Hi all,

I recently posted about replacing my spark plug wires & got some excellent advice (as always). I should have asked about replacing my cap & rotor, too. The car is a built 1985 Camaro IROC-Z with a 383 in it. The engine was built & installed in 2010 (finished in 2011), and I've never replaced the cap or rotor. However, during that time the car only has around 2,000 (maybe 2,500 miles) on it.

Wondering if I should (1) replace them and (2) stick with the MSD brand since that's the type of distributor it is? Maybe I have to, not sure what brands are cross-compatible if any.

I know that usually, I'd remove the cap and rotor and inspect them first, but I'd prefer to have all the parts I'm going to need on hand so I can get this all done at the same time and not have to wait for something to arrive.

 

There is no need to replace them unless you suspect you have an issue. If you don't have any misses and or timing issues, what you have is probably healthy. How many miles were on said parts back when you did the swap? If they were new in 2010, after 2500 miles they are still basically new.

 

Probably no need to replace them unless they're bad in some way (corrosion, insulation breakdown, etc.)

No requirement to stick with MSD brand. No specific need to change, either, whenever you do replace them.