The cap/rotor really depends on the condition of the parts that are on there. At the very least, you should pull off the cap and inspect the posts inside as well as the condition of the rotor button and tip. When I get home today I can snap some pictures of my old cap rotor to show you what a worn rotor button (hopefully) and what carbon fouled posts look like. My view on the whole thing is that if you are going to take it off (and know that it has been on there for a while), you might as well replace it.

As far as the difficulty of replacing the cap/rotor... Just have to remember where all of the spark plug wires go onto the cap. If you have the newer horizontal mount cap, it'll have the numbers on the terminals, but the vertical mount cap does not. The vertical mount cap will have the wires arranged in the firing order, while the horizontal mount cap has them split off to their respective sides of the engine. The horizontal mount cap uses torx screws and the rotor also uses torx screws on the newer design.

On the older caps, it is as described by the previous poster. I have gone so far as to use a paint pen to mark the cylinder #'s just below each terminal on the cap to make sure that I put things back together properly.

 

This is really good info to know, but one more question for you all. What should i expect to pay for this project, start to finish? I'm debatinga good tune up to maximize engine lifeor justbuying a new 4.3 when the time comes.

 

How much you pay really depends on whether you are doing the work yourself or paying a mechanic to do it. Expect to pay between $200-$250 for the plugs, wires, cap and rotor.

 

what are you smoking? plug wires $30, plugs, $15, Dist. cap $7 and the button is like $3.

in the ballpark of $55 if you do it yourself.

 

That's if you use the cheapest crap you can find. I'm not smoking a thing, but experience has shown that cheap parts = absolute crap.

Here's the break down of the parts that I would recommend to be used.

AC Delco Double Platinum plugs = ~$6 == $36
Napa Echlin Cap = $40
Napa Echlin Rotor = $12
Belden Premium Wires = $64

So sorry, $150 is what you should expect to pay for quality parts, not the drug store knock offs that you'll be replacing in a few months time. I forgot that I had also purchased a trans filter and fluid when I did the tuneup on my Bravada almost 3 years ago.