My trusty 64, which I drive every day of the week, would not start this morning.The engine is a Jasper 350 and 18 months ago we installed an MSD Pro Billet Distributor, 6A Ignition Box and Blaster 2 Coil.

When it wouldn't start, I pulled the Dist. cap and couldn't believe what was inside. The Magnetic Pickup Module and the Rotor Fins on the Dist Shaft were covered/caked with a rust-colored crud, very powdery. A fair amount of the stuff had flaked-off and lay on the inside base also. The terminals on the inside of the Dist. Cap were that cruddy green...... like when a penny has been in salt water for a month, and the Rotor Cap terminals were also cruddy, but the weights and springs under the Rotor cap looked brand new.

I had a good cap and rotor from the old Delco Dist in the garage and when I threw them on, it fired right up. Now I've got to go back and clean up the crud on the pickup and shaft.

Has anyone with MSD ever seen a condition like this, or have any thoughts on what might be causing it? Everything inside the cap was bone dry, no signs of moisture getting inside. The crud looks to be like some sort of electrolosis deposit to me, but it is rust-red in color. However the cap terminals are green (I don't know if they're brass or copper).

I'm going to call MSD and see what they think, maybe a ground fault or wiring condition. But I never have any electrical problems with the car and until this morning it has started instantly and run strong with the MSD.

Thanx for any ideas you might have.

 

I have a msd same as you never seen this problem sounds like moisture.have you washed the motor or any thing? I called there tec support and they were excellent

 

I've washed the engine maybe 3 times since adding the MSD, but I always cover the Alternator, Carb and Dist/Coil with plastic bags. Haven't washed it lately in maybe 2-3 months.

I should add that we also installed the recommended MSD Plug Wires at the time of installation. One thing that may be a clue to the cause.....the contacts on the Dist Cap are not burned or pitted, just crudded over with deposits....very uniformally. You know how they electro-plate the gold on chrome trim and stuff (?), it's almost like these contacts have been crudo-plated :smash: . Same with the rust-like deposits on the pickup and fins.

 

I notice that you live in Florida. Even here in Tennessee, the humidity gets pretty high. We don't have much in the way of road salt, but bare metal rusts in a heart beat during the summer. Have you been parking on the grass or bare ground?

 

The car stays in the garage 20 hrs/day, although the average humidity is 80% this time of year even in the garage. I know this condition sounds like a moisture problem......in my 40 year career with Ma Bell I saw plenty of green contacts caused by current flowing across wet electrical contacts, and I've been thinking that the difference in the Rust-Red deposits and the Green deposits could possibly be because of different-type metals in the Pickup Module vs. the Dist. Cap Terminals (same cause-different effect).

But the inside of the Distributor is bone dry, like I've said. The grommet where the wiring for the Module enters the Dist. forms a tight seal and the Cap fits very tight. If it's moisture, it's because it's being trapped inside as opposed to entering from the outside. :confused: And if that's the case..............?

 

I also suspect moisture. It may be dry now but that doesn't mean that it hadn't been wet before. Our area here is much dryer than FL but I've seen plenty of sweaty distributor caps, especially following rain.

 

Sincere thanks to all of you for the replies so far; :cheers: but D@@N, I wish I had a Digital Camera so's you could see what I'm trying to describe.

If it is moisture ( even as tight as this cap is sealed, fits, etc), does this mean it's a "normal condition"? Does this mean I've got to add "Distributor Cap Inspection" every 5-6 months to my Preventative Maintenance Schedule on the Calendar?

That's a mute question because I'm going to do that anyway. I'm also going to order a replacement Pickup Module as added insurance, but....................is this normal? Right now I don't know if I'm dealing with a Generic MSD problem , or a problem unique to this particular car.

But hey, all those are retorical questions.

I really like the MSD......Starts on a rumor, cleanest the plugs have ever been, best mileage this engine has ever given, etc.............But I don't like the thought of getting stranded in Orlando or Kisseemmee or some other place that far from the shore.



[Modified by 7vettes, 7:29 PM 8/3/2002]

 

I'm also running a MSD dist. in my '63. I just pulled the cap and inspected the parts. I too, have the same rust colored build-up as you have described. If you hear anything from MSD, please let me know.

 

wirenut said:

How long have you been running the MSD? Also, what did the inside of the Dist. Cap look like......were the terminals clean or oxidized? Thanx.

 

The previous owner put the distributor on the car. I really don't know how long ago. I bought it approx. 1 month ago. The inside of the cap looks good. There is no unusual discoloration. I pulled the cap to find out what springs and andvance bushing were installed, thats when I saw the crud.

I have the msd #8571 distr., 6AL, and blaster 2; on a Lingenfelter 355.
I'm trying to work out some timing bugs. Would be very interested in knowing what springs, bushing and initial advance you are using.


[Modified by wirenut, 7:26 PM 8/4/2002]

 

My Dist. is #85551 which is non tach-drive without a vacuum can, yours I believe would be the tach-drive without a can (?). I'm using the set up right out of the box:

2 Heavy Silver Springs
Blue Bushing
It is set for 10 degrees initial.

It ran so smooth we just left it alone, but you've got more engine than mine (328 HP).

 

While we are on this topic does anyone know what the specifications are for the VAC cans that MSD supplies? Also will a vac adv can from a stock GM distrib fit on an MSD? I eyeballed mine side by side last night and it looks like they do. At least it looks like the stock 66 Vette can will interchange with the can on my MSD. Can't remember the number of the billet distrib I have but it sure lloks just like the GM can.

 

I rebuilt my 327 a few months ago and added the same distributor set up you have. I would like to know the outcome of this problem. So far mine is working great but it is only a few months old. Please post any answers you get from the MSD people.

 

I E-Mailed them yesterday (Monday) and outlined the problem and asked for answers/solutions. Their site says to give them at least 48 hours for a reply, so that'll be Wednesday. If I don't hear from them then, I plan to call Thursday morning.

One interesting note on their web site Tech Page:

It is possible for the air inside the cap to become electrically charged causing crossfire which can result in misfire. This can be prevented by drilling a couple of holes in the cap. The holes should be placed between the terminals, at rotor height and faced away from the intake. If your environment demands it, place a small piece of screen over the hole to act as a filter.

I'm wondering if this is also the condition that caused my corrosion. They also sell a Vented Dist Cap #8438, and I asked in my E-Mail if the venting was designed to address this condition.

I've been driving the car daily with the old Delco Cap & Rotor since Saturday with no problems. I cleaned as much of the rust off the "Reluctor Paddles" as I could with a dental tool, but I asked them how I could properly clean/solve this condition.

I will certainly keep you posted as I hear from them.

 

MSD called this evening in response to my e-mail and this is pretty much what we covered:

----They have seen and know about the conditions I described. They attribute it mainly to the effects of high humidity mixed with the charged ionized conditions inside the Dist. Cap.

----Regarding the rust on the steel Reluctor Paddles (fins) and a portion of the Pickup Module, they say the rust itself should have no adverse affect on operation, but they agree that my condition seemed severe because of the flaking.

----They recommend cleaning the rust off with a stiff brush and applying a rust inhibitor to those parts. They suggested WD-40 so long as it was allowed to completely dry, or a light coat of dielectric grease. I don't like the WD-40 idea so I'll use the dielectric if I can't locate some other non-flammable rust inhibitor.

----They recommend venting the Dist Cap or replacing it with a vented cap, and to coat the terminals with dielectric. The venting is primarily intended to exhaust the charged ionized air to prevent crossfire, but they say it should help in areas of high humidity.

They pretty much said what I expected to hear, including that this high humidity area will require higher than normal inspection and maintenance. That's fine so long as it solves the problem, but it's not what I was expecting when I originally installed the unit......I was actually expecting, and had been led to believe that this would be a lower maintenance unit. But because of the characteristics of the magnetic pickup operation, the atmosphere inside the cap must be very sensitive to high humidity.

Anyway, we'll find out soon enough if these suggestions are the answer.