Do all vehicles have ignition distributors?
Normal ignition distributors for automobiles have become increasingly rare over time. The majority of today’s new vehicles have individual coils for each cylinder, eliminating the need for the spark distribution provided by a traditional ignition distributor.
New distributorless ignition systems power these separate coils using a high-voltage driver module designed to deliver precisely timed sparks.
However, there are still many vehicles on the road with ignition distributors. For this reason, distributor failure should be considered, especially if older vehicles are in use.
However, it is expected that the time will soon come when distributors will become completely obsolete, just like the breaker/capacitor distributors of a few years ago.
What causes a distributor to fail? Distributors can fail for a variety of reasons. The most well-known causes include eventual wear of the drive components and bearings, and internal arcing due to carbon buildup.
Individual components in the distributor can also fail over time. The distributor cap can crack, allowing moisture ingress or causing electrode corrosion. Similarly, the rotor knob can weaken over time or break off completely.
How many miles does your distributor have? Your average car dealer can expect it to last the life of the vehicle it’s installed in. However, like all components, unexpected distributor failures can occur.
On the other hand, some components of the distributor are considered wear parts and should be replaced periodically. This notably includes the distributor cap and rotor knob, which should typically be replaced every 20,000 to 25,000 miles.
Can a car run without a distributor? Of course, it is possible to run an engine without a distributor. Almost all new vehicles today are designed to dispense with the use of a traditional distributor and instead use a completely distributorless ignition system. In these cases, the individual coils or coil packs are ignited via a computer-controlled driver.
However, in vehicles with traditional distributor-based ignition systems, distributor integrity is still an issue. Without a functional distributor, this type of system cannot produce spark at the right time.
Can you tell a distributor is broken just by looking at it? It can be very difficult to determine the distributor by visual inspection alone. Unless visible vibrations of the distributor body itself are observed or excessive play is detected in the distributor drive gear, it is difficult to detect impending failure.
On the other hand, you can also use separate components connected to the distributor, such as: B. Rotor knob or distributor cap. Evaluate by simple visual inspection.
Where should the distributor rotor point? The distributor rotor should always point toward the single cap-mounted electrode that corresponds to the next cylinder that will reach top dead center. This makes it especially important to time each distributor installation precisely.
If you just want to replace the distributor rotor knob itself, timing isn’t as much of an issue because most rotor knobs have a special locking mechanism that prevents them from being installed incorrectly.
