Greenish white makes it definitely suspicious of moisture rather than an oil leak, but I’ll still caution you to think of a worn distributor shaft, possibly aggravated by a vacuum advance leak or back pressure from a plugged PCV system. If this was a rear cam mounted distributor, I’d be cautioning about a worn distributor shaft seal, either an o-ring or the shaft seal itself, as that is very common. Your 1985 is a side mounted distributor off the auxiliary shaft. I had a worn distributor shaft in a 1985 B230F that caused all kinds of problems until finally properly diagnosed, most notably until the engine got hot, but never got to the point of an oil leak that fouled the cap, especially evidence such as you describe. If it's a moisture issue then you can go to town attempting to put dielectric silicone grease around the cap to act as waterproofing, but that really shouldn't be necessary unless you have a great inclination to use a pressure washer under the hood. This is perhaps an absurd thought, but do you have excess vapour out the exhaust to suggest a head gasket leak?
--
Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

If your distributor is equipped with vacuum advance diaphragm check if that still intact. If the diaphragm is torn it could let crankcase gases (plus water vapour) to go inside distributor. Maybe not while engine is operational (because vacuum still there) but during engine off and cooling. Also consider coating the inside with wd40 see if that helps.

Amarin.

How is the emission system on your car?

Can it pass the rubber glove test? Hold a rubber glove over the hole where you top up the oil. It should not inflate.

You might try taping several layers of cheese cloth or gauze in place of the oil fill cap. See if this helps the distributor cap problem or if the fabric has a lot of oil on it.

I think that some kind of fluid is getting into the distributor cap.

I'm not so sure this will be of any help to you, but. . .

The only time (in 40 years of messing with 240's) that I have seen anything even remotely like this, is when some guy called me one wet winter's day to help him get his 240 started after he had cheaped-out and installed an aftermarket distributor cap with aluminum terminals.

Every Bosch cap I have ever used has come with copper contacts and they have NEVER caused me any problems even with MANY miles on them.

It's been a few years since I've had to stock up on distributor caps. The question is: Is Bosch now using aluminum contacts?

Rich (near The Burgh)

Hi,

I just checked my calendar and it's not April Ist! We are in August 2020 where I live.
Coukd this be a lost in the virtual world posting? (:-)
You said this happened in November, so we are talking back a ways or way back that you were in San Diego.
Are now living there as your permanent residency?
If so are you staying on a salty beach front somewhere?

You are stating, Using it as a daily driver (?) and have exchanged the ignition components, three times! Now that might have you in August, even without a time machine!

I see no reason why the contacts in the distributor would getting so harmed, so regularly, unless you are washing down the engine with some sort of "corrosive cleaner" that is lingering under the hood waiting for heat! With an Acid or even an Alkaline base cleaner, the heat really makes it sizzle better with just moisture from the air!

I can't help but to say, This ignition trouble scenario, sounds like something from the playwrights of "Tales From the Far Side!"

This is a LH 2.0 fuel management system with a hall sensor that is a breaker-less ignition system. It might be just before or in transition of going into a LH 2.2 system. All the Bosch distribution components are brown in color but experimentation was in progress with Turbos!
Is this one or not?
There were some Chyrsler white distributors floating around so I don't know where you got that "white plastic look" inside the distributor unless you got a hold of a rotor button made like those white caps.
FYI, There are two different Bosch rotor buttons that fit the shafts of two different Bosch distributors.
Knowing Chyrsler, Volvo might have let them use aluminum terminals or aftermarket caps vendors got in the game?
I can say, I heard or read, that the Chyrsler caps were not greatest and the ICU box out under the hood, used a Chyrsler designed wiring harness to make things a wee bit bogus to troubleshoot. Don't mess with the terminal connections on that box and make the engine wiring harness a suspect of malfunctioning too!
The mid eighties cars has issues with the insulation bio degrading inside the looms!

When you said you had a 5 to 10% pedal issue back in November to San Diego, did you ever clear that to be using it as a daily driver, now?
What do you mean by splicing a fuel line? Aft of the main pump from the tank as everything else is pressurized? Got to be careful there!

You need to tell us more on what "gives" with this cars mileage and background maintenance.
How is the present day performance, otherwise?

Phil

Wow, that is weird. Some kind of very rapid corrosion. Green is the color of copper or maybe brass corrosion and white maybe aluminum. If so where would the moisture be coming from? Water is one of the combustion products. Check if the crankcase vent system is clogged. Are you loosing and coolant?

If you run the engine from cold just enough to get the oil warm, is there condensation in the cap?

This car has the B230F engine