I have a 94 Accord LX. How long does the distributor cap and rotor last? How often should they be changed? Can they be tested? Or just go ahead and change them?

 

I'm sure you could test it... but it's really a case of visual inspection- the contacts in the cap and the condition of the rotor tip. if they look worn and burnt or crusty with buildup, replace them. if they look good and the engine runs fine (assuming the plugs and wires are in good shape) leave them.

 

Not too sure how long they last but they should definitely be a part of your routine tune up! Long story short just change them out along with your spark plugs and wires and even your fuel filter. Cheap and effective preventative maintenance!!!

 

every 250 to 300 thousand miles

 

You can not be serious.

 

I change mines around 15k or so. They're like 18 bucks at some auto stores and 25 at most at others. Cheap maintenance. Think in terms of gas mileage getting your money back if you change them early.

 

I certainly hope not.

You should do a full tune-up every 30,000 miles, I believe.

 

Thanks. I will give them an inspection. I know lots of things are "over recommended" by shops. I searched, but couldnt find any info on here about how long they typically last.

 

yes serious its a honda not a 79 dodge

wells the last time you heard a honda going 250 to 300 thousand probly not too long ago its not a uncommon thing to find a honda with thosekind of miles still sporting the og wires and caps

the damb cars last

 

i would change cap, rotor, spark plugs and fuel filter every 30-35k and change spark plug wires 60-70k. these are for OEM parts, i wouldnt even bother with aftermarket for ignition systems.

 

sorry all cars and conditions will always vary so when you buy a new used. do your self a little inspection and be your own judge. replace if problems occur.

 

Plugs (I only use OEM) at 50,000 and thats only to keep them from seizing into the head, and I do wires, rotor and cap at the same time. I use NGK wires and plugs and a factory cap and rotor.

Lance

 

Where do you guys buy the plug wires from? The Honda plug wires set seem to only come with the spark plug wires for $62.07 and the center wire is $25 = $87.07 just for wires. Add the distributor and rotor and things add up to $136. At autozone, my total would be $70.

 

I got a set of NGK wires from rockauto for less than $50 shipped including the coil wire. http://www.rockauto.com/
Cap and rotor you can get from someplace like majestic honda.

 

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...D+-+SPARK+PLUG

43 for oem spark plug cables. might as well buy everything from this site.

i can't stress enough how important using oem ignition parts are. this is one area i wouldnt skimp on. sure, people have lots of miles stacked up on oreillys and autozone ignition parts but the failure rate is so much greater.

 

Actually, the really high mileage Hondas I see are the ones who had the regular maintenance.

 

The thing is the junk you'll buy at Autozone will last you about a year. I have yet to see a set of OEM Honda wires go bad, years ago temple of vtec dyno tested 15 year old OEM honda wires against brand new NGK wires and brand new nalogy wires. the 15 year old OEM honda wires outperformed both. That should say something right there. The plugs are just NGK plugs, you can buy them at any autoparts store. I'd replace the cap and rotor with OEM every 60k or so, wires as long as they're OEM I'd just leave until the start giving you trouble.

 

That's fine if your car came with OEM wires... mine came with napa junk :/

 

I really liked what you posted, but quite frankly that was a test of Honda 15 years ago...not Honda of today.

 

250k is a joke to change them out. Like the other poster cap, rotor wires say 60-70k miles, unless there is an issue of noticeable wear.

Stock plugs 30k miles max per NGK.

NGK wires are prob the best alternative to stock ones.

by the way a stock cap and rotor is about 43 bucks list.

 

To be fair Honda hasn't really used distributors or plug wires in almost that long, '01 was the last year for most vehicles. And Sumitomo is still making the replacement wires, I'd wager that a set of Honda wires purchased now would still hold up about as well as a set purchased 15 years ago, other things not so much.

NGK makes great aftermarket wires, the fit and finish is very much like OEM and they last. I'm not sure if a lot of people realize this but most aftermarket wires like to get stuck in the head when you try to remove them.

 

Hi guys! my CEL lit up with the code "Cylinder 4 misfire." I also feel some jerking when I'm cruising at 60 mph. I changed my wires and plugs to NGK Iridium IX and NGK Blues. However, I still feel the jerking at 60-65 mph. My question is: will changing the distributor cap and rotor help in my situation?

 

How many miles do you have on the car? If it's over 100K, then maybe your EGR system needs some cleaning. You could test your wires with the ohm meter. If the resistance is over 25Kohm then it's bad. Remember if you have OEM wires, which are the best, then the resistance will be about twice that of NGK. OEM wires are slightly better than NGK.

 

Start a new Thread.

 

my hitachi cap and rotor lasted until 170K. by the end the contacts on the cap were toast.