B230FK Distrubutor Cap And Rotor Options.
 

As per the title chaps :) I'm looking to replace my cap and rotor as I've no idea when they were last done.

Frankly this is the first car I've owned that uses the ancient cap/rotor system so I'd be deeply grateful for some feedback.

Option A EuroCarParts- Bosch cap and Beru rotor - £62.06p

https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/V...b4c103a&000104

https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/V...8dfb46f&000288

Option B PartsMonster (Ebay) Genuine Volvo cap and rotor- £87.85

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-V...AAAOxyVLNS84eY

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-V...UAAOxyOlhS84d1

Option C Partsmonster (Ebay) Non specific aftermarket car/rotor £36.94

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-240...cAAOSwnHZYkFND

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-740...8AAOxyVaBS6lvs

Worth bearing in mind that the car will do 3k miles a year and will only see light use...

Questions

1. Have I got this right? Are the parts I've listed the right ones for B230fk?
2. If so, which of the above options would be most suitable/recommended?
3. Does anyone have the correct part numbers for these parts to suit B230fk?
4. Has anyone tried cheaper options like those in option C with any success?
5. Are there any other options I've missed? I so links would be great :)

TIA :)

Genuine Volvo every time, a no-brainer.

Jon.

Those are correct. I'm a bit dubious of genuine ones where the picture shows an orange/red cap, but it could just be the wrong picture. As far as I know the original ones (made by bosch) have black outer covers. Bosch seemingly made two versions, one for aftermarket and one for Volvo OE. The volvo one has insulation of some sort, to prevent the spark arcing to the cap housing. But the non -insulated bosch is fine in my opinion.
I once tried a cheap version, the screws were fully threaded and so was the cap, hard to explain but it doesn't work like that!

P.S. See what the price is like from Rufe. (see traders section if you don't know)

The only real good reason for replacing a cap and rotor is if they are tracking (you'll see spider webs of black lines on the inside of the cap or down the rotor) or if the rotor "button" (the carbon brush that is in the centre of the cap) is worn out.

I used that one on my old 740GLE with no problems at all, higher mileage than 3k a year but not that much higher (4-5k) but as Ash rightly points out, there are only a few reasons why the dizzy cap and rotor need renewing and that's if it's tracking, excessively worn (carbon brush and contacts in the cap, tip of the rotor, contact pad in centre of rotor) or if there is tracking present.

Unless you have any of those problems then there won't be much to be gained, unless of course your existing cap is filthy which will promote tracking.

On the economics side, that option is about the cheapest i'd go for, there are others as mentioned that have problems so not worth going cheaper.

If you were doing 30k a year, i'd say go for the genuine Volvo bits but if you're only doing 3k but want the peace of mind of new bits, go for this one, clean the old bits up and store them carefully (with bubblewrap to protect the carbon brush and rotor arm then all wrapped in bubblewrap in an airtight bag) in one of the luggage area cubby holes as a working spare set.

One reason they are expensive is they are shared with the Porsche 924 and not much else but all the distributor bodies are the same (internals may be different) for those mounted on the rear end of the cam. As such the exact engine designation doesn't matter as far as the cap and rotor go, if it's meant for the dizzy on the end of the cam then those you linked to should be correct. ;) :D

Thanks chaps, loads of good responses and food for thought :)

Also, are there some seals I should be replacing at the same time?

If so do they come with/as part of the new cap/rotor or do I need to order seperately...?

TIA.

Always get the genuine volvo parts especially if you don't use the car much and you want it to start in damp conditions , there is a difference in quality between genuine volvo and others ..
there are two O rings if you take the distributor out , but if it is not leaking just take the cap off in place .

There are no seals associated with the dizzy cap/rotor arm usually, however some people have needed to replace the rear camshaft oil seal. It's pretty rare though. I believe the rear cam oil seal is available separately but if the rear one is gone/going then it stands to reason the front one won't be long either.

If you have some minor oil leaks from those seals or any others, you could try adding some (0.5 - 1.0L) synthetic ATF to the engine oil as it contains a compound often referred to as "Seal-Swell" which helps to revive and recondition rubber seals and prevent leaks. It also cleans the engine internals as well and works wonders on hydraulic tappets, not that you'll have any on that engine.

If you get any oil in the disti atall it causes hesitation. I have not seen a dry one, but a few report they have. The disti seals are very hard to change.

A good upgrade is the Buchka wasted spark modification. Needs a few new parts and some soldering in you EZK ignition unit, but works well.