Distributor corrosion questions...

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bptahoe

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bptahoe- The Packard wires are a step down from Delco, Same wire with different boots. Packard was the OEM MFR, don't know if they still are. About 1/2 price of Delco and last. I have installed many of the crab distributors from United and like them, But you MUST only use DCR820X cap, others blow out from coil terminal inside. If you change dist you will likely REQUIRE a scanner to set timing. Many cheap bluetooths work to set cam angle offset or you set a P-1351 code. BAFX is one about $20.
I've also run into chineese AC plugs that didn't last, Recommend NGK now.
I keep a couple fleets of this vintage alive now as work trucks, a few at 300k miles+. So what works is most important.
Get a fuel pressure gauge with a hose long enough to reach the windshield, A spark tester, Multimeter And Scanner then you can do 95 percent of the items yourself. RockAuto is your friend! Good Luck.

Exp500- Thanks again for the info. I don't know how I've missed the 'Packard' name seeing as I have always been a GM fan. I guess that just goes to show that you can always learn something. I did order the DCR820X cap/rotor last night, as well as a full set of NGK G-power 3403 plugs. I didn't see any reason to get the crazy expensive NGKs since I'm essentially stock. Hopefully those items and a set of wires will cure my issues, but if not, I'll have to look into another dizzy....hopefully not though. I bought this Tahoe in 02' with 59k miles on it, so I've had it 19 years now! Dang!!! It now has 127k miles on it. It's almost broke in. I've replaced the fuel pump, and had the intake manifold gaskets replaced twice due to coolant leakage. I also replaced the spider injectors with the upgraded design. Other than that, I've not had any trouble with it at all, other than bad dizzy caps(and maybe an annoying soft brake pedal). Over the years, I've taken on all of my own mechanic work. My bluetooth OBD2 reader will not talk to my Tahoe for some reason. I'll look into the BAFX. I've got fuel check gauges, spark testers and meters, so I'm 'ready' ... haha. I tinker with a lot of later model VW's, and have done timing jobs and transmission swaps. I've even done one auto to manual conversion. All the while, my Tahoe has sat by quietly and needed to repair, just to be driven. :) Oh yeah, I know RockAuto very well. Haha. I'll drop back in and update once I get the order delivered and installed. I'm a believer in passing information on. There's not much worse than a thread discussing a problem, only to never post the end results.
 
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bptahoe

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I put new plugs, wires, dist cap and rotor on today. I'm going to try to post a pic of what the top of the inside of my distributor looked like. I blew it out with compressed air and just moved forward. She's running very well. I've never seen a distributor get like this...

IMG_20210122_142236578.jpg
 

OR VietVet

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That is one very crusty distributor. Salt in the air can contribute and trapped moisture inside can too. I have see bad ones but never one that far gone.
 
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bptahoe

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That is one very crusty distributor. Salt in the air can contribute and trapped moisture inside can too. I have see bad ones but never one that far gone.

I'm in middle Tennessee, so salt is not an issue. This thing just holds moisture. That pic was before I blew it out, and that got all of the loose stuff out. It looks much better, but of course all of the surface rust is still present. I didn't take an after pic ... I was already tired from pulling the fuel tank/pump on my wifes cavalier, so I was really, really wanting to be done. Haha. There were also large calcified deposits on all of the contact points under the distributor cap, but the rotor didn't really look bad. Mind you, these items couldn't have had 3k miles on them. I'm going to start driving it one day a week to work. The round trip is only 38 miles, but that's better than nothing.
 
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bptahoe

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If it were me, I would order new dist (United) and wait. Glad It's better.

I am going researching it. There are several things I'd like to do to it, so I'll probably start gathering parts and do multiple things altogether...specifically exhaust, but I'll also have to have a scan tool of sorts to set the timing((I think, right?)), and since I despise borrowing things, I'll wind up buying my own. While I don't care what the new dizzy looks like, is there any true performance option to consider? I don't care about making this thing any kind of 'performer', but if I'm replacing parts and I can find quality upgrades that make it more fun to drive, I'm all for that.
 

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