noise from the distributor

most mornings, my 99 with 68K miles makes one of those difficult to describe noises for 10 to 30 seconds. I finally traced it to the distributor. while the noise is happening, i can feel a vibration when touching the cap. The vibration stops when the noise stops.
I figure I will replace the cap and rotor and see what happens.
According to the service manual it does not list the distributer as being replaced during the scheduled maintenance periods, so I guess it is original.

Has anyone experienced this noise? Am I missing something?
I realize this is the OEM Forum, but are there any other caps and rotors out there I should consider?

As always,
Thanks!
atriot:

Mine did the same thing, I thought the bearings were bad so I replaced it..........the new one worked ok for a little while and then started making the same noise. It only does this whan it is cold, 30 and below.

Replace the whole distributor. Mine had bushings, and made a god awful noise from time to time. Finaly broke the gears on distributor, and cam. The vibes can cause wear on the cap, so it should be changed as well.