Hi everyone -- as I mentioned in other posts, I was having an ongoing problem with moisture getting into my distributors every time it rained, and even when going to car washes. I would get severe stumbling below 2500 RPM for the first ten minutes or so of driving, then clear up entirely after the engine warmed up and evaporated the moisture. I had my mechanic inspect and eventually replace my caps and rotors, but it didn't really help. I know this is an known issue for the early M119 motors, but nobody really seemed to have a permanent solution.
So, here's what I did -- and seems to be working really well so far (about two weeks now, with several days of very heavy rain and humidity).
I sprayed all of my ignition components with NeverWet superhydrophobic coating (not the electrical leads, obviously), including the inside of the plastic outer covers and the plastic brackets that they snap onto. Basically everything underneath the plastic covers was coated.
To be honest, I didn't have high hopes going into the project, but I was at a loss for solutions so I figured it was worth a shot, since the product had generally good reviews including from a guy who used it on his motorcycle engine that was also having issues with moisture.
Anyway, the process was pretty simple. I took off the plastic covers and set them aside, and removed the ignition cables from the distributors to better expose everything. I covered the distributor leads with tape to protect them, and then I cleaned everything with a heavy-duty citrus degreaser and dried it all thoroughly. After the prep was done, I coated everything with product, let it cure, and that was that.
The product itself is two-stage; a base coat and a top coat. They recommend multiple coats of each for best results. The base coat basically seems to be a latex-like coating, and the topcoat is almost like an acetone. I can see why it needs to be two stages; the topcoat won't adhere to anything at all without that base down first; may as well be spraying canned air.
I did three coats of base coat and then two coats of top coat, waiting about 30 minutes between coats. I would have done more, but the base coat goes WAY further than the top, which shoots out of the can at a higher pressure than any other aerosol I've ever used. Two cans of top coat are probably a better match for one can of base.
The only other issue is that despite what it says on the package, this stuff is BLUE. Like, really blue. The package says that it should be a 'frosted' clear -- and the base coat basically is -- but once you spray that top coat on, it definitely has a blue finish to it. Now, this is an industrial coating and not consumer/cosmetic, so it probably doesn't matter to most users, but I wasn't really expecting it. And anyone who takes a look under those covers is going to be thinking WTF, because it does look like someone spray painted the ignition system translucent blue for some reason.
But after I let it all dry and cure (about three hours) I tested it out by pouring a bottle of water over everything I coated, and literally not one single drop touched any component. The water literally bounced off, exactly the way it did in the marketing videos. I was impressed. Took the car to the car wash... drove just fine right after. And two weeks later it still seems fine, even after quite a few days of very heavy rain.
Hopefully it keeps up. According to the manufacturer it should last at least a year, particularly if there isn't any rubbing, bending or friction on the coating, which there shouldn't be in there (I can tell that it does rub off fairly easily).
Anyway, just thought I'd share! If anyone is having moisture problems this might be worth a shot for you.
So, here's what I did -- and seems to be working really well so far (about two weeks now, with several days of very heavy rain and humidity).
I sprayed all of my ignition components with NeverWet superhydrophobic coating (not the electrical leads, obviously), including the inside of the plastic outer covers and the plastic brackets that they snap onto. Basically everything underneath the plastic covers was coated.
To be honest, I didn't have high hopes going into the project, but I was at a loss for solutions so I figured it was worth a shot, since the product had generally good reviews including from a guy who used it on his motorcycle engine that was also having issues with moisture.
Anyway, the process was pretty simple. I took off the plastic covers and set them aside, and removed the ignition cables from the distributors to better expose everything. I covered the distributor leads with tape to protect them, and then I cleaned everything with a heavy-duty citrus degreaser and dried it all thoroughly. After the prep was done, I coated everything with product, let it cure, and that was that.
The product itself is two-stage; a base coat and a top coat. They recommend multiple coats of each for best results. The base coat basically seems to be a latex-like coating, and the topcoat is almost like an acetone. I can see why it needs to be two stages; the topcoat won't adhere to anything at all without that base down first; may as well be spraying canned air.
I did three coats of base coat and then two coats of top coat, waiting about 30 minutes between coats. I would have done more, but the base coat goes WAY further than the top, which shoots out of the can at a higher pressure than any other aerosol I've ever used. Two cans of top coat are probably a better match for one can of base.
The only other issue is that despite what it says on the package, this stuff is BLUE. Like, really blue. The package says that it should be a 'frosted' clear -- and the base coat basically is -- but once you spray that top coat on, it definitely has a blue finish to it. Now, this is an industrial coating and not consumer/cosmetic, so it probably doesn't matter to most users, but I wasn't really expecting it. And anyone who takes a look under those covers is going to be thinking WTF, because it does look like someone spray painted the ignition system translucent blue for some reason.
But after I let it all dry and cure (about three hours) I tested it out by pouring a bottle of water over everything I coated, and literally not one single drop touched any component. The water literally bounced off, exactly the way it did in the marketing videos. I was impressed. Took the car to the car wash... drove just fine right after. And two weeks later it still seems fine, even after quite a few days of very heavy rain.
Hopefully it keeps up. According to the manufacturer it should last at least a year, particularly if there isn't any rubbing, bending or friction on the coating, which there shouldn't be in there (I can tell that it does rub off fairly easily).
Anyway, just thought I'd share! If anyone is having moisture problems this might be worth a shot for you.
