Thought I'd share this with you fellows (and also rant a bit).
I bought a used SB Mopar distributor on eBay last week. It arrived yesterday evening, in a box padded with foam that must have been soaked in used motor oil and rat piss at one time.
To put it bluntly: It stunk to living hell.
The smell had even impregnated the aluminum shell of the distributor, which - after having been under the hood of the car for a day - has now stunk up the entire car. As if that wasn't all, when I first unpacked the distributor, it was jamming when spun. Turns out it had four small rocks stuck in it (and from the seller's feedback, I'm not the first to complain about rocks in a part).
I dropped the seller a note to see if he had anything to say for it. Though I realize and accept that used engine parts may have a bad stench to them, this was off the charts. Not even a skunk could top it. That, and I was rather curious to see what he had to say for himself.
Unsurprisingly, his reply was a middle finger salute, but I give him a heck of a lot of credit for humor:
It may be an insult, but that sure is the funniest one I've ever received.
I told him I'd try his suggestions, seeing as he doesn't have a disclaimer. It's at these times that I wish I had a spare car and house to ruin, just so I could record it on video and make him poop his pants.
-Kurt
I bought a used SB Mopar distributor on eBay last week. It arrived yesterday evening, in a box padded with foam that must have been soaked in used motor oil and rat piss at one time.
To put it bluntly: It stunk to living hell.
The smell had even impregnated the aluminum shell of the distributor, which - after having been under the hood of the car for a day - has now stunk up the entire car. As if that wasn't all, when I first unpacked the distributor, it was jamming when spun. Turns out it had four small rocks stuck in it (and from the seller's feedback, I'm not the first to complain about rocks in a part).
I dropped the seller a note to see if he had anything to say for it. Though I realize and accept that used engine parts may have a bad stench to them, this was off the charts. Not even a skunk could top it. That, and I was rather curious to see what he had to say for himself.
Unsurprisingly, his reply was a middle finger salute, but I give him a heck of a lot of credit for humor:
Sorry about the "rocks" you found. They were not rocks but the media we used to clean the parts. They should have all been cleaned out but we obviously missed a few and I apologize. As for the smell I had that distributor and foam next to my work bench for at least a week and never smelled anything.
However, I did have a problem with similar foam. I had the same problem with my home and I eventually came to a clever solution. I simply burned it down. The first time it did not completely eliminate the problem as it was only heavily damaged but the smoke smell almost covered it. With my next home I was much more efficient and got total devastation and that did the trick! But the other tenants in the building thought I overdid it and the police won't let me play with matches anymore. They forced me to move and hide out in a old van down by the river.
At the shop we kept it in a outside freezer packed with dry ice until shipped, which helped, and wearing a has-mat suit kept most of the smell out of your skin and kind of acted like a real strong deodorant.
As for your vehicle it is easy! As for the smell in the engine compartment simply drain all the coolant from the system and run the engine at wide open throttle for 15 minutes. I guarantee the smell will go away! As for the interior smell I have another solution that has also worked well for me. Close all the doors and windows and seal the openings. Drill a 3" hole in the roof and pour a 50/50 solution of Acetone and used gear oil into the car just up to the level of the side windows. Patch the hole with fiberglass and place the car out in the sun for 3 weeks and then open the doors and the foam smell will be magically gone!
I hope this helps. I have been thinking of writing out these instructions and placing them in all our distributor boxes but they no longer allow me to have pens, pencils, or other pointy objects in my cell.
However, I did have a problem with similar foam. I had the same problem with my home and I eventually came to a clever solution. I simply burned it down. The first time it did not completely eliminate the problem as it was only heavily damaged but the smoke smell almost covered it. With my next home I was much more efficient and got total devastation and that did the trick! But the other tenants in the building thought I overdid it and the police won't let me play with matches anymore. They forced me to move and hide out in a old van down by the river.
At the shop we kept it in a outside freezer packed with dry ice until shipped, which helped, and wearing a has-mat suit kept most of the smell out of your skin and kind of acted like a real strong deodorant.
As for your vehicle it is easy! As for the smell in the engine compartment simply drain all the coolant from the system and run the engine at wide open throttle for 15 minutes. I guarantee the smell will go away! As for the interior smell I have another solution that has also worked well for me. Close all the doors and windows and seal the openings. Drill a 3" hole in the roof and pour a 50/50 solution of Acetone and used gear oil into the car just up to the level of the side windows. Patch the hole with fiberglass and place the car out in the sun for 3 weeks and then open the doors and the foam smell will be magically gone!
I hope this helps. I have been thinking of writing out these instructions and placing them in all our distributor boxes but they no longer allow me to have pens, pencils, or other pointy objects in my cell.
It may be an insult, but that sure is the funniest one I've ever received.
I told him I'd try his suggestions, seeing as he doesn't have a disclaimer. It's at these times that I wish I had a spare car and house to ruin, just so I could record it on video and make him poop his pants.
-Kurt
