4Y electronic distributors and water

[Mr_B]

Hi guys,

Friday night I completed getting my lux back up and running, then on Saturday, my friend Jaco and I took our sons 4x4ing at Melkbos 4x4. Had loads of fun, the play pit, Helgat, was deserted! Believe it or not we had the place to ourselves the whole 2 hours we were there.

Earlier on in the day I tackled a longish water cross, with a little too much aggression and managed to splash water all over the engine and electronics, of course the engine started misfiring badly. Turned out the distributor had ingested water, the top of the distributor cap was damp with condensation. Turns out there's a breather hole in base of the distributor, which allowed enough water in to play havoc and cause the misfiring...

I'm going to fit a restrictive 2-way filter in there to eliminate this potential issue of water splashing in there, I find it quite ironic that the distributor cap has a proper seal on it, but below there's a completely open hole!

Hope this helps someone!

[The Legend]

Anything wrong if i close that hole with a rubber plug?

[Mr_B]

Well, to be honest, I'm not sure... but the short okes with the thick glasses and squint eyes must have put it there for some reason!

[mushroom]

Thanks for the heads up Mr B - what about a breather pipe? that way the hole is out of the water and the lab rat dik glasses okes still have there air hole

[Mud Dog]

Well, to be honest, I'm not sure... but the short okes with the thick glasses and squint eyes must have put it there for some reason!

Expansion and contraction of internal air ..... it probably can't vent through the shaft bushing, especially if it's got oil in there. Perhaps something like a breather tube fitted into that hole and led back to the firewall.
Are you sure that's where the water came in?

[Mr_B]

Andy, I've stripped and rebuilt quite a few of them, there's no other exposed holes! I'll go the breather tube route with a little filter inline and test again! Wonder where I can get a small filter, fuel filter is too big!

[george]

Andy, I've stripped and rebuilt quite a few of them, there's no other exposed holes! I'll go the breather tube route with a little filter inline and test again! Wonder where I can get a small filter, fuel filter is too big!

You get small ones that use in lawnmowers I think

[Scooter]

Try the local pet store and ask for a one way air valve for fish tank air pumps, cost about R5 each

They are used in the air line to stop water rushing back to the pump when the power is out (when your pump is lower than the water level)

I just bought new ones for my pump, they have about a 3mm - 5mm outside diameter nipple IIRC

[Mr_B]

Thanks Scott, not sure I want it one way, must allow for expansion and contraction, maybe I can just mod one a bit!

[Mud Dog]

Do you even need a valve .... could just leave the tube open ended facing downwards. Most water ingress at that point will be as a result of the fan splashing it about.

[Mr_B]

True Andy, but I'm always in favour of a little over thinking and over engineering! There's nothing else to fix on my lux right now!

[Toybox]

There's nothing else to fix on my lux right now!

You're welcome to come and change my front output bearing