How long did it make the noise before you repaired it ? My 97 has been intermittently making a fidgeting sound from the back side of the motor for a little while now. Checked it out last weekend and placed a stick against the cap and you could feel the vibration pretty good while it made the noise. I have one with around 80-90k on it I'm going to try. Mine has 230k on it.
Not sure. There are bearings against the distributor shaft that go bad and create excessive play and noise.