Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
I always had to pop the distributor cap and take the blow dryer to it. The sweat condensation inside the cap scatters the fire. Good luck.Just got back to the truck after a two year hiatus. I got it running after a loose distributer wire and actually it was running pretty smooth. I drove it up and down the lane a couple time to get things cooking and then parked it in the drive and proceeded to hose down the entire inside and outside of the truck with water. It had been sitting in a mouse infested "tent" all this time and was filthy with mouse scat and dust and who knows what. Yes, I even hosed the interior of the truck as it's very bare inside and plenty of rust that a little water doesn't hurt. So I think at least. I also hosed down the engine compartment. Afterward, I turned on the engine and let it heat up to help dry. I did not notice any hesitation in starting or any rough idle. I think I then turned the car off after 10 minutes or so. A few hours later I wanted to move it and suddenly some of the cylinders weren't firing. I figured I got something wet and needed to dry it. Nothing seemed wet though I wiped down the plug wires and dist. cap inside and out. Still no luck. Ok, let it sit overnight. Today, same deal. I've narrowed it down to the cylinder nearest firewall and cylinder second in from radiator. There is no spark arriving to the plug as tested by grounding plug end to engine block. On the dist. cap, these plug leads sit side by side toward the passenger side of the car. I've checked other leads in these spaces and still no spark so not the leads. I've changed to a new dist. cap but no change. I'm getting a little fearful of the unknown. By the way, it's a Delco dist. from Mallory from way back when (no snark please). Any guesses, folks?
Many thanks!
View attachment 2865957
View attachment 2865958
Can I get a photo of the blue wire on the external side of your Delco-Remy.
Btw. I proudly boast that my Cruiser once made a very Merry Christmas for a few mouse families, they had it all to themselves, minus an occasional snake and some permanent resident mud-daubers.
Thanks for that! I'm wondering if perhaps there used to be a plastic peg or stopper on the inside of mine that fit into the notch in the screw head. I don't remember ever having this problem in the past until at a certain point I DID have the issue., that the screw kept spinning in place. Probably to get it really tight I would need to pull out the dist. to get better access to that screw. I was a bit scared to do it. I will consider changing the dist, thanks for the mention. It seems like a very straight-forward mechanism just some spinning mechanical gears. I'm not sure why it gives so much trouble...apart from the points/cap/rotor/condenser. But the dizzy body itself seems it should be rather foolproof once it's been designed.Here's what the stock terminal screw looks like inside the distributor housing. It has a square head, and is kept from rotating by the nylon piece.
View attachment 2866906
The shaft bushings in the housing can get worn, which causes lateral play at the top of the distributor shaft/cam. That leads to varying dwell and inconsistent firing. And the mechanical advance weight pivots also get worn.It seems like a very straight-forward mechanism just some spinning mechanical gears. I'm not sure why it gives so much trouble...apart from the points/cap/rotor/condenser. But the dizzy body itself seems it should be rather foolproof once it's been designed.
Ok....most of that is mechanical wear on metal parts over time. Not something that is finicky, in my humble opinion. Not that it isn't paramount to have it correct just that hosing down the engine bay is going to effect it in any way. I'm not sure how the advance weight pivots work or where/what they are.The shaft bushings in the housing can get worn, which causes lateral play at the top of the distributor shaft/cam. That leads to varying dwell and inconsistent firing. And the mechanical advance weight pivots also get worn.
They're under the breaker plate.I'm not sure how the advance weight pivots work or where/what they are.
That's a deep stream. I suppose if someone runs in deep water a lot they have to account for that breather hole and run an air passageway to higher ground, no?A stream crossing, or car wash, could allow water to get in the breather hole in the bottom of my stock distributor. I understand the need, with the mice and all, but, just know that there are vulnerable spots on the engine.
I do this since my axles often spend a lot of time submerged where I wheel.But, if you look hard enough, someone out there will have modified the vents on the axles to be placed above water level.
I hate that sound (and smell) and I hear it so often. I’m sure it’s rough on the system but surprisingly, I don’t seem to notice any accelerated deterioration.My big concern is the quenching of your exhaust system as it hits the water, that would be one of the worst things for that metal in a long-term sense.