Just to increase the odds that I'm not missing anything: I have condensation
inside my distributor cap. (This on a Chrysler 318, 1978,
www.ctlow.ca/Trojan26). Needless to say, it runs poorly that way! The seal
is old and brittle, and I have a new, marine cap on its way. We dried it out
the other day (after which it ran well), and I'm trying to leave the engine
hatch a tad open to improve ventilation (having put weather-stripping and
sound-insulation under it over the past few years...), and today it's wet
again. My bilges are always wet, long story, but they are.

I found an article on Car Talk
(http://www.cartalk.com/content/colum...ctober/06.html) about this.

Strangely, last year the engine began to run very rough, but only under very
specific conditions, those being all of i/ high heat, ii/ very calm days,
iii/ slow speed operation (e.g. 1400 rpm, ~7 kt), and iv) 20-30 minutes
underway. (If any of the conditions were absent, it didn't seem to happen.)
Then, if I opened the throttle, I would get very lacklustre performance for
a few minutes, then brief surges of normal operation, lasting less than a
second at first, but becoming more frequent and longer-lasting over a few
more minutes until the engine ran normally again. Of course, whenever I
brought my mechanic down to check it out, it ran normally.

This year, it is just rough, atmospheric conditions regardless. Apart from
being one year older, I also neglected to leave the engine hatch slightly
open over the winter lay-up.

I changed the plugs, and the leads, last year without solution. Plus, if it
were the leads, then why only intermittently?

The fuel pump was just tested and develops good pressure (and if faulty,
wouldn't behave intermittently this way?). I've checked the inline and
water-separating fuel filters, and they are clean. I have had the carburetor
rebuilt (and they said it was actually in pretty good shape anyway), and
then re-adjusted the idle jets. The air filter is clean.

Lots of people have scratched their heads over this. We didn't notice the
distributor cap condensation, though, until this year, and I'm hoping that's
it. But, from Car Talk, perhaps I should get a ventilated one, if such
exists...

Am I missing something obvious?

Thanks to all in advance.

Charles

====

Charles T. Low
www.boatdocking.com

====

"Charles T. Low" [withoutUN] wrote in message
...
Just to increase the odds that I'm not missing anything: I have
condensation inside my distributor cap. (This on a Chrysler 318, 1978,
www.ctlow.ca/Trojan26). Needless to say, it runs poorly that way! The seal
is old and brittle, and I have a new, marine cap on its way. We dried it
out the other day (after which it ran well), and I'm trying to leave the
engine hatch a tad open to improve ventilation (having put
weather-stripping and sound-insulation under it over the past few
years...), and today it's wet again. My bilges are always wet, long story,
but they are.

I found an article on Car Talk
(http://www.cartalk.com/content/colum...ctober/06.html) about this.

Strangely, last year the engine began to run very rough, but only under
very specific conditions, those being all of i/ high heat, ii/ very calm
days, iii/ slow speed operation (e.g. 1400 rpm, ~7 kt), and iv) 20-30
minutes underway. (If any of the conditions were absent, it didn't seem to
happen.) Then, if I opened the throttle, I would get very lacklustre
performance for a few minutes, then brief surges of normal operation,
lasting less than a second at first, but becoming more frequent and
longer-lasting over a few more minutes until the engine ran normally
again. Of course, whenever I brought my mechanic down to check it out, it
ran normally.

This year, it is just rough, atmospheric conditions regardless. Apart from
being one year older, I also neglected to leave the engine hatch slightly
open over the winter lay-up.

I changed the plugs, and the leads, last year without solution. Plus, if
it were the leads, then why only intermittently?

The fuel pump was just tested and develops good pressure (and if faulty,
wouldn't behave intermittently this way?). I've checked the inline and
water-separating fuel filters, and they are clean. I have had the
carburetor rebuilt (and they said it was actually in pretty good shape
anyway), and then re-adjusted the idle jets. The air filter is clean.

Lots of people have scratched their heads over this. We didn't notice the
distributor cap condensation, though, until this year, and I'm hoping
that's it. But, from Car Talk, perhaps I should get a ventilated one, if
such exists...

Am I missing something obvious?

Thanks to all in advance.

Charles

====

Charles T. Low
www.boatdocking.com

====



Your handy dandy can of WD-40. Lightly spray inside the distributor cap,
let it air for a half hour, then re-install.

RCE

Charles T. Low wrote:

Just to increase the odds that I'm not missing anything: I have condensation
inside my distributor cap. (This on a Chrysler 318, 1978,
www.ctlow.ca/Trojan26). Needless to say, it runs poorly that way! The seal
is old and brittle, and I have a new, marine cap on its way. We dried it out
the other day (after which it ran well), and I'm trying to leave the engine
hatch a tad open to improve ventilation (having put weather-stripping and
sound-insulation under it over the past few years...), and today it's wet
again. My bilges are always wet, long story, but they are.

I found an article on Car Talk
(http://www.cartalk.com/content/colum...ctober/06.html) about this.



Lots of people have scratched their heads over this. We didn't notice the
distributor cap condensation, though, until this year, and I'm hoping that's
it. But, from Car Talk, perhaps I should get a ventilated one, if such
exists...

Am I missing something obvious?

Thanks to all in advance.

Charles

Charles, you don't mention what you've done with the points & condenser.
I'm assuming this is the Prestolite distributor?

Do not "make" a vent as outlined in the Click & Clack article. The
distributor is the ignition-protected variety and the housing itself
should have a screen, a vent if you wish, for flame suppression.

A good, new cap, base gasket, and the electronic conversion (I use Retro
Rockets to source the Pertronix units - Sierra also has them) should
take care of the problem except in extreme situations... it worked for me.

Rob

Thank you. Does the penetrating oil dry it, or seal it, or both? How often
would it be required?

====

Charles T. Low
www.boatdocking.com

====

"RCE" wrote in message
...
Your handy dandy can of WD-40. Lightly spray inside the distributor cap,
let it air for a half hour, then re-install.
RCE

Thank you, Rob,

This 1978 engine, Chrysler 318 V-8, is semi-electronic. Their are no points,
but there is a distributor. Does this change your advice at all?

Also, from the Car Talk article, I wonder about moisture coming up from
below (old worn parts ...). If so, the new cap might not solve the problem.
My plan is to wait and see (and try to remember always to open the engine
hatch just a hair before I leave the boat).

====

Charles T. Low
www.boatdocking.com

====

"trainfan1" wrote in message
et...
Charles, you don't mention what you've done with the points & condenser.
I'm assuming this is the Prestolite distributor?

Do not "make" a vent as outlined in the Click & Clack article. The
distributor is the ignition-protected variety and the housing itself
should have a screen, a vent if you wish, for flame suppression.

A good, new cap, base gasket, and the electronic conversion (I use Retro
Rockets to source the Pertronix units - Sierra also has them) should take
care of the problem except in extreme situations... it worked for me.

Rob

On Sun, 21 May 2006 08:56:42 -0400, Charles T. Low wrote:

Thank you. Does the penetrating oil dry it, or seal it, or both? How often
would it be required?

Careful, the WD stands for water displacement. It is not a penetrating
oil, and I don't believe RCE was suggesting using a "penetrating oil".
Use WD-40.

"Charles T. Low" [withoutUN] wrote in message
...
Thank you. Does the penetrating oil dry it, or seal it, or both? How often
would it be required?

====

Charles T. Low
www.boatdocking.com

====

"RCE" wrote in message
...
Your handy dandy can of WD-40. Lightly spray inside the distributor cap,
let it air for a half hour, then re-install.
RCE



WD-40 is not really penetrating oil. It is non-conductive and hygroscopic.
It will absorb any condensation or moisture that developed within the cap.

For some reason, MoPar products of that vintage were notorious for poor
resistance to wet climates. My father-in-law taught me the WD-40 trick.
Don't really know how long one application would last.

RCE

The distributor is open to the crancase-vent-wise. Condensation in the
engine can end up in the cap. Are your valve covers milky inside? Check
the underside of the oil fill cap or breather tube.
JR

Charles T. Low wrote:
Just to increase the odds that I'm not missing anything: I have condensation
inside my distributor cap. (This on a Chrysler 318, 1978,
www.ctlow.ca/Trojan26). Needless to say, it runs poorly that way! The seal
is old and brittle, and I have a new, marine cap on its way. We dried it out
the other day (after which it ran well), and I'm trying to leave the engine
hatch a tad open to improve ventilation (having put weather-stripping and
sound-insulation under it over the past few years...), and today it's wet
again. My bilges are always wet, long story, but they are.

I found an article on Car Talk
(http://www.cartalk.com/content/colum...ctober/06.html) about this.

Strangely, last year the engine began to run very rough, but only under very
specific conditions, those being all of i/ high heat, ii/ very calm days,
iii/ slow speed operation (e.g. 1400 rpm, ~7 kt), and iv) 20-30 minutes
underway. (If any of the conditions were absent, it didn't seem to happen.)
Then, if I opened the throttle, I would get very lacklustre performance for
a few minutes, then brief surges of normal operation, lasting less than a
second at first, but becoming more frequent and longer-lasting over a few
more minutes until the engine ran normally again. Of course, whenever I
brought my mechanic down to check it out, it ran normally.

This year, it is just rough, atmospheric conditions regardless. Apart from
being one year older, I also neglected to leave the engine hatch slightly
open over the winter lay-up.

I changed the plugs, and the leads, last year without solution. Plus, if it
were the leads, then why only intermittently?

The fuel pump was just tested and develops good pressure (and if faulty,
wouldn't behave intermittently this way?). I've checked the inline and
water-separating fuel filters, and they are clean. I have had the carburetor
rebuilt (and they said it was actually in pretty good shape anyway), and
then re-adjusted the idle jets. The air filter is clean.

Lots of people have scratched their heads over this. We didn't notice the
distributor cap condensation, though, until this year, and I'm hoping that's
it. But, from Car Talk, perhaps I should get a ventilated one, if such
exists...

Am I missing something obvious?

Thanks to all in advance.

Charles

====

Charles T. Low
www.boatdocking.com

====




--
--------------------------------------------------------------
Home Page: http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth

Charles T. Low wrote:
Thank you, Rob,

This 1978 engine, Chrysler 318 V-8, is semi-electronic. Their are no points,
but there is a distributor. Does this change your advice at all?

Also, from the Car Talk article, I wonder about moisture coming up from
below (old worn parts ...). If so, the new cap might not solve the problem.
My plan is to wait and see (and try to remember always to open the engine
hatch just a hair before I leave the boat).

It seems most problems of this type I had was when the boat(inboard
Ford) was brought out of the cold, damp garage. I would run it on the
fake-a-lake on the trailer, while cleaning, prepping, & inspecting, and
it would run perfectly.

A 30 minute shutdown for a trip to the boat launch would render the
engine DOA at the ramp, the cap soaking on the underside. Dry it out,
and that was the last problem for the season aside from one points
adjustment mid-season(now eliminated with the Pertronix Ignitor).

I think the subsequent heat/cool & humidity cycles were uniform, and we
didn't get any more condensation under the cap for the season. Boat is
kept outside, full mooring cover, 4-5 days a week, & uncovered 2-3 days
a week for the summer.

I think the Chrysler Marine engines went electronic('73/'74) a year or
two after the cars did - ('72(340)/'73(remaining V-8s) - 1-2 years ahead
of Ford('74) & GM(''75)!).

Try the cap & base gasket, & check the spark/vent screen to be sure it's
clear.



Rob


====

Charles T. Low
www.boatdocking.com

====

"trainfan1" wrote in message
et...

Charles, you don't mention what you've done with the points & condenser.
I'm assuming this is the Prestolite distributor?

Do not "make" a vent as outlined in the Click & Clack article. The
distributor is the ignition-protected variety and the housing itself
should have a screen, a vent if you wish, for flame suppression.

A good, new cap, base gasket, and the electronic conversion (I use Retro
Rockets to source the Pertronix units - Sierra also has them) should take
care of the problem except in extreme situations... it worked for me.

Rob

Thank you Rob and to the others who have replied. I'm learning by leaps.

By the way, someone asked if it's a Prestolite - don't know, no name shown
that I've seen.

While waiting for my new cap/rotor, I sprayed it with pressurized "air" from
a can because it still _looked_ damp, sprayed some oil in there (I have some
generic brand which says "penetrating and water-dispersing..." ???), waited
a while, wiped out the small amount remaining, and ran it again.

It was still horrible. I thought I would try detaching and reattaching leads
one by one from the distributor to see if any particular ones were at fault,
and it didn't make a noticeable difference running it on 7 cylinders only,
except that gradually, barely noticeably, by the time I had finished, it was
running almost normally. As if each lead connection needed air ... ???

Anyway, when the cap comes, I'm also going to install upgraded spark plugs,
new leads, and will take it from there.

I will check under the oil cap for milkiness. Don't think so. (Distributor
open to crankcase ... would not have thought of that! And why are they
designed that way ... ???)

Where would I see a spark/vent screen on the distributor mechanism? Haven't
come across it so far.

Again, thanks to all. Much appreciated.

Charles

====

Charles T. Low
www.boatdocking.com

====

"trainfan1" wrote in message
...
It seems most problems of this type I had was when the boat(inboard Ford)
was brought out of the cold, damp garage. I would run it on the
fake-a-lake on the trailer, while cleaning, prepping, & inspecting, and it
would run perfectly.

A 30 minute shutdown for a trip to the boat launch would render the engine
DOA at the ramp, the cap soaking on the underside. Dry it out, and that
was the last problem for the season aside from one points adjustment
mid-season(now eliminated with the Pertronix Ignitor).

I think the subsequent heat/cool & humidity cycles were uniform, and we
didn't get any more condensation under the cap for the season. Boat is
kept outside, full mooring cover, 4-5 days a week, & uncovered 2-3 days a
week for the summer.

I think the Chrysler Marine engines went electronic('73/'74) a year or two
after the cars did - ('72(340)/'73(remaining V-8s) - 1-2 years ahead of
Ford('74) & GM(''75)!).

Try the cap & base gasket, & check the spark/vent screen to be sure it's
clear.



Rob


====

Charles T. Low
www.boatdocking.com

====

"trainfan1" wrote in message
et...

Charles, you don't mention what you've done with the points & condenser.
I'm assuming this is the Prestolite distributor?

Do not "make" a vent as outlined in the Click & Clack article. The
distributor is the ignition-protected variety and the housing itself
should have a screen, a vent if you wish, for flame suppression.

A good, new cap, base gasket, and the electronic conversion (I use Retro
Rockets to source the Pertronix units - Sierra also has them) should take
care of the problem except in extreme situations... it worked for me.

Rob