Haha, seems I didn't have enough stuff wrapped around the distributor and such. After many hours of hair-dryer fun I've got the car running again. Had no power above 4k. Took dist apart and cleaned everyhting up did wires check plugs, now above 4k goes like normal but it sputters down low. More cleaning, seems good but low on power overall. More cleaning to go


Oye, next time it's a scrubbing brush and some water instead

 

i usually use brake cleaner (or carb cleaner) with a toothbrush to clean my engine. i found that it was too much of a pain to use degreaser and water ...

everything evaporates pretty quickly, so you don't have to worry about drying anything.

 

Water and degreaser should be fine as long as your careful around the carb and electrical components.

 

I've used degreaser and water on ALL my car's engines for YEARS and have never had a problem. I do follow a few don'ts rules, I don't spray my carb with water, I don't spray my disributor with water and I don't degrease around my pulley's. Degreasing your pulley shaft seals can cause a world of trouble by making them leak more. Has worked for me so far......

 

If you have an air compressor, blow out as much water as you can from the engine bay. Helps too.

jerij

 

I heard brake cleaner after the engine is warm makes the grease leap off the engine. But i use a toothbrush and little degreaser. I do make sure everything is covered though.

 

i was thinking about using the degreaser that is in the car washes (yall know waht im talking about) the public car washes with the car ports. anyways, ive been wanting to degrease my engine, but i just never did because its so high presure im afraid im going to knock off a hose, or spray it in the wrong place, any suggestions?

 

I just cleaned my engine down at the local DIY car wash. All I did was put a plastic bag over the air inlet and secure it with a rubber band, and I don't spray the distributor directly. I like the plain old Gunk brand engine cleaner (not the foaming stuff) and I've been doing it this way for at least 20 years. Had a little water get into the distributor of the old '71 Datsun 510 I had.
Wiped out the cap with a paper towel and was good to go. Never a problem other than that one time. Most disributors are sealed pretty well if the gasket is in place, but if you're really worried about getting water in the distributor, take the cap off and cover the entire distributor with a section of old motorcycle inner tube with the end closed off with a Ty-Rap. Instant distributor condom for "safe cleaning". -WG

 

that happen to me one time and i spray dw-40 on the distributor and after that it worked fine. DW-40 works wonders

 

DW-40? is that something new? or are you feeling dislexic today..............

 

It's German stuff; Deutsche-Werke 40. -WG

 

: j/k eddie!

 

isn't it wd-40?

 

yes, thats the joke

 

ooppss i spell it wrong, wd-40, ok

 

Never had any problems washing under the hood, but thanks for the tip.

 

Give your car a good half hour drive on the freeway right after the wash to ensure that everything is dry and works well