stuart69427

I have assumed that this is carbon tracking, but am not sure. I have been meaning to ask about it, but forgot, until i was reading search results and found TomP talking bout it.

What cuases this? How bad is it? How do I fix it? You know the deal, give me the details...

WaynesRS

yup , its carbon . If its bad , just change the rotor . If its not that much , I woudn't worry about it . I think its normal to have a little bit , but not much.

stuart69427

It covers all the metal, diid it on the old one and the new one too. I changed it about a month and a half ago, right before I did the distribitor rebuild.

WaynesRS

hmm , this is wierd , I think this is one for Tom or Karl .

TomP

Okay, where's the powder? Theres three places I can think of where carbon would interfere- where the rotor button of the distributor cap touches the rotor, which is smack dab in the center of the rotor. Look the bottommost picture of my rotor at http://www.geocities.com/tomp_3rdgen/burnt-cap.html . The center was still somehow clean.

2nd point is the tip of the rotor. In that same pic, look how mine is chewed away. Er, well, it's not fully visible, but it was worn at a bit of an angle. This should be pretty clean of carbon.

3rd area is the inside contacts of the distributor cap. They usually get a little "line" of build up across them.

So even though that last picture of my rotor is pretty blackened up, as long as the center is clean, and the rotor tip is clean, you're fine. The rest doesn't matter, it doesn't make contact to anything. I think that's what you're asking.

stuart69427

its on the center and the tip, not on the cap

Project: 85 2.8 bird

dremel tool & wire wheel will clean this mess up nicely untill new cap & rotor needed.

stuart69427

When I replaced the cap/rotor, it was on the old ones. I few days later when I rebuilt the distributor, I found that it was now on the new one as well, which was why I thought is was no big deal...

TomP

Did it look like the picture of mine? If the carbon isn't where electricity flows, you don't have to worry about it.

stuart69427

Yes, that is exactly like it looks, tip completyl covered and the center is covered (but if memory serves me correctly, it appeared it was clear for electrity flow in the absoluty center, a small gap in the carbon dust... I'll go out and check after work...

stuart69427

could it be the MAG PLUS 7mm wires??? (aka El Cheapo) that I had to get from Super Trak, My old ones broke, and I had to have my car to go to work and school the next day, cuase my Mom and Step Dad needed both of there cars and were not able to give me a ride... I wanter MSD 8.5s too but since I had spent $35 on those, i decided to keep, but if they are a problem, i would glady put back my plans to serve this...

(In case you dont read the Body and Interior Forum, I am getting IROC rims and finishing my interior with graduation money, I am getting a head start, and will repleanish my savings funds when the money arrives, hey gotta have the car in tip top shape, to show off to my family, cuase none of them has seen it yet, my carpet is six colors )