Wax plug for the condensor

I'm thinking that perhaps back in the days of dusty roads, the idea was to keep dirt and dust out of the distributer. But it seems that if any moisture were to work its way into the distributer, that it would get trapped in there without the venting that the hole provides. Honestly, this is the first I've ever heard of this plug, and I've been running my As for years without any plug without any problems. It may be authentic, but I'm not so sure it is needed. Henry put a lot unnecessary or over engineered parts into the A that he later deleted or changed. For example, the radiator shroud, the three piece brake shaft, forged fender brackets....
 
i am thinking that the plug was dual purpose
a barrier for moisture / water etc to keep it dry inside as mentioned.....
i also think it could relate to the anti theft system in conjunction with the popout. without the plug in place one could just hot the condensor screw and run the other end to the igniton coil red wire to start the car.... just thinking out loud
 
Mitch//pa said:
. . . without the plug in place one could just hot the condensor screw and run the other end to the ignition coil red wire to start the car.... just thinking out loud
Click to expand...

The popout does more than disconnect the path from the coil to the dizzy. It also grounds that wire when you push the cylinder in to lock it. That is the anti-theft feature. Adding a parallel wire as you suggest would not work.
PopoutGroundLate.jpg
 
The Ebay listing states the following;

The plugs have a protective wax or oil that easily cleans off...if desired.


Is it possible that the Model A plug is made of the same material and also has a wax coat?

Bob
 
Bob Johnson said:
The Ebay listing states the following;

The plugs have a protective wax or oil that easily cleans off...if desired.


Is it possible that the Model A plug is made of the same material and also has a wax coat?

Bob
Click to expand...

Now that is a great thought! Maybe the wax was a release agent??

I will look at the part number that MAFFI has the next time I am up at the Archives to see if it is there (thanks for the # Jim). Maybe the print will also have the M-spec??
 
The MAFFI site shows other numbers also. DISTRIBUTOR BASE TO CONDENSER INSULATION
BOSCH #IS-78054, AUTO-LITE #IGF-36
 
I lean toward something with gutta percha. The chatterton's sounds roght to me. I have some pure gutta percha and it looks right but isn't easy to work with....
 
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