Drove through a SMALL puddle, then died (2 Viewers)

[Malleus]

oh? why not? ive been doing it for years with no problems.

The interior of the distributor cap is supposed to be clean and dry; that's why it has a gasket. The rotor and plug wire contacts are free air connections; there's a lot of energy in there that shouldn't be exposed to oil or dirt, which limits the effectiveness of the connections. The energy discharges create overpressure, which is why there are vents. The system design assumption is that when the engine is running, the overpressure will effectively seal the interior of the cap. Problem is there are no one-way valves in the vents, so if you spray water on the distributor, some may get in, and take whatever dirt is in it with it. When the water dries, the trash is left behind. Any oil in the trash creates sludge which impairs the contact effectiveness.

In a perfect world, the system is robust enough that a little trash doesn't matter. My trucks don't operate in perfect worlds and I try not to marginalize the ignition system.

 

[Malleus]

I waterproofed following one of the threads on here and run one of these NLA from Toyota but pop up on the classifieds every so often.

Swimcap!

 

[danthman114]

The interior of the distributor cap is supposed to be clean and dry; that's why it has a gasket. The rotor and plug wire contacts are free air connections; there's a lot of energy in there that shouldn't be exposed to oil or dirt, which limits the effectiveness of the connections. The energy discharges create overpressure, which is why there are vents. The system design assumption is that when the engine is running, the overpressure will effectively seal the interior of the cap. Problem is there are no one-way valves in the vents, so if you spray water on the distributor, some may get in, and take whatever dirt is in it with it. When the water dries, the trash is left behind. Any oil in the trash creates sludge which impairs the contact effectiveness.

In a perfect world, the system is robust enough that a little trash doesn't matter. My trucks don't operate in perfect worlds and I try not to marginalize the ignition system.

don't over think it brother. its just water displacement number 40. spray alittle around the base of the cap and wipe off the points. I'm not spraying a half of a can in there... the dielectric grease in the plug wires and all the electrical plugs is a good thing. prevents corrosion and keeps the water out. between alittle dust or keeping my rig from quitting when I need it to keep going and alittle more cleaning during a PM ill take the cleaning and and it still running in the water...

 

[swankstar]

Don't know, don't have a snorkel. They're designed to keep the air intake dry when wading through water. Note: if you're in water deep enough that it's coming in over the window sill, you're swimming

I understand why people put them on, but my distributor looks to be a good 12" below the air intake. If there are holes in the distributor, the points will stop working long before water has a chance to get in.

 

[swankstar]

Now I see there is a tube connected on the top that goes to the intake and another that goes into the firewall, so those are basically getting air circulating in there, but there are three holes in the bottom too? Am I understanding that correctly? I can see anything as of yet and I'm kinda scared to pull the intake tube off because it's already cracked in too many places.

 

[ZackR]

If this happened to mine I would check the 02 sensor connections to see if they shorted to ground (perhaps a wire had exposed insulation and the splash moved it in such a way it shorted out). I had mine stall once from this and disconnected the 02 sensor so I could drive home. Repaired the wire and its back in business.

 

[BILT4ME]

1) Make sure your rubber flaps are still in the wheel wells to keep the water from splashing on the engine.
2) Do the WD40 trick to make it run and get out. Don't do it as "preventive medicine"... Remove the distributor cap, spray the inside of it "somewhat liberally" and let the excess drip out. Then reinstall the cap. WD40 displaces the water and the coil will fire through it.
3) Install a snorkel....
4) After you're out and have a little time, remove the cap and clean it out with the proper electric motor/contact cleaner and reassemble.

I have stood knee-deep in a puddle (marsh) removing the d-cap on a 68 Chevy with a 292 6cyl. Sprayed the inside of the cap and a little over the points, put the cap back on and fired right up and kept moving. The fan (no fan clutches back then) sprayed water all over the engine and got the distributor wet. After that, we would stop before and after the water crossing to remove and install the fan belt.

 

[LandCruisinMy93]

Umm...year before last on our annual coast camping/wheeling trip all my buddies in their jeeps were driving through the edge of the surf.... I went full submarine at speed for a good 20 yards and managed not to kill it. I got out and shut it off to check the air cleaner which had probably 2 inches of water in the bottom. Dropped the tuna can to drain it and carried on. So...not sure what your deal is. Also here are pictures of my cruiser birthing the icy waters like the big white whale she is and not a single issue. Don't blame your cruiser for your neglect.

 

[BILT4ME]

Umm...year before last on our annual coast camping/wheeling trip all my buddies in their jeeps were driving through the edge of the surf.... I went full submarine at speed for a good 20 yards and managed not to kill it. I got out and shut it off to check the air cleaner which had probably 2 inches of water in the bottom. Dropped the tuna can to drain it and carried on. So...not sure what your deal is. Also here are pictures of my cruiser birthing the icy waters like the big white whale she is and not a single issue. Don't blame your cruiser for your neglect.

View attachment 1576063

View attachment 1576064

View attachment 1576065

That' a LOT less than 60 ft.........but I'll bet you already know that because your thinks you're giving her 12" of clearance too..........

 

[jdayment]

Umm...year before last on our annual coast camping/wheeling trip all my buddies in their jeeps were driving through the edge of the surf.... I went full submarine at speed for a good 20 yards and managed not to kill it. I got out and shut it off to check the air cleaner which had probably 2 inches of water in the bottom. Dropped the tuna can to drain it and carried on. So...not sure what your deal is. Also here are pictures of my cruiser birthing the icy waters like the big white whale she is and not a single issue. Don't blame your cruiser for your

The distributor is higher on the 1FZ as well as sideways which factors in as well the 3FE sits right at wheel level

 

[lt1fire]

sig line says 91 so likely..

so honest answer time.... rally through tiny puddle? or was it 8'' deep and 30' long spraying water 10' in the air?

The holes are there to drain and breath to prevent condensation. Several posts about sealing them up.

You were there when I stalled mine in a small puddle... but it came back on with in a minute.

 

[LandCruisinMy93]

That' a LOT less than 60 ft.........but I'll bet you already know that because your thinks you're giving her 12" of clearance too..........

That's not the beach Timmy, it's clearly in the woods. I don't have the photo of the beach. I only get wheeling pictures friends send me, I don't take pictures when I'm out wheeling, I just wheel. Point being that a small puddle shouldn't stall a properly maintained cruiser.

 

[BILT4ME]