Distributor cap and wires for 4af - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

freakinbox · 03-23-2009, 10:14 PM

I am looking for a reasonably priced distributor cap and wires for the 4af. Went to canadian tire today to pick them up with the stuff for the oil change and where the champion set used to be $60, it's now $106. The last time I bought them one broke trying to pull it out of the spark plug tube, not worth $106 if you ask me. ESPICIALLY when the toyota part is $120. BUt honestly for cap and wires the prices for them are insane.

Wondering if anyone else has run into these crazy prices recently and found cheaper in ontario. I have been on a search the past while for the wires and cap as multiple pieces since the stock 4af one is one and they get pretty expensive replacing the whole thing, espicially when the cap is fine and the wires are needing to be replaced.

I know the 90 - 92 4afe cap and wires will fit so I am going to price them to see if they are different (you'd be surprised how parts for the 4afe cars and parts the the 4af cars can be so differently priced even when the parts are identical). Wondering if the later 4afe had the same cap and wires or if they changed them.

Ghostyman · 03-23-2009, 10:33 PM

Subscribing because I'm also interested. I assume you saw the post where arushforbarbie said she found 'em for something like $37?

macst19 · 03-23-2009, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghostyman

Subscribing because I'm also interested. I assume you saw the post where arushforbarbie said she found 'em for something like $37?

Autozone has them for 36.99. Check their website that's where I saw them. Bought them new last Saturday, installed Sunday. Duralast (Autozone house brand). Also bought new rotor and a set of NGK V powers. Everything cost me about 50$ with NC tax. PS V-powers are not sold at autozone

Ghostyman · 03-23-2009, 10:57 PM

... and you damned Cannucks, I'm never sure if you're talking about USD or CAD. Sigh.

I love my neighbors to the north. Even if you don't have Midori in your country for some reason.

(Edit: obviously this doesn't apply to my esteemed countryman who posted right above this. I use normal NGK copper plugs on my Toyotas. They're about $2 each. What's advantage do the V Powers advertise?)

SuperRA · 03-24-2009, 01:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghostyman

Even if you don't have Midori in your country for some reason.

Is Midori a Japanese restaurant in Sunnyvale?

What bugs me about the 4AFE cap is that you can't find it without the wires, or if you do, its the almost the same price as the one with the wires. I usually get the lifetime set and somehow when I need to do a tune up, one of the wires mysteriously breaks and I get a new set. You gotta keep the receipt an all tho.

freakinbox · 03-24-2009, 02:38 AM

yeah that is what ticks me off. The cap is fine in most cases. The wires are finished. But because of one or two wires you have to buy the whole unit which costs a lot more. I have seen pics of people with 4af and 4afe's with cap and wires being separate... but you can never get a straight answer where they got them from and I have been unable to find them

**Edit**
ok so according to the RockAuto parts catalog the ae101 (at least from 94 and up from what it shows) had separate cap and wires. Anyone know if it would fit the earlier 4af/4afe distributor, I cannot see why, Toyota most likely would have kept the same distributor for the 4afe until the end as they were all for 4wd's. But I would like to know for sure. Would explain why you see some ae92's with them. Only thing that does explain is how they got wires for it with round tops as the ae101 had a different valve cover where the holes on top were square.

World of Noise · 03-24-2009, 04:45 AM

I have the separate cap and wires... I remember paying quite a bit for them. Yep, just went and found the bill $135.65 retail!!! ($95 after discount)

NGK part # RC-TE21 (I think it's just TE21)

Hope this helps since I have no idea if you can buy the wires separately...

macst19 · 03-24-2009, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghostyman

They're about $2 each. What's advantage do the V Powers advertise?)

From what I remember, the V-Power are the copper plugs. They're the cheapest ones I could find for NGK at $2 each.

SuperRA · 03-24-2009, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freakinbox

yeah that is what ticks me off. The cap is fine in most cases. The wires are finished. But because of one or two wires you have to buy the whole unit which costs a lot more. I have seen pics of people with 4af and 4afe's with cap and wires being separate... but you can never get a straight answer where they got them from and I have been unable to find them

**Edit**
ok so according to the RockAuto parts catalog the ae101 (at least from 94 and up from what it shows) had separate cap and wires. Anyone know if it would fit the earlier 4af/4afe distributor, I cannot see why, Toyota most likely would have kept the same distributor for the 4afe until the end as they were all for 4wd's. But I would like to know for sure. Would explain why you see some ae92's with them. Only thing that does explain is how they got wires for it with round tops as the ae101 had a different valve cover where the holes on top were square.

On all caps that I've had, the wires were separate from the cap. Only thing is they are sold together which makes it even more stupid. I've checked on the AE101 cap thing and if you look at the pictures provided by rockauto, you can see they have different bolt patterns. But I just had a thought, if you could find a 4AFE (or maybe even a 7AF has the same distributor) distributor from an AE101, it might have the bolt pattern for the cap you can buy seperate.

***REN69*** · 03-24-2009, 11:38 AM

Tony, I gave up and ordered a set of OEM Toyota-Sumitomo wires yesterday as they were only $94 at the dealer, CT wanted $30 for the Champions and didn't carry NGK, then Parts Source wanted $84 for the NGK wires and they were all special order.

I know what you mean though, I ain't buying the Champions or Niehoffs from CT as I had the same problem you had but with my old Civic, the boot just came right off.

I was supposed to go pick them up right now, but just called and dude said they were supposed to be in at 7am but he hasn't got them yet.

texadelphia · 03-24-2009, 04:10 PM

Auto parts warehouse has NGK for like $73 american. You can also pull off free shipping.

Ghostyman · 03-24-2009, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperRA

Is Midori a Japanese restaurant in Sunnyvale?

It's a liqueur. And apparently also a JDM restaurant in Sunnyvale (hehehe, JDM... I crack myself up.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by macst19

From what I remember, the V-Power are the copper plugs. They're the cheapest ones I could find for NGK at $2 each.

Turns out those are the ones I'm using too. Good plugs.

freakinbox · 03-24-2009, 04:57 PM

no the boot didn't come off.. The tube itself snapped and the wire also broke. Put it back in and I managed to get back home from fort erie like that. But they are not worth $106. The gts ones are sold separate where as the 4af don't seem to have alot of versions of that. The problem is I know they are out there, like I said... SEEN THEM!!! lol

SuperRA · 03-24-2009, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freakinbox

The gts ones are sold separate where as the 4af don't seem to have alot of versions of that. The problem is I know they are out there, like I said... SEEN THEM!!! lol

My 4AFE wires are the ones that come off from the cap and look like they should be sold separately, only, they aren't... who knows why...

retiredat44 · 03-25-2009, 03:56 PM

the cheap ones are really garbage.. but if you insist on the cheapo garbage ones go ahead... they will last only a few months and give you nothing but misery... crossfiring, misfiring, and that's in a warm dry climate..