MSD distributor + ozone= rust

[c9zx]

This is a tale of unintended consequences involving an MSD pro billet distributor (the only one I've ever owned). I installed the distributor in one of my cars 15 years ago. It came with a red cap that I hated so I bought a black one. Fast forward to last week. I went to drive the car and it had no fire, troubleshot from the distributor pigtail and found the magnetic pick up to be open. I removed the cap and was shocked to see that every piece of metal, steel and aluminum, was corroded and covered in rust particles. The springs had rusted in half and the advance mechanism was locked. The slides for the weights had disintegrated. The cap terminal were terribly corroded and the inside of the cap was covered in rust particles. I looked into the probable causes and found that the unvented cap allowed ozone, and condensation, to build up causing all of the corrosion. $103.00 in parts later all is good and the new cap is vented. I'd never seen this before but, evidently is common with MSD distributors. So if you have an MSD distributor I suggest you check under the cap and make sure it is vented. Sorry if everyone else already new this but, I was surprised. Chuck

 

[turtle5353]

Yeah get used to it with MSD caps. They added a small vent plug but it don't work. They even suggest drilling holes in the cap to let excess ozone escape and to prevent cross firing from ozone build up. I try to replace my cap and rotor evey year.

 

[c9zx]

Yeah get used to it with MSD caps. They added a small vent plug but it don't work. They even suggest drilling holes in the cap to let excess ozone escape and to prevent cross firing from ozone build up. I try to replace my cap and rotor evey year.

Since I've run Ford distributors with MSD amps for 25 years without this problem I'll take a risk and say MSD has a materials problem. So much for "You get what you pay for". Just as information they do have a rebuild service for $112.00 plus two way postage with a three week wait. Chuck

 

[DK73]

Well I did have so big problem with mine MSD both boks and distributor! Which we true away! Since they have it made I China! Where they just make it whit bad metal [ANGRY FACE]? They get to hot and stop working! Regards Lars

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[Pastel Blue]

Good reason to use original Ford parts...

 

[DK73]

Well I agree with you [FACE SAVOURING DELICIOUS FOOD][THUMBS UP SIGN] Regards Lars

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[kev73]

I'm going to check mine this weekend, I am using the MSD "Ready to Run" Billet Distributor. It will be interesting to see if there could be some corrosion in there, sad to say I only have around 1k miles on the setup however the car has been in storage for 10+ year's. Thanks for posting this ::thumb::

 

[tony-muscle]

Ozone is like oxygen in steroids... thus, oxidation will occur much faster.

Did you save the damaged parts and cap? I would love to have those.

1971 M-code Mach 1

 

[c9zx]

Ozone is like oxygen in steroids... thus, oxidation will occur much faster.

Did you save the damaged parts and cap? I would love to have those.

1971 M-code Mach 1

I pitched the pick up but, I still have the cap, rotor, and rusted springs.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Drilling holes in the cap was an old racers trick from over 40 years ago. But not practical for everyday driving with chance of moisture getting in. Parts made for racing are not necessarily the best for long term. They are made to be used for short term.

Not many materials will stand up to the corrosive atmosphere. We used Titanium for building racks when we did the anodize aluminum trim for Ford. Even stainless would go away.

Nobody would pay the price to use exotic materials. I spray WD-40 inside and blow out with air to help the situation. Have two MSD units with no corrosion.

Thanks for posting the heads up always good to share your experience with others.