Alright, so I just bought a Civic 99' EX coupe with ~137000 miles a few weeks ago and I just wanted some opinions on whether or not I should change the distributor cap/rotor. I'm pretty new to doing things myself, so I have little knowledge of cars in general. But, as I do more things myself, I'm learning.





I'm not having any problems, I just wanted to change the plugs, plug wires, rotor/distributor cap as preventative measures... I don't really know how the previous owner maintained the vehicle, but it seems like they did a decent job from what I can tell. Thanks in advance for any advice/help!

 

Those things are burned to ****. Replace them.

 

Alright, haha. Thank you.

 

Yes, replace it.

Stick with Honda parts.

 

The posts look about the same as mine did after a year for build up. But the center button and rotor both look worse. I would suspect those are closer to two years old.

This year I'm testing out if a light coat of dielectric grease on the cap posts reduce the white deposits.

You could keep using the cap and rotor but pretty soon they would start giving you problems they don't look like they have too much life left. Changing them will keep your economy up and also set a date of change being you just bought the car and have limited history.

 

TomCat, look how chewed up the cap is. It's done. It's toast. It's seen service life plus 6 months.

 

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/diy-96-00-honda-civic-tune-up-fuel-filter-2872418/

 

I am missing what you must be seeing. I see the center button worn, and I see the posts with high build up. I am not seeing where the rotor has hit the cap (only seen that once, needed new distributor) and marred it up and not seeing where carbon has been slung around scarring the cap. And I see an enlarged blackened area on the rotor's main firing spot.

Where am I missing the cap being hit or scarred ("chewed up")?

Other than the center button, the cap looks like mine after a year. A little sandpaper cleans up the posts. Just can't do anything about the button. And until the posts are cleaned you can't tell if they are relatively flat or grooved from wear.

I've seen way worse buttons. Such as this one with no button yet the car ran fine:

 

Wow that button is wasted.

 

I said cap, but meant rotor. That's what I get for posting when tired. The rotor is beyond done. You could get away with not replacing the cap, but I wouldn't - fresh parts make for a happy ignition system.

 

Ahhh okay that explains the confusion.

That rotor definitely has seen better days. Was definitely thinking the rotor was on it's way out at the very least.

Also to clarify, I was saying OP could continue using the parts being OP's car ran fine but probably would not last much longer. Not really recommending that, but if OP had insisted, it could be done just don't expect it to last very long.

 

Yeah, I ended up ordering the cap and rotor both (OEM, of course). As TomCat said above, it also gives me a peace of mind that I'll have a timeline being that I just got the car. Rather nip it in the bud now as opposed to waiting until it gives me problems!

Thanks again for all the help!

 

And with how worn that rotor is, you'll definitely notice better gas mileage