so i was checking my tranny fluid today and noticed something odd. there is a guitar pick sized chunk of plastic missing from the distributor cap. i can see the rotor spinning around and around. this is not good, methinks. so now i have two, well, three questions... how did this happen? has it ever happened before in the history of camaro's and does this mean i need a new cap and probably rotor as well? the car runs great, and aside from knowing its there, i honestly cant tell that it is affecting anything for sure... how long it has been there, i couldnt say, but this is the first time i have seen it...

Replace your cap.

Otherwise if some rain finds it’s way in there you’re stalled.

And while you have your cap off swap that rotor, it takes less than 2 seconds.

Like Schlotzsky's, wierd name, good advice.

I would add power washing the engine bay, which we are all
very rigorous about, for these, our cherished pride-n-joy.

Obviously the missing structure is not near an ign. wire contact.
Just for grins, see what it looks like at night (i.e. dark...) with
the engine running. If it's bright, don't try to touch it.

From 1957 to 1974 the "norm" for SBC distributor caps was a "hole" in the side so you could adjust the points. True, there was a little metal "door" that would slide down to close it when not being adjusted, but it was far from waterproof.

Replace the cap when you feel like it. Until then, it isn't going to hurt anything. Replacing the rotor at the same time is a good idea.

trust me, this is not an engineered hole.
more of an impact damage looking defect to me.
Schlotzsky's... haha.
yeah, ive been meaning to powerwash the engine for some time now.
supposedly its best to do it with it running so that if you hit something sensitive, you know to stop...
makes sense to me. lol.

well as long as its not in eminent danger of blowing sh!t up that makes me feel better.
not that i would stop driving it every day if it was or anything

By then it's too late.

well i figure if it stumbles ill stop immediately instead of not knowing at all and powerwashing the heck out of whatever it is that doesnt like water.
good point though.

DUDE...
I wasn't advocating p-washing the engine compartment,
rather indicating this is an additional way for water to
enter the impact hole.
(Sarcasm really loses something when you have to explain it.)



And if you DO get water in the dizzy-cap, the only solution
will be to dry it out. And -- sorry Billy Mays with micro-fiber towels --
compressed air is the only way I've ever gotten it dry enough
to start again.

no no no...
powerwashing the engine compartment is something i usually do on my car before it gets treated to a really good washing.
a buddy of mine does it to his cars (three supercharged cobras) before he takes them to shows.
his 93 is still clean enough to prepare for surgery on.
i guess its one of those things where if you take the time every month to keep it clean, it never gets out of hand.

as soon as the rent checks come in, i am getting a new cap.
tires are next... my rear passenger side tire is showing some serious wear. driver side isnt much better.
front tires are great though... weird how that works isnt it?