hei distributor

[85/Silverado]

Does anyone make one of these that doesn't rust up inside after a year?

[Palf70Step]

I have never had that issue, even down here along the coast. The last non-factory one I bought was from Speedway Motors and it went 3+ years and I never noticed any rust.

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speed...iABEgLsu_D_BwE

[Dead Parrot]

My Accell is rust free after 20+ years but I have heard their quality has gone down since then.

[MikeB]

I've used many large cap HEIs over the years and have never had one rust. Which components are rusted? Pictures?

I've read where some folks in high humidity areas drill a vent hole in their caps. But I can't say if this is a good idea or not.

Also, who is the manufacturer? There's lots of low-bidder Chinese junk out there. I mean, if a good quality cap and rotor ALONE costs $30, How can some vendors sell an entire HEI for $45?

I like to use GM and MSD. Never ever have had a problem with ANY of them. One of them (a GM rebuilt by Accel) is 23 years old. I eventually replaced the cap, rotor, coil, and module with MSD components around 10-12 years ago, but not because of a failure. Another good brand is Proform, made in Taiwan, which is light years better than anything from China.

[OutlawDrifter]

In all honesty, I've had great luck with the Skip White $45 units.

Call them what you will, but they just work. I agree with replacing typical parts with AC Delco replacements when it's time for maintenance.

[andyh1956]

In my vast archive of literature I have a GM TSB from the '80s that addresses this problem.
It may take me a week (Or Longer) to find it but I remember it having something to do with Ionization & Polarity.
Seems like the paste that goes under the module was involved also.

[S10Fan]

Originally Posted by OutlawDrifter

In all honesty, I've had great luck with the Skip White $45 units.

Call them what you will, but they just work. I agree with replacing typical parts with AC Delco replacements when it's time for maintenance.

Same here. I carry a new spare wrapped in plastic in my "travel" tool bag. Never ever a rust issue and I'm here in SE Virginia with lots of humidity.

[85/Silverado]

Here is the one before the HEI. This is what this one looked like after 2 years. So that was 600 bucks down the drain. Now I have a box under my hood that isn't connected and switched to a HEI and now It's rusty.

[cadillac_al]

Hmmm, that is pretty rusty. I have a feeling it will probably work fine like this or will clean up fine but I agree it looks pretty nasty. I never understood how moisture gets in there in the first place. I think it usually gets steamed out once it's hot. I'm going to ass-ume you live in a high humidity environment and only drive short trips.

I finally had to replace a module in one of my Skip White distributors recently and it was still pretty clean in there after 8-10 years. Our Maine weather can cause humidity in HEI caps too. I never mess with distributors any more. I just buy new ones for $45.

[85/Silverado]

Yes It's very Humid here, I'm a block from the gulf and a mile down the beach from Mexico Beach Fl. that was completely wiped out by the Hurricane last month.
And yes I don't drive It a lot. Just to car shows and to the big city 35 miles away when I need to buy something that won't fit In the car.

[Wgesnerjr]

I wonder if WD-40 would help? (WD=Water Displacement)

When I was young, my best friend's father told us to use WD-40 if the cap is ever got wet inside. Never had this problem but always remembered him saying that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40

[AussieinNC]

The rust in these distributors is a result of ionization of the humid air within the cap...

The large rotor to cap clearances add to the effect.

The humid air gets inside the cap when the warm distributor slowly cools down in a humid environment.

I usually drill a few holes in the bottom of the distributor housing to allow the condensate to drain out.

Every six months or so, remove the cap and rotor, clean the reluctor and base plate with electronic spray then lightly spray WD-40. Grab a heat gun and gently dry the WD-40...dont overdo the heat. Wipe out the inside of the cap, check for electrode loss due to ionization and replace if necessary...