I just had the same thing happen to me. I was working with Frank Condelli
on the oil cooler and we removed the wires to free up some space. There was
just dust in the top of the cap! It seems that there are two types of plug
wires and caps - if you get them mixed up the fit is not tight the whole
system is just firing on arcs!  I would say new wires, cap and rotor.

Regards, Jeff Rogers

On Wed, Jun 5, 2013 at 1:27 PM, Sondergaard, Arlene <asonder@usgs.gov>wrote:

> It has been over a year since my last tune up.
> I guess a new distributor cap and wires are NOT included in a tune up!
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 5, 2013 at 10:03 AM, Steven Johnson <sjohnso2000@gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
> > How long has it been since the distributor cap has been changed?   I
> would
> > attribute it to an old cap that needed changing.  After a time there is
> > corrosion
> > build up which causes resistance which causes the carbon build up.  Also,
> > maybe
> > that last person that reconnected it didn't do a very good job which
> > allowed more
> > carbon build up and hence a resistive connection and bad running because
> of
> > a crappy spark to each cylinder....
> >
> > Steven
> > 91 Westy
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Jun 5, 2013 at 8:10 AM, Sondergaard, Arlene <asonder@usgs.gov
> > >wrote:
> >
> > > My 87 vanagon idled rough and died this morning.
> > > Tightened up distributor cap wires just in case
> > > and the middle one came off in my hand.
> > > It was all carbon-no wires connecting anything!
> > > What would cause this?
> > >
> > > I have been having power issues for months.
> > > Maybe it was the distributor cap all along.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > --
> > > Arlene Sondergaard
> > > CVO Sediment Lab
> > > 1300 SE Cardinal Court, Suite 100
> > > Vancouver, WA  98683
> > > 360-993-8943
> > > asonder@usgs.gov
> > >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Arlene Sondergaard
> CVO Sediment Lab
> 1300 SE Cardinal Court, Suite 100
> Vancouver, WA  98683
> 360-993-8943
> asonder@usgs.gov
>