After-market distributor cap--WARNING and story (longish)

["Kurt Wesseling" <kwessel@enm.maine.edu>]

Car has been missing lately.  Checked under the hood at night and 
discovered arcing between the coil wire & #1 cylinder.  Went to 
local Parts America store and bought a Wells distributor cap that was 
supposedly for my '87 5KCSTQ.  Installed it.  Drove car.  Arcing like 
crazy !  Car died twice the coil was grounding so bad.  Bought small 
$10.00 (!) tube of dielectric grease, applied to coil wire terminal 
on new distributor cap and wire boot...arcing like crazy continues!  

Driving again.  Car misses & dies **&^%$#! Get out.  Now notice
black carbon track burned right into the DC's plastic sleeve
surrounding coil wire. The wire sockets on on top of the Wells DC are
not deep enough.  The metal sleeve around the wires is above the
edge of the socket.  Spark jumps right across.

Did I mention I'm on my way to work and it is cold & snowing? Nice
man in pick-up truck stops to "help."  Has can of spray something in
hand.  I crank, he sprays.  Bad idea.  Arcing continues, flaming
distributor cap and wires follow !  Nice man blows fire out like Big
Bad Wolf.  "I've never had _GUMOUT_ burn on me before," says nice
man.  "A new, unknown use for Gumout," I think to myself.  Limped 
home put old Bosch DC back on.  Arcing continues.  Waiting for new 
Bosch DC !

Moral: Be careful what you buy for your car !     

--Kurt

______________________________
Kurt Wesseling
Technical Support Center
The Education Network of Maine
800-696-4357
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