not sealed and the PCV is creating enough vacuum on the distributor for it to suck in sand dust during operation.

I would make it a point to make sure it is on the PM list for cleaning out the interior of the distributor.

Look at the top of the rotor. That copper is corroding due to moisture.

 

[BILT4ME]

Look at the top of the rotor. That copper is corroding due to moisture.

I agree because of the green on the copper conductors.

Do you think short trips in Libya would cause condensation inside the engine and distributor cap?

I am assuming humidity is extremely low and temps are high in that area.

Has the OP been pond or river fording in the 80?

 

[Grandlooser]

Libya also has a lot of coast line ( think salt ). Probably salty sand....

 

[mbashier]

Thanks for all of your helpful replies! On further observation the oring was pretty flattened out and really flimsy, so as you’ve noted it had been taking in some moisture or water. It may have been exacerbated by the previous owners attempt to waterproof the cap by closing the vent holes up with silicone.

I just noticed it today since the silicone was the same color as the cap.

I live on the coast about 1.5 miles from the Mediterranean Sea so the humidity is pretty high. We also had some pretty heavy showers and some flooding this past winter which amounted to a lot of water passings. Not exactly fording but still deep water. Also add in I’ve been spending some time these past weeks at the port docking and doing some maintenance to my fishing boat while my car sat by, probably added all up to this. My main off-roading is beach driving.

It’s the south of Libya where its hot and dry. As a matter of fact just yesterday the second hottest place on Earth to be in was the town of Jalu.

So the consensus is that this failure was caused by water/debris intrusion and not by some other underlying electrical problem. Sure hope so. Now to find a distributor and lesson learned on cleaning and keeping an eye on that oring.

 

[Kernal]

Agree all above, corrosion and dust. The OEM distributor cap, for the US FZJ80 models at least, does not have those vent pipes. The distributor housing does have a few open ports for air circulation and drainage of water or oil. Either way, sealing up the distributor has been shown to cause serious corrosion internally.

 

[Mark W]

Problem solved/question answered. When the former owner sealed the vent holes, he prevented the venting of ozone created by the arcing between the rotor tip and distributor cap contacts and also crankcase vapors (moisture laden and corrosive) that find their way into the distributor. The corrosion/oxidation and degeneration is a result of this.

Don't seal the holes in your replacement cap... restore original Toyota venting system (which is waterproof anyway) and this will not occur again.

Mark...