Fired up another 70 455 convt. yesterday after a three year refurb. Ran fine. Washed it with rear angled down hill. I am sure plenty of H2O went into the scoops. Did not crank it again until this morning and it ran rough and would no longer idle on its own. Checked for water in the cap and plugs but the problem remains and must be water related. Anyone seen this gremlin?
Jim, When was the last time you changed the cap, rotor, and wires? Sometimes, getting things wet can facilitate carbon tracking on some marginal parts. Take a good look at your cap and wire condition. If you suspect any water got inside the cap, and distributor, you can use a hairdryer to get rid of any residual moisture. Also use some dielectric grease inside the distributor and plug boots( MSD calls it spark guard) Also look carefully at the coil tower boot while the engine is running. It's not uncommon to see an arc between the tower and coil terminals. Hope that helps.
I agree with Larry.My step son did that to his car and we thought the cap was bad.Turned out the wires were the problem.Best time to see the arcing is after dark.We did it after dark and it looked like an electric show under the hood.Words to to wise(and not-so-wise)keep your hands out of the engine compartment while conducting this maneuver.Unless you enjoy what happens next!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Pat:TU:
Larry all parts are brand new and I blew out the distributor cap first thing. Worked great the night before and until the wash. Must be water related and like you I suspect ignition.
Jim, I did the same thing with the '68 GS350 once, sprayed all the ignition wires with WD40, makes a mess, but they finally dried out and I was able to come home from the carwash less than .5 mile away from the house! RV
Roberta: It will crank and run but it is no longer smooth. I will purge that gremlin Monday or I might have to utter a few foul words. Of course that is part of ownership is it not?
Sounds like you might have a plug wire loose. Even if they are new could still be the problem, check 'em with ohm meter, see what you get, I forgot more than I knew, about what the resistance is supposed be per foot. But you probably know! Good Luck! RV
Resistance Roberta his main resistance stands about 5'8' and is strawberry blond. Since I am not an engineer I don't know how that equates per foot pound but I am sure it is a lot!!! :grin: Dr.O
The simplest cure is to drive it. Take it out on the highway and run for 50 miles. This will get the engine hot enough to get rid of any moisture in the system. :beer :beer
When I had tha problem I sprayed BraKleen in the cap and that stuff is amazing. Dried up like the desert and "Kleened" it up well. Started right up after that.
Re: Resistance Unfortunately, that is 5'10'' not 5' 8". She can look right down on the top of your head standing flat footed. That is why we call her Dr Doom. Her friends just called he "Doom" and you know what I mean!
leaks - liquid pyrene used to use liquid pyrene from a fire extinguisher to "dry" those wet & cracked distributor caps or coils . worked great as it evaporated it also dried up the moisture .
Glad everythings ok Jim. This thread caught my eye after what happened to me last spring. I went to the car wash, running fine and after the wash was mising pretty bad. i had thought what everyone suggested, wet ignition, but later found #1 cyl full of coolant!!:eek2: blown head gasket... That wasn't fun!
