They say that the hardest part in finishing something is getting started. And that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. These refer to the utmost importance of how the starting point defines the kind of travel you will be going to get. In the auto lingo, the ignition system is one important system to get the engine starting, or to get the ball rolling, so to speak.

Igniting the fuel at the right time so that the expanding gases can do the maximum amount of work is the main objective of the ignition system of a Mercedes Benz. It utilizes components responsible for making the spark. They include the spark plug, the coil and the distributor. Among these three, it is the distributor which proves very useful as it handles several jobs. Aside from the fact that it distributes the high voltage from the coil to the correct cylinder, it also does the job of breaking the current to the coil. Comprising the distributor is the rotating arm inside as well as a cam in the distributor shaft.

But the device which distributes electricity from the ignition coils to the sparkplug wires at the right timing is the Mercedes distributor cap. Usually made of hard plastic and small amount of copper, the distributor cap houses the distributor rotor, rotating as it receives current from the ignition coils and passes it on to the copper portion of the cap, which then passes it on to the spark plugs.

The Mercedes distributor cap is the one that is often affected by heat and vibration, with the constant high voltage it encounters. Thus, it should be a habit to have it inspected regularly. If not, carbon tracking will form in the cap. This will surely cause misfires in the engine. Experts suggest replacing defective distributor caps every two years or every 15,000 miles of distance traveled. While older vehicle owner must be more aware as their caps and rotors are more prone to wear out.

Having the cap and the rotor inspected during night time is more advisable as they can easily see the lights that they emit from the current. It is not advisable to touch them, though, electricity of up to 20,000 run through them.