I'll keep this brief.. I replaced the cap and rotor today and MAN..did it feel good. Car runs about the same but the idle is so incredibly smooth. The old cap, on the inside pickups, they had a white kind of corrosion on them and were really rough... The rotor had just a little bit at the end of it. First question, is this a sign of any ignition problems? The cap and rotor I pulled off is NOT the original..it's the same make as mine, Standard Motor Products, but it's not the Blue Streak kind, it's the regular. Second question...on the distributor area where the rotor sits on top of...that is rusted pretty bad. Rust covering all of it...rust and the sides had white-ish flaky corrosion too. Is this normal? Doesn't sound good to me. Thanks guys.

 

Sounds like aluminum terminals... make sure your new one is brass!

 

The new one are brass. At least the wire connecting ends are..the insides still look silvery, not brass.

 

I've seen this type of corrosion in the caps before, it may be partly due to some moisture condensation in there, but mainly its just the contacts wearing out. I'd say if you got a couple of years out of a cap you'd dun good.

 

Last call is correct, I'd say.
May I add if ya want real power gain, one day pull the distributor & do the rebuild I wrote about.
SUCH A HELP
Very simple to perform.
Cost is just parts (modular, coil, distributor gaskets Small Block Chevy & the shaft rubber o-ring)
Rest is knowledge, time & sandpaper & wrenches, hammer & a punch.

 

Karl, You know I really dislike when people replace the module and pick-up coil and say they "rebuilt" their distributor.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: REPLACE THE POLE PIECE. The magnet DOES wear out and the magnet CAN loosen and spin on the shaft.

 

Ked85,
Hey Karl - Remember when we had to set the POINTS?!!
R.J.

 

My Wife's Chevy 6 in the 1968 Camaro & my distributor is still points in the 1974.
Matchbooks!

 

Got a part # for that pole piece and magnet, Dan? I thought on my distributor, the magnet was a press fit onto a splined shaft... but it's been a while, could be wrong.

 

No it is a separate item that can be replaced.
When I rebuilt my distributors, by removing it, broke it, so mine was replaced. Both distributor rebuilds this occured.
I never thought of the angle from Dan, performance increase by replacement.
Which is why I exclude that part from my reponses on distributors.
BORG WARNER POWER PARTS is the BW item just like Accel, brass contacts for best ignition performance. Less expensive, too.

 

Oh, I know it can be replaced. Dan said it could spin on the shaft, and I said I thought the magnet was press-fit onto a splined shaft- which should prevent the thing from ever spinning. Does it crack in half or something?