Greg,
Enclosed are two new Marine SB Mopar distributors for your dual engine Marinette boat. The distributors have the critical parts nickel plated, new stainless steel screws for securing the rotor to the mechanical advance plate, a new reinforced rotor with a longer contact tip, and two new stainless steel mechanical advance springs. The parts and coatings were selected to make the distributor less affected by the environment of your boat.
Two sets of stainless steel mechanical advance springs were designed. One set for a quick advance curve typical of boat application: mechanical advance starts at about 500 engine RPMs and is all in at about 1900 engine RPMs at 26 degrees of crankangle advance. The second set is stronger: mechanical advance starts at about 1400 engine RPMs and is all in at about 3400 engine RPMs at 26 degrees of crankangle advance. The combination of one softer spring and one stronger spring: mechanical advance starts at about 1000 engine RPMs and is all in at about 2800 engine RPMs at 26 degrees of crankangle advance.
We will appreciate that the distributors not be modified, other than changing one spring or adding the mechanical stops, if necessary. We have built and tested the distributors and any changes could alter the baseline of the test in your boat. [I received your last e-mail this afternoon, after this was written and the distributors ready to send. I will change the distributors to one weaker and one stronger spring. As mentioned above I will send the stops but think it is best for you to run the boat with the distributors as sent and add the maximum mechanical advance stop only if the results show the need.]
The goal is to get at least one season of testing in your boat before returning the distributors to our facility for inspection and evaluation. At the end of the boating season if you will remove the cap and rotor and inspect and then report the results to me, that will be appreciated. We will then make the decision if the distributors need to be returned to us for detailed evaluation.
There will always be some corrosion. I have talked with several marine mechanics and marina operators throughout the United States and most report seeing some corrosion within distributors. One marina owner requests (most likely demands) that his customers conduct period maintenance of the distributors. The periodic maintenance is no more than a wipe down inside the distributor and a light spray of WD-40 over the inside of the cap and under the rotor. If the boat is stored in the off season he recommends the same maintenance action. All reported that preventing marine corrosion will never happen. Corrosion can be reduce by changing materials, coating the materials, reducing the source of external conductive paths (often called the electrolyte), reducing the source of voltage which creates the movement of ions from one material to the other material, and adding a non-functional sacrificial piece that is consumed rather than the important parts. But all of these corrective actions only reduces but does not eliminate the corrosion/rust.
The general feedback that I have received convinced me that the extent of corrosion and/ rust within your distributors is not typically. The corrosion and rust in your distributors were also at the extremes of the returned marine distributors we have seen in the six years that we have been manufacturing and selling marine distributors. We have a second customer in Rochester, N.Y. that has returned two SB Mopar Marine distributors from his Marinette boat. I do not remember examining his distributors but our service tech people and others report that the extent of the corrosion/rust in his distributors was about the same as in your distributors. During boating season he keeps his boat at a harbor on the Atlantic Ocean. Because of the similarities, other than one boat is homed on salt water and the other boat on fresh water, convinces me that there is likely something unique with the two Marinette boats that promotes excessive corrosion/rust within the distributors. This is not an attempt to shift responsibility, but if we could identify the uniqueness that promotes the corrosion/rust in the Marinette boats we would be more informed as to what is the comprehensive best fix.
I did call and talk with the owner of Marinette boats in Michigan. He bought the company late, probably after they quit manufacturing the complete boats, now they only refurbish the interiors, and he had little to offer as to any corrosion/rust issues within distributors. He suggested I talk with Sima Marine in Lima, Ohio, at one time the largest Marinette service center. I talked with Sima, not knowing the experience level of the mechanic, he was not aware of any corrosion/rust issues within the Marinette distributors. I have wanted to talk with other boat repair shops that focus on Marinette boats but have done so.
I am also sending our customer in Rochester, N.Y. two new SB Mopar Marine distributors for his testing this coming boating season.
If you have any questions please give me a call or send me an e-mail before installing.
Thanks and I look forward to getting good test results.
Best regards,
