How To Change Distributor Cap And Rotor

(Updated on February xix, 2021)

When an engine starts running, it produces a groovy deal of voltage which enters the ignition coils. For older vehicles that have traditional distributors (not modern day ignition systems), this electricity is sent into an electrode of the distributor rotor.

Need help with a machine problem RIGHT At present?

Click Here

to chat online with a verified mechanic who will answer your questions.

This causes the rotor to rotate and transfer electrical power to separate electrodes which are positioned inside the distributor cap.

From at that place, the distributor cap transfers electricity to the spark plugs through a series of spark plug wires. This entire process happens each time the cylinders of the engine demand a spark to ignite the air and fuel mixture inside of them for combustion.

Equally you lot can run into, the distributor cap and rotor are very important parts of the internal combustion process for older vehicles. You lot cannot afford to have a vehicle with a faulty distributor cap and rotor. If you lot do, you tin await a lot of problems with the overall functionality of your vehicle.

Signs of a Faulty Benefactor Cap and Rotor

Yous volition certainly recognize the symptoms of a bad distributor cap and rotor equally they arise. Practice not ignore these symptoms for also long or else you may find yourself stranded somewhere because your car won't motion. The only solution is to supervene upon the distributor cap as soon as possible.

Below are the top v symptoms of a bad distributor cap and rotor.

ane) Cannot Start Vehicle

You need a functional benefactor cap and rotor to start the motorcar. Without that electric spark in the combustion chamber, the engine won't start running.

Y'all may merely have difficulty starting your vehicle at first, but then it volition become to a point where you cannot outset the vehicle at all.

See Also: What Does a Bad Starter Sound Like?

ii) Engine Noises

If you start hearing high pitched squealing sounds (different from a loose serpentine belt) after yous kickoff your machine, and then you may accept a dirty distributor cap to the the betoken that information technology's caked with grease and other build up.

If you hear a sputtering, tapping, or clicking noise, and so it is either your cap or rotor that has gone bad. Don't tolerate these noises for whatever longer than necessary.

three) Check Engine Light

Since a bad distributor cap and rotor affect the internal combustion procedure of the engine, yous tin definitely expect the Cheque Engine warning lite to come on. The engine control unit can discover whenever there is improper combustion in the cylinders.

As before long as this is defended, the Cheque Engine light volition plough on in your instrument cluster. The alert calorie-free lonely won't exist enough to indicate that you have a bad benefactor cap and rotor.

The problem is that if your vehicle has a distributor cap, in that location's a good take a chance it was made prior to 1996 when the OBD2 protocol arrived so it'south not a simple affair of scanning for codes using your code reader.

four) Shaking

Intense shaking may occur in your vehicle when you start information technology upwardly or change gears. This shaking is a sign that you lot accept engine problems for some reason. You'll feel the vibrations through the seats because they're so intense.

This is ordinarily one of the signs of your distributor cap going bad merely tin can signify other problems as well.

5) Engine Stalling

A faulty distributor cap can crusade your engine to stall. Voltage must be produced past the spinning distributor rotor for the engine to continue running.

If the rotor does non rotate properly, the engine loses power and stalls out as y'all're trying to drive. The longer you permit this proceed, the worse it will go.

Distributor Cap and Rotor Replacement Cost

Looking for Replacement Parts?

Nosotros recommend Parts Geek for the best prices and choice.

When you demand to replace your benefactor cap and rotor because they accept gone bad, you can expect to pay anywhere from $70 to $130 for the chore. This total includes both parts and labor costs together.

In most cases, expect to pay somewhere between $30 and $60 for parts and another $40 to $lxx in labor. Equally you can encounter, this isn't besides expensive of a chore compared to others. Just be prepared to pay some extra fees and taxes on elevation of the total estimated price.

Tin I Replace the Distributor Cap and Rotor Myself?

For most people, this is a elementary task and you'll save yourself some money by doing so. Back when auto store course was a matter in high schools, replacing a benefactor cap was one of the first things you were taught. But since modern ignition systems are at present distributor-less, the chore has become a lost art.

Nonetheless, a good service manual will walk yous through the process and you lot may fifty-fifty be able to find a YouTube video for the specific procedure to your vehicle. Merely be sure to disconnect the car's battery to avoid the possibility of zapping yourself.