Nissan Repair: 1999 Nissan Sentra hesitation, distributer cap, nissan sentra

Question
we own a 1999 Nissan Sentra with 230,000+ miles.  we do general maintenance like changing the oil, air filter, spark plugs and wires, tire rotation and balance, and alignment when needed.  we both work about an hour from home and use it as a commuter car so 90% of the miles are highway.  my girlfriend has owned it since it was new and until recently has never had much trouble with it.

lately we have been having issues with the screw on distributer rotor working itself loose and coming out.  we also had issues with it not running correctly when there was a lot of rain.  after talking to a few people that said all sounds like the distributer needed to be replaced.  I replaced the distributer, cap, rotor and plugs today.  I'm sure this fixed the issues mentioned above.  but when doing a few test drives, I noticed hesitation accelerating.  the hesitation occurred in any gear between about 1800 and 3000 RPM.  any suggestions on what to try to fix it?  is it worth it?  we just want to get the most miles out of it since it has been such a good car.  I am somewhat mechanically inclined so I may be willing to try fixing it myself.  we've spent some money a few months ago to replace 2 struts and shocks and a tie-in rod (I think that's what it's called).

also, would it be worth rebuilding the motor?  there is a very slight leak on the head gasket as well.  I would have a mechanic I trust do this.

Answer
Mike,

If the cap and rotor are not Nissan parts replace them with Nissan parts.  Aftermarket caps and rotors suck and do not fit worth anything.  If they are get lockitte blue in a tube and put a drop on the screw for the rotor.  Also, get WD40 and spritz the cap while the engine is off.  If there is oil on the optics of the distributor it will need to be replaced with a rebuilt unit.  To check for this remove the rotor and the rotor post and then the cover under the rotor post.  Note the location of the rotor post prior to taking the unit apart.  If there is oil get a replacement distributor.  The nice thing about Nissan distributors bought at the dealer is they come with a new rotor and cap.  All that is required is to time the engine after hooking up the wires.