I have an ignition problem... the plugs are fouling (soft sooty carbony), the car is underpowered...

I pulled the cap and rotor today to see what the deal was, on the undeside of the cap on the pole pieces there is a whitish substance, it's hard, and after taking a rag to it, it's still mostly there... the rotor looks like it's been anodized black (I forget how it looked when I bought it) and in the center of it where the coil wire comes down into it, there was some carbonish corrosion type stuff...

I wiped it all down and am ready to put it all abck together, but I wanna wait for a responce from you people...

(BTW, when I tested the ignition coil, it was as if I wasn't testing anything at all... but then again I was either looking for infinite or zero values anyway, so I guess that checks out... the pickup coil is impossible to get at, so I can't check that...)


Any comments, pleace help me out!

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1985 Camaro SC - 2.8L, auto.

http://www.xenodrgn.f2s.com/Frontright.jpg

 

I'm sure there are other here that can comment on what the white substance is. I'd guess it comes from the high voltage arcing interacting with dirt/moisture residue on the cap somehow to produce the white substance - but that's just a guess. I have a similar substance on the ignition coil plug, on the metal cap of this plug. I wonder if it's due to a poor electrical contact with the wire.

Since the rotor and cap are routinely replaced when doing a tune up, I question why you didn't do the same? was there no corrosion on the contacts? Even so, many people will automatically just replace them when doing a tune up.

You question is valid nevertheless. I'm not trying to avoid answering it. I just don't know. I'd like to know also.

 

just take some sandpaper and sand the contacts clean. i don't know what exactly creates that stuff either, but i know it's not great for the way it runs!

i do know that the white powdery stuff under the ign. module and sometimes inside the boots is old dielectric grease, but that's got nothing to do with your question, so just ignore me.

 

Cap and rotor are 3 months/1000 miles old... they shouldn't wear out like that... at least not that fast... I guess I should have been more specific when I posted... I'm wanting to know what my ignition problem could be? Pickup/ignition coil? Module? What causes these symptoms (weakness, miss, not smooth running)?



Any more suggestions now that I've cleared that little bit up?

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1985 Camaro SC - 2.8L, auto.

http://www.xenodrgn.f2s.com/Frontright.jpg

 

the white corrosion is from using cheap aluminum contacts get the cap and rotor that has brass contacts they are a little more money but work better


the white stuff doesnt mean it is wore out just scrape it off with a knife or sand paper as some one said before this and put it back together. it will work

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