msd pro billet distributor maintenance

[fryedaddy]

i went for a ride yesterday in my 433fe comet.my engine kept trying to die at idle.when i got home it would no longer start.i cranked it this morning and it fired up but it died a few seconds later,sounded like i just turned the key off when it died.it would not start back.i took the dist cap and rotor off and wiped them off and it fired right up and runs great.my question is,what do i need to do and look out for to keep this msd pro billet dist in good working order?

[cjshaker]

Can't say as I've ever had that problem except with cheap aluminum terminal caps where you needed to flake off the corrosion from the terminals. Humidity in my area has been 100% lately, and that's with no rain! It looks like just about everything east of the Mississippi has been having high humidity due to massive amounts of moisture being pushed off of the Gulf Coast. So I'm wondering, depending on where you're located, did you have a lot of moisture built up inside the cap? I could see that being an issue. Otherwise, I've never had a problem like you described. MSD units are pretty much bullet proof unless the pick-up goes bad or bushings wear out.

[fryedaddy]

it has been hot and muggy in east tn,storms almost every day.i did have moisture buildup inside.does the caps or rotors ever go bad on these units?

[cjshaker]

Caps and rotors can eventually wear out, but they generally never stop working unless there's a physical failure (talking about good caps with brass contacts). If you had moisture inside the cap, I'd bet that was the issue. Drilling a few small holes around the perimeter of the cap can help, and won't hurt anything. I was also going to mention that you can get carbon build-up inside the caps. If you got a gray appearance on the rag when you wiped it out, that would have only made things worse, especially with the moisture.

[Heo]

I had that problem on a fairlane one year when the
humidity was exeptional high. usualy it is very low
humidity here. Every morning i had to wipe the cap
on the inside. It became routine so i had the
extension cord ready by the car and the wifes hair
dryer

[fryedaddy]

thanks, i will know what it is next time.it was grey and damp on the rag.

[Faron]

Common Deal on Any GM Style advance Dist , The weights are exposed to  Ionized Gases in a much greater sense that OEM Ford Design , WD 40 is your friend