How can I stop my car from getting condensation in the distributor cap?

Question

It happens in icy/wet weather, and means the car goes max 8 miles per hour as there's little spark.

It's a W reg Daewoo Matiz

Answer 1

WD40 is a freeing agent for loosening off rusted screws etc.

Use Holts Damp Start, that's what it designed for. First dry out you cap in a warm heat for as long as you can spare, along with leads,(mark the leads), dry, as best you can the interior of the distributor. Put everything back together, and spray thoroughly  round all the joints.

Answer 2

some distributer caps have a vent make sure its closed it may be loose or cracked try to replace it.

Answer 3

  WD40 stands for Water Displacement 40th attempt. It will as the name implies displace the water. You need to spray it all inside the cap then if any water should get in there it will run off whatever is coated. The only problem is that you need to figure out how the water is getting in there in the first place. Im not familiar with your model but check to see if there is a gasket that fits into a groove on the underside lip of your distributor cap. Alot of times when cars come in they are missing those or they are half on half off.  

Answer 4

First buy a new cap then spray with an water isolator spray something like ignition sealer .wd 40 will work in the short term

Answer 5

Firstly, renew the cap!  Secondly, the rotor arm inside it, which spins on the shaft, and if the plug leads are all ok, get a rubber washing-up glove (Marigold) and cut tiny holes in the tips of the fingers and the thumb.  One lead at a time, so you don't lose the firing-order (which is 1-3-4-2 from the front of the engine, anyway) feed a lead through one of the holes, replace onto the correct spark-plug, and finally do the same with the coil-distributor lead.  Pull the body of the glove down over the distributor.

    "Marigolding" has been successful for years on rallycars and 4-Wheel-Drives, and lets them keep going even when they drive through deep water!

   I hope this is explained well enough.  It's a lot easier to see it in a photograph!  Just imagine pulling the wrist part of the glove over the distributor, and one lead going out through all five digits of the glove, with no chance for water to enter.  If you make the holes too big in the fingertips, use cable-ties to secure them around the lead.

Answer 6

check the seal & spray WD40 in the cap  

Answer 7

wd40  wter doesnt mix with oil so it displaces it. like the idea of the rubber glove tho c.

Answer 8

get some wd40 and smother it.  

Answer 9

If you pick a hot dry day, open the distributor and dry everything out, you shouldn't get any condensation whatever the weather.  If you do, there's a leak in the cap.  You may be able to seal it with WD40, but the real cure is a new dis cap.

Answer 10

WD40 displaces moisture. You should not be getting that much moisture in your cap. It should seal. If you have the know-how, check the cap for cracks, and see that your spark plug wires are sealing at the top. On the bottom, I don't recall a rubber seal being in place at the bottom of the cap, but you may have one. Usually they just seat on and you clamp them down. If you do have excessive moisture in there, check the condition of the cap, because water will tend to cause your rotor - as it goes across the contacts of the distrib - to create resistance. You'll have to troubleshoot. This is a common problem in some cars. Take your cap off and look at it and dry it out. Use steel wool to clean the contacts and then brush any wool dust out. Look at your rotor. Is it dirty, arc'd across the top or singded? Replace it. Are your spark plug wires sealing at the top of the distrib? Make sure they are. Go to work detective.