ive always wondered when you should change the rotor arm /dist cap on cars??
on mine they seem to get a black up fairly quickly , which i scrape off every now and then...do others do this or should i leave it
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I haven't seen one of those for donkeys years (and I'm running a 15 year old car now).
I wouldn't 'scrape' anything off as this would roughen up the polished surface that is supposed to help stop arcing. If it gets clagged up, hot soapy water is the way I'd clean it. Run the car with the bonnet up at night to see if it's arcing.
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They always used to say spray inside with a water repellent, but I found this just attracted black powder and caused arcing around the inside. I then just used to fit and replace every year as they were cheap enough.
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They always used to say spray inside with a water repellent, but I found this just attracted black powder and caused arcing around the inside. I then just used to fit and replace every year as they were cheap enough.
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In years of running Fords I always regularly cleaned the cap and leads with meths.
I never used any spray of anything and had no problems.
I too used to replace the Motorcraft / Bosch cap etc every 2 years or so because as you say they were so cheap. The old cap etc went in the misc pack in the boot.
The UNO however had a much more expensive cap of an unusual configuration so it was even more important to retain a good one and keep the old one. I would not expect Mr AA to have one in stock.
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Don't neglect cleaning the inner electrodes as well,use a small screwdriver to clean off the buildup on the cap and abrasive paper to clean the top and end of the rotor arm.Pull the leads out and check for corrosion,make sure they are a tight fit when plugged in.If you have a multimeter this is a good opportunity to check the leads,replace any that read over 20k ohms.I would replace the cap if the electrodes are eroded/corroded,or any other damage has occurred.
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I don't think it is a good idea to do any scraping or sanding inside. Wouldn't that widen the clearance and make it harder for the spark to jump? The old advice was to clean the end of the rotor arm by rubbing it on the tyre - nothing more abrasive.
If there is any build up around the electrodes I think that would be a good indication that a replacement would be desirable.
The springy electrode gradually wears shorter, but I think one should resist the temptation to stretch the spring a bit "just in case", because that will increase the wear pressure.
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What you get is a crust on the electrode which can be flicked off with a screwdriver without damaging the electrode,replacing the cap instead would mean a new one every six months.Abrasive paper used on rotor arm should be very fine wet and dry.These practices were taught to me as part of training for mobile tuning and never caused any problems.
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>>ive always wondered when you should change the rotor arm /dist cap on cars??
First time these were replaced on my girlfriends Rover 200 was at 100K and only then because I felt that they were well overdue. looked surprisingly healthy as well when i changed them. Depends on car I suppose as my old Micra I had about 5 years ago needed them changing annually otherwise it selfishly left me stranded in not very nice areas of Middlesbrough :-)
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ive always wondered when you should change the rotor arm /dist cap on cars??
When it's faulty. If it ain't brokeded, there's no point in mending it.
on mine they seem to get a black up fairly quickly , which i scrape off every now and then...do others do this or should i leave it
Black? Inside, or out? If inside, it suggests that something's not right with the revolving bits, or it's not on properly!
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the black is on the contacts inside, i run 3 80s vw's and theyre all the same, a new cap/arm will look black and crusty within 6 months
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