Signs of Worn Distributor Cap and Rotor
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2016
- When to replace a distributor cap and rotor. You may not have to replace these parts are often as recommended. See detailed pictures of how a worn out distributor cap and rotor look.
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Link to this video: • Signs of Worn Distribu... - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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I wouldn't be ashamed to admit getting over a hundred thousand miles out of a distributor cap. My motto is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
i got 300 000km out of mine the middle contact point has been grind down its almost gone
That's how yiu get surprises!!! Change it before it breaks. There's a schedule provided by manufacturers for a reason
Very well explained. I just had a rotor fail and was wondering what could go wrong with a piece of brass! The answer: the current arcing from rotor to cap and erosion of the center cap button where I touches the rotor. Thanks for helping me understand.
You a are welcome, it's my pleasure to help. Have a great day.
I just changed oem distributor but it last for only a year.. thanks for this video. I might try to change the rotor and cap first
Excellent Video. Very well made and explained. I would think it very helpful for those concerned about saving money and saving the planet. Improving gas milage is a bonus for all. Especially considering how cheap and easy the parts are to replace. Hope this video get # tags for "life hacks" and climate change / sustainability, etc.. . Thanks for the help. I feel better about needing to fix very worn out set. Not only will my car start better, but I get much better milage!
Really well made video, good explanation and side by side comparison. Very much appreciated! thanks
You are welcome. Thank you for the compliment, it's always great to hear the video has been helpful.
Very well presented breakdown and analysis.
Good advice! I learn a lot!
Thanks for the compliment, it's good to know my old rotor and cap is still good for something. lol.
WOW ! YOUR VIDEO IS THE ANSWER TO THE MANY VIDEOS WHICH SHOW HOW THE HONDA'S " IN DISTRIBUTER COIL" HAS THE PROBLEM WHCH IS OVER COME IN YOUR DISTRIBUTER CAP ,
Excellent, I have a 1987 Toyota Carina which has a very similar distributer cap where the coil is included in the distributer. The car has only covered 86 thousand miles but it is now on its third coil since new ? I have changed spark plug wires once. I see that I should also look at a new distributer cap. Recently I removed all the trunking to the air cleaner. I also cut away about a quarter of the top cover of the air cleaner. My ! what a difference ! I now get 45mpg instead of 29mpg .
Hi thanks for your great video 👍🏻 . If the cover oily effect?
thank you ~ answered questions another video did not!
Thanks for the compliment, it's good to hear my old cap and rotor were helpful.
Great video
Pictures are super helpful
Thank you very much for the video, very helpful. Great experience, thanks for sharing! Best wishes ❤
You are welcome.
You are good at this.
Thanks for the compliment, Brad.
Great video - Thanks!
You are welcome, John!
My distributor is less than 2 years old. Bought from Autozone. Somehow, I believe the rotor went bad. It looked burnt just as yours did. All the tests I did inside the distributor passed.
Thank you kindly for the video, I found it very helpful.
You are welcome. It's always a pleasure to hear the video has been helpful.
well said. good job!
Thanks for the compliment, Enimrak.
Great teacher. Thanks.
You are welcome, Jethro.
Thanks for the vídeo, it was very helpful.
You are welcome.
Amazing video!!!!
Thank you for this
You are welcome.
Great video!
Thanks!
All this can be simply refurbish it by clean out connectors and contact points. in some cases those contacts completely burn through and falls off. well then you'll have to replace the parts.
How would you clean them?
We Thank you so much
You are welcome.
Does the distributor cap have some type of fuse ,,?
Show me how to fix Mitsubishi distributor wiring color coding of cyclone 12valve
Información muy útil, gracias
De nada.
Good job!
Thanks!
thank you
You are welcome.
A little dab of dielectric grease inside and out on the contacts will help prevent corrosion on the aluminum.
Thanks for the hint.... I love your name.
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B22
Vefy excellent video can be applied to most dktributer caps it a better design than my Toyota 1987 Carina, which is now on its 3rd ignition coil in 86000 miles.
How do I test the cap and rotor
Mine is leaking oil would this effect performance
Did you track any change in fuel efficiency after changing the cap and rotor?
Yes, it improved. I don't remember the exact amount of improvement. I just knew that the mpg I usually got had dropped off. I still wasn't getting the mileage that I should have so I then replaced the PCV valve. After replacing the PCV valve my mpg was back to normal.
Thank you well done
Thanks for the compliment.
Know How Now to connect wire tapping of my glxi cyclone delco connection
i really respect your effort my lady .. i love when women can understand this stuffs how it works really
Thanks for the compliment, Supreme Love. I've always been fascinated by how things work.
@@Know-How-Now coz you are different and clever 😍👍
Sounds like that "I love you, and I miss you" girl 😂
Thanks from Havertown
You are welcome, neighbor!
Thanks
You are welcome. I just replaced my cap and rotor again at 200,000. The 1999 Honda Civic is still in service.
You sound like Jodi Foster... are you Jodi Foster?😎 Good video and good pictures 👍
No, I'm not Jodi Foster, lol. Thanks for watching the video and taking the time to comment. Have a great day.
*I'm the captain now*
When I stick my key in my o5 tL it won't even let my key turn it's like it's the wrong key could this also be the rotor and cap?
No. Here's a link that might be helpful: acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/key-wont-turn-steering-wheel-locked-881230/
I love in Pennsylvania!
Lmfao I have to say good job explaining the cap amd rotor excellent im subscribed 😎
Thanks for taking the time to comment and to subscribe to the channel. Welcome to Know How Now.
@@Know-How-Now 😎 np
Any idea what the rotor's transfer blade is made of? Mine looks almost like a synthetic material. I wonder if there's a measurement to the material height? I can't tell if it's bad or not by sight.
I have a 2001 CRV. Cranks but will not start, suddenly. Was running perfectly one day and then this. I grounded spark from each plug end to block and each seems sparky, but I could not verify if it was "blue" but I could see it well in daylight.
I've checked all fuel inputs except for injector control signals (but it will not try to start with starter fluid either... tried twice thru throttle body and the duct). No oil or coolant contamination.
I don't know what could have gone wrong and why compression would be so bad as to not even try to start and run suddenly.
If one cylinder had a bad valve, wouldn't a CRV still try to start and likely start up but just run like crap?
When I took distributor cap off the rotor blade was pointing (on center) toward front of car. Not sure if that confirms timing chain has not jumped or not. It's loosening screw was pointing straight backwards. Do you know by chance?
I'm ordering a compression tool. I should add that to the tool kit! Thanks and behave!
Sorry, I can't accurately answer your questions.... wish I had answers. Sounds like you have done a lot of troublshooting. Anyone else out there know?
The 92 Civic is the same as the 99 correct? Can this cause the car to stall when pressing on the accelerator? I just bought a Civic and noticed a lot of dust in the distributor cap and have just started having problems with it stalling.
Thanks so its the rotor and the cap that go bad? Because i pulled out the piece with a computer chip in it also.
I don't have an opinion about the computer chip. There are so many variables depending upon the era and model of vehicle.
I am trying to show what a cap & rotor look that are at the end of their life. Hopefully after looking at mine, it will help you need decide if you need to replace yours.
For questions/problems with specific year/model of a vehicle, I find that the online forums for my car are often helpful to solve a problem.
+Dexter You might have a car where the ignition module is bolted on the distributor. Otherwise all that is likely to be in there is the pickup sensor, of which there are different types. The cap and rotor are a normal wear item, like tires. Those other parts are typically only replaced when they fail.
Original Rotor kha melega
I know you say to gauge rotor life by tracking gas mileage but is there an average mileage when the cap and rotor should be preventatively replaced? You say 100,000 is way overdue and 30,000 is too early so you must have a figure that is somewhere in the middle. 40, 50, 60,000?
Hi Brian, when I made the video, I did some investigation to try to find a solid number of when to replace the cap and rotor. I found a wide range of answers. The folks who manufacture/sell parts and some repair shops have an interest in changing them more frequently. The quality of the parts is also a factor and climate could be a factor too. I'd like to say that the cap & rotor in my Civic don't need to be changed again until I hit the 100K mark, but maybe the new OEM Honda parts aren't as good as the ones they made in 1999. A cheap after market part may fail much sooner.
I worked for a company that had a fleet of autos. We monitored the gas mileage as a tattle tale of when a vehicle needed maintenance. My opinion is using gas mileage is the most economical way to decide when to change out/check ignitiion parts. I know some people will disagree, I'd like to know their method if they have a better one.
The thing about gas mileage is my 92 Camry's ignition system failed around 120,000. I wasn't watching it and the coil had cracked and the plugs and rotor were worn to nubs. The mechanic found it when it wouldn't start. Right up to the overtime failure I had been getting 30MPG so I never noticed a drop in mileage. I don't want another no start failure so I was going to start doing plugs, wires, rotors at 50,000. No one wants to give a mileage number for replacement so I just picked that one so I don't have to pay for another tow, cab and diagnostics at 10PM in February.
That's interesting. I agree with you, it's better to do a little preventative maintenance than wait until failure. I do a lot of my own repairs/maintenance (the easy stuff) and spend the extra money on OEM parts. I think the OEM parts tend to be better quality and last longer. One time I made the mistake of buying cheap spark plug wires. One of them quickly failed, I never thought to look at the wires since I had just replaced them. It cost me a trip to my mechanic.
If you have a mechanic that you trust, you could ask how often to change the cap, rotor, plugs & wires.
A vacuum advance mechanically changes the inside of the distributor. But what does an electrical connection tell the distributor ? Same thing ? And where does the signal come from ?
The distributor usually has a hall sensor which sends a pulse to the ignition system controller (assuming you've got transistor based ignition, 1980+ vehicle), which then fires the ignition coil. On my Mk2 thats three wires. 12V, Pulse and Ground.
What’re symptoms. I’m getting random misfire code and also a maf airflow codes but maf is good.
Already changed out the plug wire spark plug now I’m down to two fuel injectors or the distributor and rotor.
My gas mileage was down. No other symptoms for me.
Very clear sound and well explained. Just curious. How old are you?🙂
Thanks for the compliment, Duane. I am old enough to know about points & condensers too. Women as old as dirt don't like to tell their age. lol.
Creepy cringe
Would this cause a voltage drop. A running car usually has 14.1 or 4 bolts but I've noticed that mine is dropping 1 volt. So about 13.1 to 13.4. I do have an aftermarket sound system but the voltage drops even when the volume is on 1
definitely no
The alternator determines how much voltage is running through your car. Usually charging up at about 13.5 v is normal.
Assuming these parts were working when removed, and the new ones were not OEM parts.Then I would recommend you clean the old parts up and leave them in the trunk of your car, in a zip-lock bag, as in my experince you won't get as long a life from the new parts.
I replaced with OEM parts. I still have the car and it now has 192,000 miles on it. I still track miles per gallon and haven't had to replace the cap/rotor. Interestingly, at around 105,000 a friend and I replaced the timing belt. We put new AC/Fan/Alternator belts on at the time, Honda OEM belts were used. I know those belts were original, the car has been in the family since new and I have all of the service records. I had to replace those belts at 190,000. When I turned the AC on, one of the belts was squealing. After tightening the belt 2 times, it still squealed. My mechanic friend (been doing this job all his life - around 40 years) says that even the OEM parts are not as good as they used to be. Sad.
It pays to stay on top of that. I've gotten extremely lazy with age and I let my cap and rotor go to where I couldn't start the vehicle. I ended up bringing it to a garage because I just didn't have time to mess with it myself. Ended up being $1,000. =8O
Sure, I coulda complained and forced them to take a shortcut or two, that probably would've shaved off a couple hundred bucks. As it was, tho, I didn't let them change the plugs because I just had them change them not long ago(should've had the cap and rotor done then).
I know I could've cut the bill by 2/3 doing it myself, even more if I used cheap parts, but I prefer higher quality parts.
I was trying to guess which part you were referring to, but I think you are talking about the "I didn't have time" remark. Ya, the truth really is I didn't have the motivation or energy. When I was young, taking the bicycle back and forth to the parts store a half a dozen times and working on it until 1 AM, then getting up at 4 AM for work, was something I would've done, not so much anymore. ;)
+Bootney O, that. Ya, TBH, when I bring anything in for work, I'm just happy to get it back running. It's rare to find a mechanic that can do it right for any price. When I was young, I never understood why people disparaged mechanics so much, because I did almost all of my own work. Now that I bring vehicles in more often, I get it.
Hell, back when I bought a clutch for my Jeep, I felt lazy and was just gonna have a shop put it in. I ended up doing it myself because nobody would put a clutch in unless I bought their crappy clutch brand that they sold.
Carbon tracking causes misfire and corrosive contacts. Clean or replace parts.
Wow❤❤
my 97 honda accord, will crank up and start for about 3 seconds then stall out. it sputters like there is no fuel. I changed the furl filter, and I he regulator but still not working... could it be the idle air control valve, or the distributor cap and rotor? plz help
Lovely One most likely a bad fuel pump.
no dont change fuel pump yet thats what my car did on the road got home i cleaned the contacts on cap with small wire brush and a 400 sand paper to rotors now car runs goid as new again but yes it was bogging down lime it had no more fuel
@@jvst20051 ima try clean mine n hope it works
did not work smh my rpm jumps around below 200 rpms and 900 rpms when i try to start it. any help?
@@trustnobitcheqz how about ecu maybe it has bad leaking capacitors or u might have and vacuum leak
Lol my dizzy has 248k ive replaced the engine before this lol
Was the car idling rough with the old cap/rotor?
No rough idle with the old cap/rotor.
i beleive mine is stock still with 218xxx miles my connections are a nice black color
I don't see anything wrong with the "old" one. Just clean it and it's good to go for years. But those things are so dirt cheap that when having problems with spark plug wires you can change the distributor cap and rotor with them if you buy the parts online and already have to pay for shipping.
The gas mileage had dropped off, that's why I replaced it. With the current price of fuel, replacing the cap and rotor was paid for by savings at the gas pump.
👍
Well ain't that familiar! I drove a 98 dx I got with 192k km on it (its 'round 1.6km to the mile, so ballparkin' it at 130k miles) and it had an original distributor cap and rotor 😂
If the cap and rotor aren't cracked there is no need to replace them. Just clean of the carbon of the tips in the cap and on the rotor. Check for moisture and if necessary whipe it off. This is just maintenance and this is how you keep your money in your wallet.
Are you from 1a auto?
No, I just found it interesting to compare and show an example of a worn cap & rotor.
Ive got a 91 toyota 3.0 with 540k miles and i think it needs its 6th cap.
What symptoms will you have if you’re distributor cap an rotor is bad. My car when stopped at a light my car would start to die would that have anything to do with it
yes ur car will bogg down and die or it will not start or start could take longer it will also run very rough what i did was open up my cap cleaned the contacts with a small wire brush untill thr shiny also do this to the rotor this will help in the mean time to save up to buy a new rotor and cap
so, I guess I should just replace the stock system no matter what xD 113k miles all original
problems are, poor gas miliage, poor aceleration, gears wont shift smoothly, eratic idle that can never be fix no matter what, detonation missfire, there is some resistance when you acelerate, noise pinping, and never buy fake brands first thing to do is sparkplugs then cap and rotor last are the cables.
Thanks for the helpful comment, it's contributions like yours that add to the value of the video.
Help me, Thank you bro😀
You are welcome.
106 000 miles is not bad those work horse can still go another 200
3000 000 miles or even more . If lprperly ook after
I have a Mercedes 560sl has the original rotor and the cap stamped 1987 with 200k miles. Careful cleaning should do the trick. Don't just change good parts for the sake of it!!!
better no trow away the old parts in case the new ones are problematic, or youll be lookin for the fix where it is not.
Hello,
My HONDA CR-V engine auto turn off during drive and not again starting at the same time. I have to take wait about 10-20 mints for again start. I am facing this issue 8 to 10 time per day from last week. I'll subscribe to your channel, do likes, views and share it to others. Can you please help me, how to deal with this issue?
It's not easy answer your question/solve the problem sitting at the other end of a computer. There are internet forums for specific car models. You may want to find a Honda CR-V forum. Perhaps someone has had the same problem with their CR-V.
Thank you!
One thing i found, I can't get the spark in 4 plugs.
Is it distributor fault? If yes then, is possible to repair or it is like something that cant be repaired.
This video may be helpful: th-cam.com/video/XSWN1M8Hoqo/w-d-xo.html
Always use a Honda genuine distributor cap and rotor. These vehicles don't like Aftermarket ignition parts.
I see that
I put a new distributor on my integra n it Went all the way out in 1 Whole Day
good video. Automobiles no longer use a distributor cap and rotor button. No need for them, each spark plug has its own ignition coil
kool, my gas mileage has really dropped, lately, also the fuel filter..???
rookie numbers mine had 300,000 miles on it
Fuel economy has nothing to with your ignition system. More likey worn injectors or worn piston rings
So I'm now even more ashamed than you, my 93 Cherokee have over 300k miles on what I believe must be the original lol. The reason I'm watching this video is because my Jeep don't want to start in cold or raining days, so I went to check the distributor cap, and it doesn't seem to have the center pole anymore, I thought it was weird since I don't think that my Jeep shouldn't start even in normal weather conditions, with a cap like that.
carbon, change spark plugs, cap and roto, cables and do buy the original or a top brand
Original OEM Parts... ist that an oxymoron, a systematic redundant term?
I suppose I could have said factory installed parts. It takes a lot of time to make a video, there are likely hundreds of things that you can do to give people something to complain about. If nothing is going wrong, you likely aren't doing anything.
Original OEM as in originally installed. I am about to replace my distributor parts with OEM parts but they will not be the originals, but still happen to be OEM.
The Philly accent makes me homesick.
Ashamed to admit you have a high mileage vehicle? I’m quite the opposite I brag about lol lol!
Buddy of mine has a C10 with 813,000 miles between the two motors he's had in.. that's a definite bragging point
my 1999 Honda accord v6 vtec caught on fire after changing plugs and wires! i had also cleaned the mass air flow, throttle body and intake with m.a.f.cleaner and sea foam. After five minutes the car died and i seen smoke coming from beneath the hood. After opening the hood i was shocked to see the distributor in flames luckily I was drinking a glass of tea so I immediately poured it on the flames saving my car surely. Is there anyone that can tell me what happened or what i done wrong?
theonlyrealone 2breal might not have tighten the spark plugs all the way. ive read on my owners manual that they tend to get really hot if not properly tighten . im no master mechanic but id start with making sure u install them properly.
theonlyrealone 2breal I think maybe some of those cleaning products were the problem. Sometimes cleaning products can have a very small amount of alcohol in them.
All the chemicals u used could have started it u should wait about 30min or so after cleaning anything w throttle body cleaner flammable ♨️
I would have cleaned that rotor button outer edge, with a file, or brick wall, and saved some money,
I think there are gao issues where the arc does not happen well
STALE
Come on lady get with it , don't care about what season it is, what does it look like?
You are so welcome! Thanks for commenting.
OOPS! MY ,SHOULD BE THAT THE TOYOTA HAS THE PROBLEM
Ur wrong my distributor cap is pink
Mines brown
@@thomaspatton2891 so is my shit 😡😡
For sure, mine is original OEM part. I have have all of the service records for the car. It is also possible that Honda used different suppliers... so it doesn't have to be a fight about right or wrong or accusing others about right or wrong.
106 mile weak I have 308k know u could have just sanded the rotor was a waste of money
If I sanded down the contact areas, that would have increased the gaps to a larger size. I'd think that by changing (already changed because the were indentations worn in the cap contacts) the size of the gap it would effect gas mileage. You gap a spark plug, I'd think this is the same principal. I'd think increasing the gaps even more would decrease gas mileage. We are closing in on $4 a gallon for gas. Do you check your gas mileage before and after you sand down those contacts?
@@Know-How-Now so when u sand the rotor and the nubs in the cap u don't wanna take a lot away u just wanna take enough of the burnt black crud off so that the rotor makes contact again with the nubs I do watch my millage cause she's an old bitch so I have to and I haven't noticed s change at all its when u start sansing to much and the gap gets to big that u start having misfire problems and millage issues. This is just Inexspensive quick fix if u need to get your car going ASAP and don't have time to wait for parts. I wouldn't rely on this forever but it has saved me for sure
My cap had grooves worn in it. My gas mileage improved when I installed a new cap & rotor. I don't think it was a waste of money to replace them. I was burning money with every tank of gas. To be clear, you are saying that sanding is OK as a temporary fix. Correct?
@@Know-How-Now if your the nubs in your cap have grooves in them they u can't sand them. I'm talking if u have a short or something happen like when u make an electrical ark and that black corrosion shit shows up u can sand that off a little so the metals have contact again. If your nubs have actually grooves in them it's fucked there's no sanding it same with the rotor if the rotor just looks burnt like black on top almost chared u can sand like 1 2 swipes to just bring the metal back and make contact but If it has a notch in it or something it's no good it'll cause miss fire even with good contact
Not helpful at all smh 😔😔🤬
Sorry it doesn't work for you, the video has been helpful to many viewers. It has around 1400 likes vs 118 dislikes. You might try rewording your search.
are you a he or a she???
Female, we can repair things too, intelligence isn't biased by gender. Are you a he or she and why is it important for you to know if I am male or female?
Obviously a she, and a nice voice too! Useful video!
To long.....😔
and you wasted your time to comment. lol.