1993 T/A Stalls in Puddles

[beltrunner]

Ever since it was new my '93 TransAm (original,now with 70,000 miles) has been sensitive to going thru puddles of water.Any moisture near the low-slung ignition system and the engine cuts out.It usually starts up after 15 or so minutes.Now that my daughter has taken over the car I am more concerned about this problem.I was following her the other day in the rain when she slowed way down for a big puddle, but the T/A still quit on her.Lucky I was behind her.Best I could tell is that the crank pulley picked up some water and slung it onto the ignition,effectively killing the engine (The puddle was not deep enough to reach the distributor).Anyone know of some sort of remedy for this problem...aftermarket distributor or such?...Thanks for any help.

[Keith Seymore]

Are you suggesting the water is getting on the ignition system and making it cut out?

My first thought was that the engine was ingesting the water through the air induction system (air cleaner and ductwork), which means it is a slug or two away from hydraulically locking up.

I'd pull any cold air ductwork off and let her breathe the underhood air and see if that helps.

My $0.02 -

K

[beltrunner]

From what I can tell the problem is ignition related. The air filter stays dry and there is no evidence of water in the air intake system. The plug wires appear to be in good condition, and seal well at the distributor end. This stall out has occurred several times over the years,and when the motor restarts after several minutes, it runs ragged for awhile and then is fine.The dealer originally told me that it's the nature of the beast...low slung car with a low positioned distributor system. But I never saw a bunch of F-Body cars, or Corvettes for that matter, stranded on rainy days when my car stalled. I was hoping that there is an improved distributor that might be available since I'm leaning toward replacing mine...I read somewhere that later models use a vented distributor, but I have not been able to determine if it would fit my '93. Is this a common problem in this car...or just me?

[Keith Seymore]

Ok - that's good data.

Can you "vent" the distributor you already have? On some MSD ignitions we have vented the cap by drilling a few 1/4" holes in the back side. Is something like that possible in your case?

K

[n20ta2]

Thats a very common problem,its your opti distributer.You can do an upgrade to a vented opti and that usually will solve the problem,do a search on google or try an f-body site like f-body.com they will help.

[beltrunner]

Thanks for the info. My next project will be to replace the distributor with a better one. It's funny how we never run out of things to do when dealing with our cars...

[quicksilver97ta]

Unless someone has produced a specific retro-fit be sure to do all your homework, I think there is more involved than just swapping the distributor. Mine is vented so I never had to do this but I think the front of the cam that drives the distributor is different and maybe the timming chain cover too? Wish I could rememeber the details clearly as this is highly discussed on other boards but vented is a big improvement. I remember some guys talking about modifying there non-vented to a vented by adding some ports for vacuum lines. That's all it is to being vented. One port to a vacuum source like the intake and one port to some filtered air from the elbow. I remember my impression at the time was to just do that if that was all I wanted. Copy the vented one, just drill holes and thread some nipples in there.
As bad as you describe yours it sounds more sensitve than average though. You might take a good look at all your boots and the cap may not be sealed well. Most problems are from being nearly submerged or heavy condensation. Usually just a splash doesn't affect it.

[beltrunner]

Thanks quicksilver97ta...I will research it before I buy anything. That venting thing sounds like a good idea, and a do-able project...