Mercury Cougar Distributor Replacement at your home or office.

Our mobile mechanics offer services 7 days a week. Upfront and transparent pricing.

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(75)

Included for free with this service

Online Booking

Mechanic comes to you

12-month / 12k-mile warranty

Free 50 point safety inspection

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to your home or office 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

Customer Ratings

(75)

Distributor Replacement Service

How much does a Distributor Replacement cost?

On average, the cost for a Mercury Cougar Distributor Replacement is $306 with $166 for parts and $140 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
1994 Mercury CougarV6-3.8LService typeDistributor ReplacementEstimate$486.66Shop/Dealer Price$573.18 - $824.62
Show example Mercury Cougar Distributor Replacement prices

What is a distributor and how does it work?

The distributor is an electro-mechanical component installed in a car’s ignition system to provide, time, and “distribute” the spark that occurs at each spark plug in an engine’s combustion cylinders. The distributor contains a rotating shaft with a gear at the bottom that engages a gear on the engine’s camshaft. Atop the shaft is a plastic rotor that has electrical contacts molded in. As the plastic rotor turns, it completes a high voltage circuit to each electrical contact, one per engine cylinder, that is molded into a plastic distributor cap. That high voltage then flows along the spark plug wire to the spark plug, creating the spark that ignites the air-fuel mixture in an engine cylinder.

Distributors vary in design: some may have the ignition coil built in, some have vacuum advance mechanisms attached for engine timing, and really old distributors may even have mechanical points. Vintage cars, that is cars older than 25 years, will more commonly be equipped with a distributor. Most modern car designs have replaced the distributor with fully electronic systems controlled by engine sensors for more precise, and more powerful, ignition system operation.

When to consider replacing the distributor:

  • Worn or damaged integral parts. Worn shaft bushings can result in wobbling or eccentric rotation of the rotor, resulting in misfires, loss of power, rough idle and poor mileage. If the shear pin breaks that secures the distributor shaft drive gear, complete loss of ignition spark distribution is the result. A failed ignition module that is mounted to the distributor housing may also be more cost-performance efficient to replace the entire distributor.
  • Visible oil leaks. Distributors are attached to the engine and consequently, there are seals, both internal and external, that keep oil from leaking at the point of attachment. External O-rings are serviceable but if an internal oil leak occurs, due to a worn shaft, for example, it might necessitate rebuilding or replacing the distributor.

How do mechanics replace the distributor?

Distributors are bolted to the engine block or the cylinder head. The replacement procedure is as follows:

  • Once all diagnostic tests are complete and the distributor is confirmed to be faulty, disconnect the battery negative cable.
  • Set engine at top dead center on the compression stroke for cylinder no. 1. Mark location of distributor housing and shaft relative to the engine mounting surface.
  • Remove primary and secondary ignition system wiring connected to the distributor. Unbolt and remove the distributor. Temporarily cover the hole in the head or block so no foreign matter drops into the engine.
  • Install new distributor and new cap and rotor, with the rotor pointing to the cylinder no. 1 firing-order electrode of the distributor cap. Reconnect all wiring and reconnect battery negative cable.
  • Start engine and set basic engine ignition timing per original equipment manager specification. Then check timing advance for proper function. Road test vehicle.

Is it safe to drive with a distributor problem?

Yes. A faulty distributor will cause increased fuel consumption, increased emissions and poor engine operation but does not generally create a safety hazard.

When replacing a distributor keep in mind:

  • Many ignition system failures will mimic a distributor failure, including faulty spark plugs, faulty wiring, and a worn cap and rotor. Mechanics will always test the distributor directly to ensure it is not needlessly replaced.
  • If a distributor is removed for testing and then re-installed, be sure that new o-rings are installed. Re-using old o-rings often results in oil leaks.
  • If the distributor is replaced, and the spark plugs and spark plug wires have considerable mileage on them, the best results will be obtained by replacing those components at the same time the new distributor is installed.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee


Meet some of our expert Mercury mechanics

Real customer reviews from Mercury owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(75)

Rating Summary
66
6
2
0
1
66
6
2
0
1

Bill

30 years of experience
52 reviews
Bill
30 years of experience
Cougar 2000 - Loud clicking noise when I turn the car - Littleton, CO
very positive

Tinashe

10 years of experience
534 reviews
Tinashe
10 years of experience
Cougar 2001 - Tune-up - Alpharetta, GA
He arrived on time, informed me about what he would do to tune-up my car and was very professional and polite.

Excellent Rating

(75)

Rating Summary
66
6
2
0
1
66
6
2
0
1
Number of Mercury Cougar services completed
825+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Mercury MECHANICS
600+
experts on our platform

Recent articles & questions

Symptoms of Bad or Failing Air Spring Bags
If you experience that your car is having a bumpy ride and the suspension is sagging or bottoming out, you may need to replace the air spring bags.
P0284 OBD-II Trouble Code: Cylinder 8 Contribution/Balance Fault
P0284 P0284 code definition The P0284 code being stored indicates that your number eight cylinder is suffering from a problem related to fuel and, thus, can’t function properly. What the P0284 code means Your vehicle’s PCM keeps track of the...
How to Replace a Vent Oil Separator
A car engine has a vent oil separator that fails when vapors clog the separator, smoke emits from the exhaust, or the Check Engine Light illuminates.

I also have the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 Turbo charged m271 engine it rattles when I first started looking to replace the cam phase

You should first have the computer system tested so the noise can be completely diagnosed to find the cause of cold start rattling noise. You may just need to replace cam phaser or timing chain and guides with the phasers....

2011 toyota pruis; code c1391 abnormal leak in accumulator, brake light and abs light on, brake fluid tank full

Hi Andrew. Thanks for the follow-up question. I've forwarded your question to our service and sales department so they can work up an estimate for you to have the actuator and accumulator on your Toyota Prius replaced. They'll contact you...

Car quickly loses speed

You will need to have computer and transmission tested to see if codes are stored and see if transmission is shifting into high gear and then torque converter lockup is releasing on deceleration. You may have transmission solenoid issues.

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (844) 997-3624 · hi@yourmechanic.com