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cap and rotor removal 2012 Monsoon 350


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Unless you can get a 1/4 torch socket with a short extension in there I would just pull the plenum off. Shouldn't be to hard although easier if you don't have to lol

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Just went through this last week on our 08.  Slightly different plenum design but similar placement.  I managed to get the bolts out of the cap but struggled to pull the cap from the distributor with the limited clearance.  I eventually pulled the plenum.  Six bolts and about a minute to do it.  I would have saved considerable time and skin on my knuckles if I just started by pulling the plenum.

The PCM HVS cap and rotor kit has brass terminals.

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You should be able to do it, it looks almost identical to mine, which I did last month.
Take the ski pole out, use an extension with a torx bit through the tube to get to the brass nut on the back side.

There are a couple of wire harness connectors you need to remove.
Then it just takes finding the right wiggle room / chinese puzzle to get the cap out. But I WAS able to get it without removing the plenum. 

You have to spin the cap a bit, slide one lip down, spin it some more, wiggle it, rotate it etc. 

Took me about 5 minute to get it off, and about 6-7 minutes to get it back on. I did NOT have to force it, but I did have to be mildly firm in one or two spots. But nothing nearly strong enough that would jeopardize breaking/cracking the cap.

 

Hope that helps.

Edited by ibelonginprison
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27 minutes ago, SkiZilla said:

Just went through this last week on our 08.  Slightly different plenum design but similar placement.  I managed to get the bolts out of the cap but struggled to pull the cap from the distributor with the limited clearance.  I eventually pulled the plenum.  Six bolts and about a minute to do it.  I would have saved considerable time and skin on my knuckles if I just started by pulling the plenum.

The PCM HVS cap and rotor kit has brass terminals.

Was the plenum gasket reusable - didn't stick and get torn apart when removed?  And how many hours did you get out of your cap/rotor?

 

Thanks

Edited by oldjeep
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16 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Was the plenum gasket reusable - didn't stick and get torn apart when removed?  And how many hours did you get out of your cap/rotor?

 

Thanks

Had mine off several times on both my boats and the gaskets never tore.  

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22 minutes ago, Ndawg12 said:

Had mine off several times on both my boats and the gaskets never tore.  

Good to know.  Guess I'll be pulling it off this evening - although maybe I should just get a cap/rotor and plan on replacing it rather than waiting to see what it looks like.

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1 hour ago, oldjeep said:

Was the plenum gasket reusable - didn't stick and get torn apart when removed?  And how many hours did you get out of your cap/rotor?

 

Thanks

Gasket completely reusable.  Stayed fixed to plenum, separated easily and cleanly from base manifold.  Cap and rotor had a little over 400 hours on them.  Original rotor with aluminium pins and it looked not too bad but it was due. I have seen way worse.  I did cap, rotor, wires and plugs after a misfire code popped up.  I suspect the real cause was the water in the cap after it accidental got sprayed when I lost the hot water hose to the shower.  Runs smooth as can be now.

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Interesting you say that about the spray.  My misfires started after running across the big part of the lake in heavy chop - back seat was getting hosed down and water could have run down around pylon and onto distributor.

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Sounds familiar.  Mine immediately started to run rough and then I received the service warning.  I shut her down and could not get her to light back up again.  Once I got the distributor cap off a quick shot of WW40 and she fired right back up and ran smooth back to the lift.  I then treated her to a complete ignition tune up.

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3 hours ago, oldjeep said:

Interesting you say that about the spray.  My misfires started after running across the big part of the lake in heavy chop - back seat was getting hosed down and water could have run down around pylon and onto distributor.

Minnetonka??  I was out there Sunday afternoon - wind gusting to 40 and some big whitecaps!  Was on a friend's 30 footer so not so bad but the ski boat were getting pummeled on the main lake.

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2 minutes ago, minnmarker said:

Minnetonka??  I was out there Sunday afternoon - wind gusting to 40 and some big whitecaps!  Was on a friend's 30 footer so not so bad but the ski boat were getting pummeled on the main lake.

Yup, we were getting beaten to death and anytime you caused a splash it would just blow straight across the boat.

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On 6/7/2016 at 10:07 AM, 23LSVOwner said:

Suggestion.

Try to find a cap and rotor button that have brass contacts. The regular ones end up needing to be replaced every year in my experience.

Every year? That seems ambitious. Curious as to how often folks change theirs?

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5 minutes ago, jgates237 said:

Every year? That seems ambitious. Curious as to how often folks change theirs?

Not with the brass ones in my experience. The regular ones tend to carbon up and burn the contacts. Start seeing misfiring that gets progressively worse.

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turns out that my dealer uses Delco caps like the stock one - aluminum contacts. Price was about double amazon so i ordered one there with prime. I'll pick up a brass one as a spare when I can wait long enough for it to show up.

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Guys, I haven't changed my cap out since owning this boat (going on 4 yrs now). That said, isn't this electronic ignition and therefore doesn't have a rotor and cap? I thought rotors and caps were for older motors with distributors with points. This has had me puzzled this entire thread.

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45 minutes ago, jgates237 said:

Guys, I haven't changed my cap out since owning this boat (going on 4 yrs now). That said, isn't this electronic ignition and therefore doesn't have a rotor and cap? I thought rotors and caps were for older motors with distributors with points. This has had me puzzled this entire thread.

Um, no.  HEI, HVS and conventional electronic ignitions still use distributors.   Coil on plug type ignitions don't have distributors or caps (Like the Hemi in my truck).  

Edited by oldjeep
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What OJ said. Chevy's LS motors, Nissan/Infiniti's VQ motors etc. have individual coil packs per plug, moving to a more advanced ignition system allowing for more control of the tune, among other advantages. 

But there are a vast number of motors out there that are still distributor based and use a cap/rotor. Including the majority of Marine motors active on the water today.

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I had a cap and rotor completely corroded late last season. 4th season for boat and 300+ hours. Most of it probably due to it being stored on a lift above water for first 2 seasons. Lesson learned. I always have it stored in dry garage when not in use. Think it will last much longer that way.

It caused the boat to go from running perfect till shut down for 1.5 hour to running so rough it finally croaked. Had been out foiling when got chased in by monsoon. Boat got soaked. Hung out in marina slip for 1.5 hours. Guessing very hot engine bay + water = sauna situation around corroded cap = no run situation.

So consider your storage environment as to how often cap needs service.

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Part of this issue also concerns suppliers. There was a design flaw for several suppliers that had a weak spot in the cap itself that allowed an arc between contacts causing issues with misfiring, etc. This also happened with GM purchased caps.

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16 hours ago, oldjeep said:

Um, no.  HEI, HVS and conventional electronic ignitions still use distributors.   Coil on plug type ignitions don't have distributors or caps (Like the Hemi in my truck).  

 

16 hours ago, ibelonginprison said:

What OJ said. Chevy's LS motors, Nissan/Infiniti's VQ motors etc. have individual coil packs per plug, moving to a more advanced ignition system allowing for more control of the tune, among other advantages. 

But there are a vast number of motors out there that are still distributor based and use a cap/rotor. Including the majority of Marine motors active on the water today.

Thanks guys. Looks like I am in the order mode for a cap and rotor. It will be interesting to see what the inside of my cap looks like.

This site and its Crew are invaluable...

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3 minutes ago, Chrisjjbrown said:

Maybe I missed it but at what interval should you replace you cap and rotor and plugs?

Indmar Manual says 300 hours or annually for plugs - I replaced mine after the 3rd season (170ish hours) and they were fine.  Manual says nothing about cap and rotor that I've seen, doesn't even list the part numbers.

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