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The fundamentals are good with any car. Plug wires operate their best with a resistance value below 5000 Ohms, preferably under 1000 Ohms per wire. Resistance in the carbon brush inside your distributor cap should read zero Ohms.
Switch on ignition, but do not crank the engine over. Hold the coil HT lead near the tip of the rotor, and flick the points open. You will get spark as the points open. If the spark jumps from the HT lead to the rotor, then the rotor is bad and is grounding the spark to the rotor drive shaft.
This may lead to corrosion. This, therefore, means that you need to replace the distributor cap gasket if you notice a loose distributor cap. For you to get rid of corrosion, you should clean the distributor cap with wd40.
Replacing the distributor cap and rotor at the same time should be completed every 50,000 miles, regardless of whether or not they are damaged. If your vehicle does not put on a lot of miles every year, it’s also a good idea to replace them every three years.
Turn off the vehicle and spray the spark plug wires and the inside and outside of your distributor cap with WD-40. … Using WD-40 to repel water from spark plugs, distributors, alternators, and batteries is a good way to prevent corrosion and keep moisture away.
A burnt distributor cap can cause an engine to run or idle rough and vibrate excessively. Burnt areas on distributor caps are usually caused by arcing because of carbon deposits. …
Fully charge the battery before you start, read the battery voltage it should be in the 6.3, 6.4 range. Put a volt meter from the power wire on the coil to a good ground. Turn the ignition switch on and read the voltage. When the points are open it should be close to the battery voltage.
On distributors with the pickup separate from the module assembly, you can check the pickup using your Ohm meter. Connect the leads from your Ohm meter to the 2 leads of the pickup. If you show a resistance of 50 to 200 Ohms, the pickup is functioning correctly.
When any changes are made to the engine of a car, the ignition timing is adjusted accordingly. If not, you could experience several problems with your engine with improper ignition timing like knocking, hard to start, increase fuel usage, overheating, and reduced power.
Loss of spark is caused by anything that prevents coil voltage from jumping the electrode gap at the end of the spark plug. This includes worn, fouled or damaged spark plugs, bad plug wires or a cracked distributor cap.
Turn the distributor in a counterclockwise direction to advance the ignition timing. Do not over-adjust the distributor, as even a slight movement will yield a significant change in the ignition timing.
The distributor cap are tasked with passing voltage from the ignition coils to the engine’s cylinders through the spark plug wires and plugs themselves to ignite the air and fuel mix. A failing distributor cap will result in rough idle because the voltage is not being sent to the plugs at the proper time, or at all.
The only safe way to test for spark is to use a spark plug tester tool. If a coil problem is suspected, measure the coil’s primary and secondary resistance with an ohmmeter. If either is out of specifications, the coil needs to be replaced. A coil can be easily bench tested with a digital 10 megaohm impedance ohmmeter.
How long should a distributor last? Replacing the distributor cap and rotor at the same time should be completed every 50,000 miles, regardless of whether or not they are damaged. If your vehicle does not put on a lot of miles every year, it’s also a good idea to replace them every three years.
Bad spark plugs, fouled-up plug wires or a cracked distributor cap can cause spark loss, while compression loss — in which too much of the air-fuel mixture flees a cylinder before going bang — commonly arises from a leaky exhaust valve or a blown head gasket [sources: B&B; O’Reilly].
Some rotors fit freely on the distributor shaft; while others are secured with a screw. If your vehicle has a rotor secured with a screw; always use the new screw. According to most service manuals, the job of removing the distributor cap and rotor itself is only about one hour to complete.
Turn off the vehicle and spray the spark plug wires and the inside and outside of your distributor cap with WD-40. Using WD-40 to repel water from spark plugs, distributors, alternators, and batteries is a good way to prevent corrosion and keep moisture away.
Dielectric grease will not hurt anything. Ford even used it from the factory on the older electronic ignition systems to reduce RFI and improve cap and rotor life. The ozone created inside the cap can seriously erode the terminals. I use the grease on my cap and wire terminals inside and out.
The most common reason for a car not starting in the rain is found in the spark plugs. Wire insulation can wear thin and this causes the voltage to arc to the metal of the car engine rather then going into the spark plug. … You might be able to see an arc from the spark plug wires.
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