I have a ski boat with a pcm 2003 gm 5 7 350 ci marine motor that uses the vortec distributor cap it is flat and the plug wires come off of the sides.
4 3 vortec distributor cap problems.
A spinning rotor at the head of the distributor contacts metal prongs on the cap of the distributor sequentially transferring the.
The distributor cap failing is a common problem across all vortec engines.
Ran cylinder compression test and fuel pressure test and everything checked out ok.
The vortec distributor is responsible for providing the ignition coils with the electricity required to power the spark plugs and create combustion.
To verify vortec engine distributor problem set the code you simply remove the distributor cap.
Gm has a technical bulletin included in the new cap that speaks of a lack of ventilation which can cause pre mature corrosion of the cap.
The last cap only lasted 3k before it started mifiring.
4 3l vortec distributor cap failure.
The distributor in a 1997 chevrolet blazer accepts the electrical charge needed for combustion and relays it to the six spark plugs in the 4 3 liter vortec v 6 engine in a specific order.
When you look at the spark plug wire terminals you ll see unusual wear patterns.
I went through many caps both aluminum and brass inserts new wires new dist plugs coil but nothing fixed it.
4 3 distributor cap issues 08 22 06 06 05 am post 989299 in response to hdmk i had this exact same issue on a 96 and never found the actual cause of the problem.
In addition you ll also see damage to the distributor rotor.
It recommends taking out the wire screens located somewhere on the base of the distributor.
I have a 3rd cap now with the same problems.
Replaced the distributor cap with a new mercruiser cap and had same issue again 2nd time out.