I remember when I had a Mini (in the days when they were still a new
variety) there were problems with the distributor being mounted at the
front so getting it wet was frequent. There was available a rubber glove
like thing that fitted over the dizzy and the fingers were where the leads
went. These were stretched over so they fitted absolutely water tight -
and the rest pulled down over the body. They were great and solved the wet
problem. Are they still available I wonder?
At 12:36 PM 6/12/02 -0400, Bob Howard wrote:
>Paul,
> If it is just condensation, it's a nuisance but not indicative of
>anything wrong with the engine. If the engine is cold while the air is
>humid and the temperature is rising rapidly, the engine can be wet with
>condensation and some will form in the distributor also. A new cap may
>be worth having as a spare, but condensation will form in any cap. This
>can be a constant problem with marine engines in early summer.
> It can happen that the engine gets wet on a rainy day and that some
>water can splash onto the distributor. One drop of water will appear to
>be a lot of condensation within the cap.
> The heater control valve is thoughtfully placed above the cap. It's a
>design feature that informs you the valve is leaking when the engine
>sputters and shuts off but before the cooling system runs dry. You
>might check the valve for drips.
> Water in the cap can cause the spark to jump around in the cap, which
>can lead to rough running and hard starting until it dries out. Because
>the cap is mostly closed to the exterior, it won't dry out nearly as
>readily as it gets wet. WD40 works well to displace the droplets after
>you have wiped the cap inside and out with a dry cloth.
> I would check it again tomorrow morning, but unless you see oil or
>smell antifreeze in the cap, it is probably only condensation from the
>air.
>Bob
>
>On Wed, 12 Jun 2002 09:48:26 -0500 Paul Root <proot@iaces.com> writes:
> > So, this isn't good.
> > Last night I popped the distributor cap off to check on something,
> > and I happened to look under the cap, and there is water droplets in
>there.
> > That's not good. I wiped them up, it does seem to just water, not oil
>or anything.>
> > So I'm thinking, new cap time. I looked it over, I don't see any
>cracks or anything.
> > This may help explain my hard starting when hot (along with the
> > missing heat shield).
> > So, is there anything I should check for on the dizzy for condensation?
>
> > I drove in this morning, it started right up, I stopped for bagels
>after
> > about 3 miles (half freeway), and it started right up again. I still
>had
> > the choke half on, I'd forgotten to turn it off. Oh, still the ZS.
> >
> > Paul.
>
Regards
Barrie
Barrie Robinson - barrier@bconnex.net
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