What is rotor distributor cap?
The distributor cap is the cover that protects the distributor’s internal parts and holds the contacts between internal rotor and the spark plug wires.
How long do distributor rotors last?
As a general rule, you can expect about five years or about 60,000 miles out of an OE cap and rotor before corrosion and erosion begin to overload the coil. The secondary ignition system is a unit comprised of coil, cap, rotor, wires, and plugs.
How does a distributor rotor work?
Distributor rotors work by providing a movable connection between an ignition coil and a set of spark plugs. When the engine is operating normally, the distributor shaft rotates in time with the camshaft. In turn, the rotor itself turns in time with the distributor shaft.
How is the rotor phased on a distributor?
On most traditional distributors, the rotor is phased to line up directly with the distributor cap terminal when the trigger wheel aligns with the magnetic pickup. Now if we align the pickup and trigger wheel at 50 degrees BTDC, the rotor is pointed well away from its intended spark plug terminal.
Where does the rotor go on a MSD distributor?
MSD distributors are designed like OE units so that when the distributor is set at its initial timing (let’s put it at 12 degrees Before Top Dead Center (BTDC), the reluctor will line up with the magnetic pickup and the rotor will be pointed directly at the distributor cap spark plug terminal.
How is the distributor rotor connected to the spark plug?
When the engine is operating normally, the distributor shaft rotates in time with the camshaft. In turn, the rotor itself turns in time with the distributor shaft. Since the rotor sits inside a distributor cap, it has a constant connection to the ignition coil and an intermittent connection to each spark plug…
How does the distributor rotate in an engine?
When the engine is operating normally, the distributor shaft rotates in time with the camshaft. In turn, the rotor itself turns in time with the distributor shaft.