Moparts

MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR

Posted By: jamesc

MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/09/12 06:10 PM

i'm not impressed and i know many others have had similar problems.

first off the internals seem to digest themselves at a pretty good rate. every time i opened it in the past it was rusted to no end. i finally ended up glass beading it and spraying it with a machine storing compound. yes i know it could be from or made worse by ozone.

having said that the bloody caps seem to last about four runs. i mean the carbon post in the center that the rotor makes contact with must be the softest stuff they can find. seriously i bet some of these don't last 50 runs, it seems any time i take the cap off for whatever reason the carbon is pretty much gone. i'm not using some lightning bolt ignition either just an old holley.

anyone else notice the carbons disappearing?
Posted By: poisondart2

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/09/12 06:42 PM

Must be the weather as I have never had any problem with them and did you sell your dragster?
Posted By: sixpackgut

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/09/12 06:46 PM

I have been beat over the head because of my constant bashing of the MSD dist so It must be your fault because only a few people ever have a problem
Posted By: poisondart2

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/09/12 06:50 PM

Quote:

I have been beat over the head because of my constant bashing of the MSD dist so It must be your fault because only a few people ever have a problem



And what dist are you using Ray ?
Posted By: sixpackgut

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/09/12 06:54 PM

stock mopar one but the firecore use the same pieces as mine and if I was in the market I would buy a Firecore
Posted By: poisondart2

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/09/12 07:09 PM

Well the reason I say it may be the weather is most complain of condensation and I have never found that problem as the temps here dont change as drastic as up north. My newest cap is probably 6 years old. i was looking at a firecore yesterday in a guys car and really dont see much difference in it and the MSD looks nicer in my opinon although I due use Firecore wires just like anything else some have no problems others have many problems with the same item
Posted By: johnnycuda

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/09/12 07:14 PM

I haven't had any problems with mine,and I drive mine quite a bit as well as run it occasionally,in the 10 years its been installed,I've only put 2 cap/rotors on it,and there wasn't a issue,was just doing maintenance.
Posted By: Old School

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/09/12 09:04 PM

i was taking one of my pro billets apart to change the adv. limit bushing. i noticed the bearings say " MADE IN CHINIA " wtf........
Posted By: slippery440

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/09/12 10:32 PM

Quote:

i'm not impressed and i know many others have had similar problems.

first off the internals seem to digest themselves at a pretty good rate. every time i opened it in the past it was rusted to no end. i finally ended up glass beading it and spraying it with a machine storing compound. yes i know it could be from or made worse by ozone.

having said that the bloody caps seem to last about four runs. i mean the carbon post in the center that the rotor makes contact with must be the softest stuff they can find. seriously i bet some of these don't last 50 runs, it seems any time i take the cap off for whatever reason the carbon is pretty much gone. i'm not using some lightning bolt ignition either just an old holley.

anyone else notice the carbons disappearing?



Yep same here. Every year its totally rust crap.
Posted By: Performance Only

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/09/12 11:40 PM

I just spray a some dielectric grease on the inside to solve the rust problem. as far as the center carbon wearing out, i've never had that happen. I would say better that 90% of the engines that go out of here have MSD distributors in them.
Posted By: jamesc

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/09/12 11:51 PM

yea Dan after i cleaned it and coated it the corrosion hasn't been an issue but the center carbon wear has been just terrible.

i don't use it for timing as i use a crank trigger but i always set the distributor timing as well so i can just plug it in if for some reason the CT pickup fails and i don't have time to replace it
Posted By: fasthawk6

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 01:05 AM

I run a standard cap that orginally fits a gm points car from the 60's{302 camaro /327 vette} on my msd pro billet dist.

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Posted By: CRIKEY

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 01:18 AM

We see this with every MSD dist we have to fit, Check your cap has a vent cap, HI humidity is def a problem with accelerating the corrosion problem, that along with guys that wash their engine bays down.
We only seem to see this problem with MSD

Our local MSD importer refuses any WARRANTY support.
I had to purchase the replaceable cap POSTS direct from a supplier over therein the US.

I know its not made in the USA anymore, but I dont think this is the problem.
Posted By: mopar dave

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 01:37 AM

Had plenty of trouble with their distributor retarding timing. Fixed it with a crank trigger install. Msd told me their distributor would not pull out timing.
Posted By: an8sec70cuda

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 03:12 AM

I'm starting to think that maybe I should change my cap and rotor. I have an MSD pro billet distributor, been running it for around 10 years and never changed either one. Still runs good.
I'm not being a smartazz, I know some have issues w/ them. Mine looks rusty under the cap, but it runs great. Might as well put on a new cap and rotor while I'm freshening up the motor.
Posted By: Thumperdart

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 03:27 AM

Quote:

Must be the weather as I have never had any problem with them and did you sell your dragster? [/quote
I agree about the weather deal as mine last several years not passes.........just another reason why California rocks........
Posted By: Old School

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 04:01 AM

Quote:

I'm starting to think that maybe I should change my cap and rotor. I have an MSD pro billet distributor, been running it for around 10 years and never changed either one. Still runs good.
I'm not being a smartazz, I know some have issues w/ them. Mine looks rusty under the cap, but it runs great. Might as well put on a new cap and rotor while I'm freshening up the motor.


chip,if your motor is apart, how do your ez roll lifters look? i just got a set for my 580. are you going to rebuild them? how many street miles do you have on them? thanks, brian
Posted By: Just-a-dart

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 04:23 AM



anyone else notice the carbons disappearing?




Yes for me 2 caps a year 200 passes or so plus some driving. I think a larger plug gap makes it worse. Had 1 flat gone.
Posted By: jamesc

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 05:38 AM

Quote:

Must be the weather as I have never had any problem with them and did you sell your dragster?



no didn't sell it, just winterized it the other day.
Posted By: ProSport

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 01:15 PM

Weird, I ran the MSD pro billet for years with no problems.
Posted By: fourgearsavoy

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 03:33 PM

Firecore50 makes a better cap and rotor for an MSD distributor just drop Rick a PM and he will get one out to you
Gus

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Posted By: sunroofgtx

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 03:49 PM

Firecore Distributors are the only hot forged T-6061 billet aluminum on the market. Zero degrees retard to 10,000 rpm. Nobody can say that.


Posted By: bonefish

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 03:56 PM

ive been using MSD probillit for the last 10 years with minimal rusting and no cap wear,only about 2,000 mi a year.and my car sits outside in sw fla,
Posted By: 69dart

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 05:36 PM

That's an easy fix. When you put the new cap on give it a spray with WD-40. Problem solved. Been doing it for years and the caps always look new when I pull them.
Posted By: jbc426

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/10/12 07:38 PM

Quote:

Firecore Distributors are the only hot forged T-6061 billet aluminum on the market. Zero degrees retard to 10,000 rpm. Nobody can say that.







These aren't even available right now, or are they?

Will they offer a distributor with both fully adjustable mechanical(rate and amount of mechanical advance) AND fully adjustable vacuum advance (rate and amount of vacuum advance) for an RB motor?
Posted By: sunroofgtx

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/11/12 12:50 AM

Yes, they have undergone some updates, but now are the perfect unit. Yes on the vacuum advance, but next year. We have the mechanical advance that plugs directly to the MSD box, and a ReadyTORun that has it's own internal ignition module. Big write up in Mopar Muscle in the Dec issue against the MSD 6AL> Good read. It is all that Muscle Motors, FHO, and Bob George uses.
Posted By: Bad340fish

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/11/12 05:47 AM

I replaced a cap last weekend due to the carbon being gone, it was actually concave and you could see where the spark has been arcing to the rotor because they didn't touch anymore. So I swapped to a new msd cap and no cage In performance at all.
Posted By: skrews

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/11/12 07:41 AM

Same problems with my MSD distributor, rusty inards and carbon center electrode burning down to nothing. I drill .030 vent holes between every terminal. This seems to have cleared up the rusting issue. I also replaced the oil filled canister coil for a Blaster SS E-core coil on the advise of the local speed shop which seems to have significantly reduced the carbon electrode terminal deal.
Posted By: jbc426

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/11/12 08:38 AM

I'm looking forward to trying one of the upcoming vacuum advance units.

My Pro-billet unit was really corroding pretty bad. I cleaned and coated the reluctor with that rust converting coating, but it was still corroding badly.

I realized my rotor phasing was way off, and corrected that using an MSD adjustable rotor. The corrosion problem problem virtually went away.

My latest issue is that the cap terminals and rotor tip are getting a black coating build-up on them after a few hundred miles. The center electrode looks normal. The build-up causes a roughness at idle and low RPM. Once I scrape it off, it runs smooth again. Has anyone else experienced this build-up?

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Posted By: sshemi

Re: MSD pro billet distributors and caps GRRRR - 11/11/12 10:00 AM

Quote:

Yes, they have undergone some updates, but now are the perfect unit. Yes on the vacuum advance, but next year. We have the mechanical advance that plugs directly to the MSD box, and a ReadyTORun that has it's own internal ignition module. Big write up in Mopar Muscle in the Dec issue against the MSD 6AL> Good read. It is all that Muscle Motors, FHO, and Bob George uses.



And what about small blocks?
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