Corroded DS2 Distrbutor Cap/rotor Contacts-Carbon Tracking?

MercuryMarc

MercuryMarc

Well-known member
I pulled off my Dist Cap and noted that my rotor contact has white corroded material on the end, and my distrbutor cap contacts also are corroded with heaped up, irregular metal where the contacts touch.

rotor.jpg


I will replace with a new cap and rotor (the unit is 18 months old and due for a tune-up).

Is this sort of wear expected? I have a Flamethrower coil, 1980 Mercury Monarch Duraspark 2 module/Dizzy on my 250 running at about 8-10 degrees initial advance.

Thanks!
 
How was it running? That looks typical of caps I've pulled doing tune-ups. Carbon tracking will cause the spark to go to the wrong plug or make one plug fire every time the coil sparks. The build up is pretty normal and can be knocked off with emery cloth if your in a pinch. When the spark jumps it creates ozone and ozone oxidizes the alloy the contact post is made of. If the posts are copper you get green crud if they were iron you'd see rust.
 
How many miles? Those are pretty big hunks of crud. What you running for gaps? Any kind of misfire could do that but if they are all like that and the car runs well I dont know. High resistance in the wires?
 
thanks for the replies.
I rebuilt the engine in 4/05
Last cap/rotor change then (oops..), perhaps 4,000 miles on it since
Plugs changed a month ago
-nice and tan
-Standard Autolite plugs for 70 Mustang 250-gapped to 0.045
New plug wires 2005 (standard for a 80 Mercury Monarch)

Runs extremely rough at idle despite plug changes, tuning, changing advance, changing vacuum port (manifold/ventruri), changing idle speeds and idle mixture screw.

Soo....
I bought new plugs (these ones for a 80 monarch 250 gapped to 0.050), and a more expensive rotor/cap combo at NAPA (has brass contacts not steel). If this does not solve the rough idle then I can get new high resistance plug wires (I do not really like the grey ones I have now so might be a good excuse for an upgrade).

Any concerns about the Duraspark Module? I plucked it from a 80 Monarch in a local junkyard 3 years ago- not sure if they every go bad or how to tell.

Comments/suggestions appreciated!!!
 
As mentioned, it's the spark which brings about the oxidisation. The stronger your spark, the more it will go like this.

Occasional cleaning of the terminals won't hurt.

Do you have a steady vacuum at idle?
 
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