First locate your distributor. Its pretty easy to find, it is attached to the passenger side of the engine block and the spark plug wires run from it to the individual spark plugs. The distributor cap itself, is the black plastic housing that the wires plug into. Start by unplugging all of the spark plugs wires from the distributor cap. Next, use the 8mm wrench to remove the three bolts that connect the distributor cap to the distributor themselves. There are two on the top two sides of the cap, and one on the bottom middle of the cap.


 Once you have those fully removed, you can pull off the cap itself exposing the rotor. The rotor is attached to the shaft of the distributor by a phillips screw. The screw is accessible from the the side of the distributor closes to the firewall. If you can not see the screw, the rotor is facing the wrong way and you may have to crank the engine afew times to get it to move. Make sure the distributor cap and wires are far away from the rotor and distributor when doing this. 

It is very important to make sure you are using the correct sized screwdriver when removing this screw. It is on very tight, and is very easy to strip. Further, because of the clearance issues it is a major pain to remove once it has been stripped. Be extra careful at this point.


 Once you have removed the screw, pull the rotor straight out. Open your new rotor from its package and slide it onto the distributor shaft in the same position as the old one. Replace the allen bolt, and your work with the rotor is done. Before putting on your new distributor cap, it is important to replace the gasket that goes in between the cap and the distributor. This prevents water from getting into your distributor and causing electrical problems. Use a small flat head screwdriver to pry out the old gasket, then replace it with your new one.  Once you have replaced the gasket, simply put the new distributor cap on and tighten the bolts. Be careful not to tighten them to much, as they are very fragile and break easily. Once you have the distributor cap secure simply replace the spark plug wires according in position according to this diagram and you are done!

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Article submitted on 4 Jul 2011
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