Changing Spark Plug Wires Distributor Cap

Electronic distributor ignitions were an advancement but still suffered from distributor cap and rotor wear.

Changing spark plug wires distributor cap.

Most are numbered for clarity. The safest way to change these parts is to. However there are other factors that can play a role in the timing. You may even want to take a photo before you get started.

Like all moving parts distributor caps and rotors eventually wear out from a combination of heat vibration extreme voltage cracking and carbon deposits and need to be replaced. Waste spark ignition systems eliminate the distributor and instead use a coil for each pair of cylinders however spark plug. The rotor routes the energy in a specific through the spark plug wires ultimately to the engine s cylinders in the correct firing order. The distributor rotor and cap keep the distributor s contents separate from the engine and keep the distributor s working parts clean and tidy while supporting the incredibly high volts of energy and.

Attach the spark tester to the distributor end of the coil wire. Breaker point distributor ignition systems were the standard of the industry for decades however the breaker points wore and required frequent maintenance. Crack the engine and check for a good spark at the spark tester. These factors cause the plastic in the cap to break down over time and the internal plug wire contacts to oxidize and deteriorate from spark arcing.

The engine fires in a specific succession which the spark plug wires and distributor cap are set up to support. So a six cylinder car will have six contacts on the distributor. With that being said modern spark plug wires can also last much longer than they once did. The only critical rule to follow is that this order be maintained.

The points of the crown are where the distributor is connected to the spark plugs by spark plug wires. Picture the distributor cap as a crown that a king would wear. It s possible for spark plug wires to be damaged. If a spark is present the problem is probably in the distributor cap rotor or spark plug wires.

If the spark plugs are connected improperly the vehicle won t perform as expected. Most of the time your wires should last well beyond the 30 000 miles your copper spark plugs are rated for. If you did not see a spark remove the coil wire from the distributor cap.