Please tell me what happened to my distri. cap

Hello,
I joint a pick to try to explain.
Ok, the cap is damage, I know that.
But why only the the passanger slots are cracked:
If you look at the picture, you'll see that the 2,4,and 6 contact are marked, and the 1,3,5 contact look better.
What do you think of this fact?

 

Re: Please tell me what appended to my distri. cap

dist cap/rotor not aligned/clamped down properly
or
misfiring due to the cracked/broken dist cap
or
incorrect rotor/tang missing from rotor causing arcing
what does the rotor look like ?

 

Re: Please tell me what happended to my distri. cap

One possibility is that the effect is random, and the cap is simply old.

If not random...
Electricity will always take the path of least resistance to ground. If the resistance of the passenger side ignition wires were higher than the wires on the driver's side, then those contacts would be more likely to arc over. Also, if the passenger side spark plugs were gapped differently, or oil fouled, that would change the resistance of the high-tension circuit on that side.

 

A pick of the rotor: it looks nice.

 

The cap has a notch. It can only go on one way. If you put it on wrong it will get beat up because it wasn't seated straight. Don't ask me how I know

 

I find this part on NAPAonline, the chape of the contact is longuer than my old part, maybee it's better.

 

The picture of the NAPA rotor is the correct rotor. The other one looks like the standard GM even fire V-8 point style rotor. This could have caused the damage with the rotor trying to fire at the wrong location in the cap. Here's a link to the pic:
http://napaonline.com/masterpages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=470&LineCode=MPE&PartNumber=RR169SB&Description=Distributor+Rotor

 

Thanks Mortten I think you're true
the edge of my rotor was not long enough and that damage my cap.
Now I can order new parts!
Bruno

 

I order the parts today, but It will take 2 weeks for the parts to come from USA.(I am in France and I cannot find them in France)
So I decid to modify my old parts. It's nice for me if I can move my Jeep in the garage and it's easyer with the engine running.
I modify the rotor to have a larger contact :
//http://mayphotos.free.fr/cj5/rotor2.JPG

I also make 2 holes in the cap to stop the cracking and it works perfectly:



It's only to move my car in the garage not to have a trip from Paris to Dakar!

 

the pic of the modify rotor:

 

Did it work??

 

Your cap also looks to have a crack in the area of the #6 tower and the contact in the middle also has a small crack in it.

 

Interested to know how it worked out.

 

Yes there is a cracking way between the six tower and the
center, I cut the cracked way with a hole.
I make 2 holes because there was 2 ways.
The engine is running nice.It's only to wait for the new parts.
Bruno

 

is that garden hose connected to that fuel filter? if it is you might want to change that.

 

That's not a garden hose , ya never seen a nylon braided fuel line before?

 

no i've never seen that kind of fuel line before i have only seen the black rubber kind. i was under the impression that line was only for use with water.

 

The Hose is a pneumatique industrial hose, it is not made for fuel, but it is oil resistant, et I install it since 1 year.
I had no black hose to mount but it works!
Bruno