Distributor Cap and Rotor - Comparison and Review

[HenryJ]

I finally got down to a serious inspection of the available caps and rotors.

I bought one of each of the following: Borgwarner / Niehoff , AC Delco / Wells , Wells Gold /Duralast Gold

AC Delco is the OEM supplier. Wells standard line is less expensive and an exact duplicate of the stock AC Delco parts. The cap is black with steel contacts.
Delco part #D465 rotor $14.40 , D328A cap $43.76 (list price) total: $58.16

Borgwarner is the premium line, however the Niehoff Ultra is an exact duplicate. These caps are colored light gray, and have a white rotor. The contacts are brass.
Niehoff part #DR58K rotor $10.99 , DR79W cap $29.99 total: $40.98

Wells Gold / Duralast Gold are the same parts just different packaging. The cap and rotor are dark gray, with brass contacts.
Kit part # DR2030G total: $52.99

I have said that the rotors are the clincher , and this is still true in this case.

Rotor: The AC Delco rotor is the best design , IMO. It uses two pins and a capture block to retain the contact. The Niehoff rotor is an exact match! Wells/ Duralast Gold rotor has two melted pins for retention, much like the old Echlin parts that were not worthy of further examination.

Cap: Of the three caps brass is a desirable contact. The Niehoff cap has much better refined contacts. The Wells / Duralast Gold caps contacts appear to have been "snipped" or shear cut. I am not comfortable with the integrity of alignment, or "true" , using this method. They also show signs of marking or marring during manufacture.

The Niehoff contacts appear to be machined and are smooth. Nice looking!

Fit and finish of the Niehoff parts is obviously better than any of the parts examined. They lack stray flashing, plastic is heavier in reinforcement webbing, mounting surfaces are smooth and square. I had checked their rotors in the past, and obviously they have stepped up with some improvements

All examined did come with thread locking compound on the screws. The Niehoff had red locking compound, I am not sure if it really differs, but we all know to buff it all off before installation. ( See warning: Plastic Distributor )

Summary:Niehoff part #DR58K rotor and DR79W cap $45.98. Best price, best design, best choice , and the ones I will be using. Where to buy them? I bought them at Shucks (Checker, Kragen)

Now off to return some parts

[jeff024]

OK HJ I havent got the cap yet where can I find a :Niehoff ?

[HenryJ]

OK HJ I havent got the cap yet where can I find a :Niehoff ?

Do you have Shucks, Checker, or Kragen stores near you?
this was linked from the above- Advance auto parts. They have the rotor for $11.99 and the cap for $29.99. That is cheaper than I paid locally.

[jeff024]

only thing that comes up for my 04 is the accel is there any diffrence in years?

[HenryJ]

Ok, it was not fair of me to dismiss the Echlin parts , so I reexamined them.

The cap is black and the rotor white. They now have brass contacts, and the rotor looks good having the same over contact capture of the others. This puts the rotor in the top with the others. Rotor $12 , cap $40.
The cap was very close to the Wells/duralast cap. It had the same "snipped" contact ends. Not as much marring, but a little more loose flashing.
I would probably rate these #2 of the four. A nice improvement in their product. Good job.

The screws have the red locking compound. This is the same as the Niehoff set.
I don't know what the difference is yet. The others still have the blue locking compound.

So for ratings I would list them like this-

#1 - Niehoff/Borgwarner
#2 - Echlin
#3 - AC Delco/Wells
#4 - Wells Gold/Duralast Gold

I know this is nuts since what I thought was the best now ranks last. It is all in the rotor design. It was a tough call and the AC Delco and Wells Gold would probably be a tie. I really was surprised to see the improvements in the Echlin parts. The Niehoff will remain my choice until things change.

BTW- Two thumbs up for the local Shucks They refunded the price difference and the Niehoff cap ended up costing $29.99.

only thing that comes up for my 04 is the accel is there any diffrence in years?

1996-up all use the "crab style" cap. Many places do not update the model years applicable for at least the last two years.

The point was raised that sometimes there is value in what can not be seen. referring to the composition, materials and amount.
I did not want to destroy the caps, but weighed them to see if there were any significant differences.

The Steel contact caps weighed 7 ounces, and all the brass contact caps weighed 9 ounces. This leads me to believe that the caps likely contain the same weight terminals and connections.

Now as to the composition of the plastic. I don't know if there are significant differences that would be of benefit. The issue of conductance, and carbon tracking came up. That may be more of an issue in the V-8's where the contacts are close together on the smaller diameter caps. I'm not sure if it plays a part here though, since the materials seem to be so similar.

[HenryJ]

Niehoff Ultra

...Alkyd's molecular structure is denser than phenolic, which means it can resist higher voltage levels than phenolic while using less material. Alkyd caps are thinner than phenolic caps, with a wall thickness of around 90 mils, but they are dielectrically stronger. Alkyd's peak dielectric strength is rated at approximately 32Kv, or 350 volts per mil. When alkyd first appeared on the scene, there was confusion about the quality of this cap design. Technicians were accustomed to seeing the thicker walled phenolic caps. Greater thickness was equated with greater voltage containment when, in alkyd's case, the opposite was true. Even now, some brands may try to use "material weight" as a quality benchmark, and offer phenolic material caps where alkyd material caps should be specified.

[killian96ss]

Brule, have you compared the Accel cap & rotor to the ones listed above? They look very similar to the GM piece except they have brass contacts in the cap and a stainless rotor with a double pin and capture block. The rotor contact ball in the factory GM cap fell out when I pulled it off for the tune up!! I am very shocked that my gas mileage changed from 14-16 mpg before the tune up to 19-21 mpg after . My tune up parts list included MSD wires, NGK iridiums, Accel Cap & rotor, and a Powerdyne TB spacer. I am very happy now with the extra power and extreme mpg improvement!

Steve

[HenryJ]

...have you compared the Accel cap & rotor to the ones listed above?

No. Thank you for adding yours to the review. What do they cost?

[killian96ss]

I got mine from Summit. Accel cap part # ACC-120142 $43.39 & rotor part # ACC-130141 $16.39



Steve

[HenryJ]

Is the cap dark gray or black? At the tip of the terminal contacts in the cap do they appear to be clipped / sheared or machined?
From the pictures they look exactly like the new Echlin version. Or the Wells Gold/ Duralast cap and rotor.

[killian96ss]

The cap is black and made from "mineral filled polyester for superior arc control". This was quoted from Accels web site. I can't tell wether the inserts are machined or just cut very nicely. There are no shearing or clipping marks.

Steve

[CrazyChaz]

FYI, I found a Accel Truck Super Tune-Up Kit for our trucks at summit racing part number is ACC-TST1 for $125.88. It contains a Cap, Rotor, Plug Wires, and Spark Plugs. Seems like a good idea I may pick one up soon.

[purduecrew]

well ive had an interesting week:

dont worry, this has to do w/cap and rotor...

ok so back in Jan I got my CC. i replaced all the ign components, belt, fuel filter, etc etc.


fast forward six months. one day truck decided it didnt want to start, few hours later, it starts, no parts fixed.

fast forward two more months, truck wont start(cranks), few hours later, fixes itself, no parts.

next day, truck wont start, and never did start. so ultimately i replaced the following all in my apartment parking lot at college with cheapo chinese tools.... yay

ended up installing new FPR, FUEL PUMP, and crank position sensor. ALL TO NO LUCK! Dont worry i did all of this by the best process of elimination i could come up with, which still sucked.

now its sunday, five days later, and 300 bucks later(for above parts), truck still doesnt run. i took it to the shop friday and not an hour later i get a call saying trucks running fine but the CAP AND ROTOR were trashed. im think wtf...i wrote it off cuz i just replaced them, when in fact he said they just destroyed themselves...where did they come from? Autozone, Wells parts...so just a heads up...

[F9K9]

I had a good cap and rotor self destruct in under a year. Chances are your distributer vents are clogged. I'll do a search later if, you can't find the thread.

I feel your pain, Bro

[purduecrew]

well truck is running again damn parts...took the wells back to auto zone and told em what all happened, he didnt ask me one question, just took the parts, and handed me back 40 bucks. DAMN RIGHT! score one for the home team. oh p.s. the ac delco parts only cost 6 bucks more anyway

[Miles]

I recently ordered the Neihoff cap & rotor from Parts America Online, and was suprised to find the contacts to be steel, not brass, on the cap. Strange enough, even the description of the part on their website described it as having brass contacts. Here's a few pics of their parts:

Boxed Neihoff Cap & Rotor

Neihoff Cap & Rotor side-by-side

Close up of the Neihoff Cap

Close up of the Neihoff Rotor

Before I bought these, I actually called and talked to the technical dept of Neihoff. The guy I spoke with told me that their parts were identical to Borg Warner and Echlin, and that they could be purchased at my local NAPA or O Reilly's. O Reilly had the Borg Warner parts, but had no brass contacts....so I did not buy them. After ordering the Neihoff parts off the intra-web, I was suprised to see that the Neihoff parts were identical to the Borg Warner parts that O Reilly had. Maybe they changed their design?

[HenryJ]

I don't know what is going on across the country. The parts are still brass here. Echlin is definitely different and other that a slight color change and price difference, BorgWarner and Niehoff are the same.

Open the boxes and compare. Make the best choice you can.

What about Wells and Wells Gold?

Were you able to find any with brass contacts?

[Miles]

Vato-Zones' Wells brand did have brass contacts. But I do not have much faith in those parts. I guess what puzzles me is that the description of the item on the website clearly states that the contacts are brass. Remember I bought these off-line, so my location should not be relevant in this case. I dunno....maybe they changed them up, and have just not updated the description.

Might be worth taking a look at a new Neihoff cap & rotor next time you go to your local parts store, to see if they are still brass. If not, maybe we need to re-evaluate what cap & rotors are the best for our trucks?

[HenryJ]

Actually I did check them again last week at both the local Shucks and NAPA. Still the same here. They are all still using locktite on the screws too. That is something that needs attention.

I was pretty sure that Reed's cap and rotor were brass? They came from KY, I think.

Now even if you have no choice of a cap with brass, and they are all steel, the lowest price would be the deciding factor. Isn't Niehoff still the lowest cost?

The rotor is captured and the cap alkyld. As long as the terminals are straight and true it should be as good as the AC Delco.

[killian96ss]

Accel

Steve

[WVHogRider]

My parts from Summit just showed up. Accel cap and rotor, MSD wires, ACDelco Rapidfires, and ACDelco fuel filter. I can get close up pics of the Accel cap and rotor if anyone would like. I'll also get pics of the old cap and rotor, as well as watch for a fuel MPG gain. My MPG went from 13-14 to now it being roughly 16 to 16.5 after the HPIII adjustments.

Edit: I took some close up pics of the Accel terminals. I'm pretty sure they are machined. The edge is slightly rounded, and I think you can see some of the grove marks of the machining on the flat surface. I'll post'em later..It's time to go install'em..

[HenryJ]

... I took some close up pics of the Accel terminals. I'm pretty sure they are machined. The edge is slightly rounded, and I think you can see some of the grove marks of the machining on the flat surface.

That sounds very encouraging!

[killian96ss]

I can get close up pics of the Accel cap and rotor if anyone would like.

I posted a picture of the Accel cap & rotor above, but a good close up of the terminals would be nice.

Steve

[killian96ss]

If this is your first time replacing the cap and rotor on your S10 don't forget to check your distributor vent screens for blockage.

Another thing to remember when replacing your cap and rotor is to remove the thread locker from the new cap screws so that you don't crack the distributor housing.

Steve

[HenryJ]

...don't forget to check your distributor vent screens for blockage.

No screens in this housing, but vents all the same.

Make sure that the vent holes in the distributor housing are clear. They are under the rotor in the bottom of the housing on either side of the cam position sensor. Looking down from the top they are under where the the wires line up.

You will have to blow them out as the hole is not straight through. You can't just poke something through to clear the passage.

Read this too - Plastic Distributor

[Miles]

I spent a few minutes with a Dremel wire wheel removing the loc-tite from the threads. It was a major PITA to get it off...and I still could not get it all off. Even letting the screws soak in solvent did not get it! But, I think I got enough of it off.

Didn't even know about the vents, so I'll check that later. Thanks guys!

[WVHogRider]

It's not the best, but it's hard to hold the camera still enough while hitting the button. I think you can see the grooves going around the flat top portion. I could always try again, as I never got to install it yet, nor the plugs & wires. All I got installed was the fuel filter. It started getting late and looking like a long job trying to squeeze my fat hands in those tight places. If they are not machined, it is a very nice cut job.

[HenryJ]

It does look very good.

Accel cap part # ACC-120142 $43.39 & rotor part # ACC-130141 $16.39 total $59.78
If ordered through Summit add another $10.95 (handling) for a grand total of $70.73

It does look like very good quality , but you will be paying a pretty steep price for it.

[WVHogRider]

Autozone wanted $55.99 for the cap alone, no rotor available, and still had to wait due to the cap not being a stocked item. I paid $44.69 for the cap through Summit, plus I got the rotor, plugs, fuel filter, and MSD wires for only one $10.95 handling fee with no shipping fee. The rotor was $16.99. So no harm done, as I figured I'd save on the shipping fees from various companies to turn out saving several bucks in the end.

[killian96ss]

If you do order from Summit it helps to order a lot of items since the handling charge will still only be $10.

Summit is still the cheapest option out there and they price match anyone so it's kind of hard to go wrong with them unless you only order 1 low priced item.

Steve

[Miles]

A better option, maybe? ACCEL Truck Super Tune Up kit

[HenryJ]

A better option, maybe? ACCEL Truck Super Tune Up kit

Except that I think you can build a set better than that for less money.

Niehoff cap and rotor = $41
Taylor SpiroPro wires = $50
Autolite Irridium plugs = $30

Total= $121

I think the quality will exceed that of the Accel kit.

[24digger]

Good luck trying to find the Niehoff east of the mississippi nobody around here carries them anymore.

Had to change the regulator on my 95 CPI and thought I would go ahead and change cap and rotor, cost me a total of $62 at autozone for a duralast cap with brass contacts.

[HenryJ]

Did you try to find Borg Warner? Do you have Shucks, Checker , or Kragen Auto parts? Those are the stores that carry Niehoff and Borg Warner. Online it would be Partsamerica.com

[04crewvt]

I got the Borg Warner at Advance Auto a few weeks ago they no longer have the brass inserts they were stainless and looked clipped off not cut smooth. Just FYI

[HenryJ]

Pays to watch what you get. They may change suppliers.

[24digger]

we don't have shucks, checker or kragen auto parts, I think when I looked online checker was the same as advance auto parts, just different name. their wedsites were identical just different color.

looks like napa online has one with brass contacts that I didn't see before I went to town to find one. that was the last place I was going to go but I grabbed the first one I found.

advance auto and checker had them online but when I went to check out it said that those weren't available at local stores or at warehouses in my area.

[Torskdoc]

Didn't have much choice in where I got my cap and rotor. So off to the local Autozone and get the Duralast cap/rotor for $59.00. Part # DR9030G with Brass posts.

The original AC/DElco finally gave up the ghost. Center ball was missing totally, Carbon arcing all around the center of the cap and the containment area of the rotor. The individual posts were in decent shape. If the center had NOT been destroyed, I probably would have cleaned and dressed the posts and put it back on (cheap bastard that I am at times).

Also got Champion Copper plus #13's. The AC/DELCO 932's were worn down, apparently someone forgot the platinum dot on the end electrode. ALL six were worn out. No chance of cleaning, and regapping. So much for these new fangled platinum plugs. I don't mind changing plugs on these, I had a 1975 Monza with the 265 (Pull the motor mounts and jack up the engine to change).

Performance improvement was noticible. Idle smoothness, throttle response all improved. Part throttle downshifts delayed as less throttle was required to accelerate at same basic rate.

It now feels like the 350 that was in my 99 Suburban comparatively.

IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT USE THE SCREWS that come with the cap. The Length is 1/4" longer and the Threads per inch and pitch is WRONG. this will contribute to the cracking / splitting of the distributor that everyone is complaining about. Use the ORIGINAL screws. But DO remove the remants of the threadlocker from the screws and the holes as much as possible. They will be tight going in. Use moderate pressure on the driver used and go slowly.

Larry

[Jim]

I went out to get the Brass post Borg Warner, they said this is the best BWD has



Posts arn't machined



Are these worth putting on?

[Jim]

Do you think these are any good?
Ebay blowout

[F9K9]

Jim, I'd look online for what you are seeking. I try to verify via email or a phone call. I didn't by mine at any parts store. Here is the Niehoff for cap for $30

[HenryJ]

Coming up on the second year for my Niehoff Cap and Rotor.
The contacts were in need of cleaning. I had some light green residue. I assume this is related to the winters moisture.
There is some visible wear on the contact of the rotor and also the cap contacts. They will probably go another year with out a problem.

Glad I did a little spring check up and cleaned things up.

[badandy2003cc4x4]

these are not so good replaced the cap and roter in the fall tuesday I got a call from the wife the truck would not work. As I was across the state I told her to have AAA tow it to the dealer. turns out had a hole inthe roter I never got to see the roter so Ido not know much more than what was put on the bill from the service department. does not sound good by the way I do not know if fleet farm would sell any diferent parts than anywhere else they just got good prices so who knows if they get the smae quality merchandise that other stores do or if they just take a smaller profit.

[kwalsh]

I found this article on the web that talks about known issues with the Vortec ignition. It helped give some insight why the CC's distributor cap lasted only ~20k miles. I've cleaned out the clogged distributor vents. I hope to get more mileage out of the new cap. It was worth reading.

http://www.mightyautoparts.com/pdf/articles/tt127.pdf

[HenryJ]

Things have changed yet again. The Brass contacts are disappearing. Wells Gold still has them , but their rotor design is poor. BorgWarner is no longer brass and Neihoff no longer available around here.
Autozone has a brass contact cap in their Duralast Gold line, but their rotor is also poor with no capture block , so that rules them out.
AC Delco has the capture block on the rotor, but still the steel contacts in the cap.
Echlin which had once been brass, is now steel and aluminum. Their rotor does have a capture block. They were the least expensive at just over $40 for both, so that is what I am running now.

I don't know for sure if the Accel cap and rotor are brass. Rumor has it they are steel now too.

[roadrunner]

After my bad luck with the wells cap I've gone back to AC-Delco. I know you can get a failure in any of them but once bitten twice shy for me.

[Jongo88]

I just had to replace my cap and rotor. I had a Duralast Gold that lasted about 4 months. I replaced them with Accel cap and rotor. The Accel has brass contacts.

[killian96ss]

I have a new Accel cap & rotor sitting in my garage for a tune up in 10-20k miles and it does have machined brass contacts.
Accel still makes the highest quality cap, rotor and coil for the late model s-series.

Steve

[Cajun]

It's about time to replace my cap and rotor. I'm running the Neioff parts now and based on the above info, will likely go back with AC Delco in spite of the steel contacts.

Any new info since the last post in 2009?

As always, thanks for the help!

[HenryJ]

Take a look at the Echlin parts as well as the Wells Gold. Things change so rapidly they may have improved?
I still hear that Accel has a good cap if you are looking to spend a little more. I have no first hand experience with them in this application.

[killian96ss]

After installing 3 Accel cap & rotors over the past 10 years, I still believe that they make the highest quality cap & rotor for the S-series.

Steve

[Cajun]

Thanks Gang!

[ApproachMedium]

Moving along in my ever lasting quest to make this crew cab run correctly, I changed my spark plugs today, which were near destroyed. The 3 on the driver side being the absolute worst. After I changed them the truck ran great, till it warmed up, then it begun its misfire mess again and worse than before.

So my father took a look at it and pulled one of the wires off a spark plug while it was running, it was only firing every now and then, sort of quite random. I believe the distributor cap and rotor are my suspect here. But whats described in the PDF article posted above seems to show that maybe I should yank the distributor and give it some servicing? Whats involved with removing the distributor? The truck has 236K on it now, so id imagine if dirt getting stuck in the vent screens is a known common issue here, mine are probably clogged to all hell!

[HenryJ]

A good plan for pulling the distributor would be to turn the engine to number one cylinder and line up the marks. After that it is just one bolt retaining it and lift it out.
You might plan on a replacement as the miles may have it worn. Check the gear for wear and the shaft bushings for slop.
Check our website for the removal and replacement procedures. They are in the stock information pages.

[ApproachMedium]

Thanks for the info. I opted today to just buy a new one, as my dad also mentioned considering the mileage on the truck. My dad seems really confident on putting one of these in so I should be good haha. I found the instructions last night and I will print them out for reference anyways.

[ApproachMedium]

Well I ended up having to pay someone to change the distributor because we couldn't do it ourselves. After replacement it does run sorta better, but the #3 cylender is not firing. He says I have lost compression on that cylinder completely so it looks like this may be the end.

[LoneWolf04]

Anyone on here ever run a Techsmart distributor? They are part of SMP (Standard Motor Products) and their Techsmart division is USA made. Thinking my new Cardone one from 3 years ago might have bit the dust. Gotta pull it and check the gear and bearings.