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Will my boat blow up now?


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So I just changed my distributor cap and rotor on my monsoon 340 with this.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1991918&cc=1166431&jsn=431

It is a vented cap with brass contacts.  Price was cheap so I went for it.  Couple days after installing it I started to wonder why the "marine" ones I had bought in the past were not vented.

Then I started reading online about it and some people are saying the automotive one could ignite gas fumes while the marine one is sealed.   The one I bought is for automotive.  Is there something I am missing here that I absolutely should have an HVS cap and rotor rated for marine use?  I thought the only big deal was that the marine one has brass contacts.

The old cap and the new one look exactly the same except for the color and vent.  I can't see how the old "marine" cap was sealed at all but I do not want an explosion that is for sure.

Anybody know for sure one way or the other?

 

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It's an insurance thing: if you have an automotive part installed instead of a "marine grade ignition protected" version then the insurance company could possibly walk away saying that any issue was caused by non-marine parts. Yeah, the marine version costs more, but a new boat without an insurance payout is waaaay more expensive. Is all about the amount of risk you want to take.

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6 hours ago, oceanbu said:

Then I started reading online about it and some people are saying the automotive one could ignite gas fumes while the marine one is sealed.

 

6 hours ago, oceanbu said:

Is there something I am missing here

You said it yourself

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can you see the vents?  I don't see any in that picture you linked but it doesn't show all aspects.

why would a cap be vented at all?  What's the advantage?

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14 minutes ago, shawndoggy said:

can you see the vents?  I don't see any in that picture you linked but it doesn't show all aspects.

why would a cap be vented at all?  What's the advantage?

Most auto caps are vented.  The vent is that off center circular protrusion that you see.  The venting is designed to reduce condensation

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1 minute ago, oldjeep said:

Most auto caps are vented.  The vent is that off center circular protrusion that you see.  The venting is designed to reduce condensation

So for the ultra paranoid is it something that could be addressed with a dab of silicone?

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9 minutes ago, shawndoggy said:

So for the ultra paranoid is it something that could be addressed with a dab of silicone?

I suppose.  Or just buying the right cap.   And I wouldn't consider it ultra paranoid, gas fumes and sparks in an enclosed area are bad.

 

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1 hour ago, Eagleboy99 said:

50 bucks CAD for a marine cap and rotor.  How much did you save by getting the non-protected version?

Its $110 US at Bakes for cap and rotor...so with exchange I saved like a million dollars Canadian!

Edited by oceanbu
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3 hours ago, oldjeep said:

I suppose.  Or just buying the right cap.   And I wouldn't consider it ultra paranoid, gas fumes and sparks in an enclosed area are bad.

understood, but if what you are saying is that "most automotive caps are vented" I wouldn't say that that's obvious from buying an automotive cap.  I know that the caps that were spec'd by indmar from the factory weren't "marine" in the sense of brass contacts, but I don't know whether it was vented or not.  I guess given the extremely low occurrence of boats blowing up, let alone from vented hvs caps, that it's probably not a huge deal.  But I still wouldn't be comfortable knowing that there's a spark machine open to atmosphere in the engine compartment.

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formulaben
3 hours ago, oldjeep said:

And I wouldn't consider it ultra paranoid, gas fumes and sparks in an enclosed area are bad.

Food for thought...incidents involving recreational boating "ignition of fuel or vapor":

2017 had 157 incidents with 103 injuries and 2 fatalities.

2016 had 159 incidents with 133 injuries and 2 fatalities.

2015 had 60 incidents with 33 injuries and 2 fatalities.  

Given that these are reported incidents that meet criteria required by law, there is undoubtedly other incidents that go unreported...

http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_statistics.php

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formulaben
5 hours ago, MadMan said:

I wouldn't run a vented cap on my boat.  This is one time I wouldn't use the automotive version of an engine part.

...and alternator, and starter.

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22 minutes ago, formulaben said:

Food for thought...incidents involving recreational boating "ignition of fuel or vapor":

2017 had 157 incidents with 103 injuries and 2 fatalities.

2016 had 159 incidents with 133 injuries and 2 fatalities.

2015 had 60 incidents with 33 injuries and 2 fatalities.  

Given that these are reported incidents that meet criteria required by law, there is undoubtedly other incidents that go unreported...

http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_statistics.php

It would be very interesting to see a breakdown between carbureted and fuel injected on those stats. 

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8 minutes ago, formulaben said:

Absolutely.  Long story short, I helped a friend troubleshoot an issue and he/we replaced everything except the rotor because it looked so good...ended up being the source of the problem.  Think of it as preventive maintenance, a small price to pay so as to not ruin another fun day on the lake.

The rotor is brand new...but I will probably still just get both.

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formulaben
14 minutes ago, oceanbu said:

Well I guess I am going to get a new "marine" cap.  Should I get a new rotor too?

Absolutely.  Long story short, I helped a friend troubleshoot an issue and he/we replaced everything except the rotor because it looked so good...ended up being the source of the problem.  Think of it as preventive maintenance, a small price to pay so as to not ruin another fun day on the lake.

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2 hours ago, oceanbu said:

Its $110 US at Bakes for cap and rotor...so with exchange I saved like a million dollars Canadian!

Bakes is great for lots of things:  but not this.  You can find all sorts of decent marine parts in Canadian bucks for substantially less.  Lots of the regular auto parts place sells them; got my last set in Vernon for a fraction of Bakes' cost.  You ain't savin' just money buying the right parts.  Like Dad used to say "Horses for courses"

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After meeting a guy with burn scars on his entire left arm and chest from an engine bay ignition accident, I recommend being VERY careful.

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formulaben

I swear I saw a boat one but couldn't find it...just keep in mind the very small volume of the engine compartment of a jet ski versus a boat.

 

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Also highly recommended and as supplied by the OE's are hard lines for the pressure side of the fuel system.  Since on the topic, make sure the inlet side of the blower system is down low as the fuel vapors go to the bottom of the bilge.  I like the inlet to be close to the starter.

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On 6/4/2019 at 12:32 PM, shawndoggy said:

It would be very interesting to see a breakdown between carbureted and fuel injected on those stats. 

Either way I would buy the marine version, but I would be curious about this as well.  My old boat with a carb'd motor smelled like gas every time I opened up the hatch.  Never seem to smell gas with the fuel injected motor.

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