My Lt1 355 has distroyed 4 distributors in 3 days

I have a LT1 350 that Im having distrubtor problems with. I have replaced the distributor, cap, rotor, and control module 4 times in the passed 3 days. Idk what could be going wrong to cause this problem. Could someone please help?  

This is very common, and I'd recommend going with MSD's billet Optispark replacement. The factory pieces have a poor design to start, and also have poor quality control in making them. They are a known weak point with these motors.

http://msdignition.com/Products/Distributors/Chevrolet/Street/Strip/83811_-_GM_LT-1_5.7L_Distributor_95-97.aspx

http://msdignition.com/Products/Distributors/Chevrolet/Street/Strip/8381_-_GM_LT-1_5.7L_93-94_Distributor.aspx  

just curious...  what's happening to the distributers...  mechanical damage.????


just curious... is there any forward thrust from the cam  that is damaging the distributer??  

the distributers where burned up..  

thanks...   these distributers get hooked to the throttle body to supply vacuum to extract the Ozone build up from the arcing that happens...

arcing creates Ozone ...    ozone is three molecules of oxygen and is highly corrosive and reactive...

perhaps verifying the proper vacuum is being applied... and no fuel vapors from the intake are leaking  back into the distributer???????


does this car have nitrous????   perhaps the positive manifold pressure caused by the release of No2 and fuel into the intake is pressurizing the distributer and filling it with fuel vapors and NO2.. which is mostly oxygen..

oxygen in normal atmosphere is 21 percent..   oxygen in NO2 should be about 66 percent .. but i am not a chemist...    1 nitrogen...  2 oxygen.. ??????

i can see if i can find some part number for inline vacuum hose check valves.. i seem to recall even one.. that was a carbon filter...  the black fuel filter thing in the power brake booster hose is a carbon canister to absorb vapors from the intake to protect the brake booster internal parts ...

this is just my thinking off the cuff..

perhaps an inline check valve will prevent flow into the distributer..  but allow air flow from the distributer...


got a vacuum gauge you can tee into the line then pinch off the line below the tee to see if the vacuum is really being applied when the throttle is opened..?????

got any pictures..????   of the damage????

anybody else got thoughts on this????????/

one more thing..    have the heads been off this motor.????   was excess sealer used on the head gaskets.( i like lots of sealer) on the head studs.. under the nuts... perhaps there is a ground problem between the cylinder heads and the block..... this has happened before.. a whole cylinder head that would not fire the spark plugs...  there have been some racers that have run ground wires from both heads to the distributer to shorten the spark return path...


i don't want to create a vacuum on this board...  people already accuse me of hogging all the air in a room when i come in...  

for people who drop through....

there are several articles around the various magazines on the optispark...

i had not read them when i posted above.. thats just what i was thinking at the time...

here are some to help with increasing your knowledge...


http://www.gmhightechperformance.com/tech/0310htp_lt1_ignition_system_understanding_modifying/index.html

http://www.corvettefever.com/howto/16758/index.html

http://www.vetteweb.com/tech/vemp_0611_corvette_lt1_msd_distributor/index.html

http://www.carcraft.com/howto/ccrp_0603_opti_spark_tune_up/index.html

http://www.vetteweb.com/tech/vemp_0709_msd_lt1_distributor/index.html


somebody find the jumper cables...   this forum needs a jump start..