the value of the distributor cap is about 0.1 - 0.5 uF typically
the distributor and other noise suppression capacitors are most likely PP type
PP = Polypropylene metalized film
these are good for AC pulses and high reliability in harsh environments
the internal resistance is very low
for the size of the capacitor you will achieve the 0.01 - 1.0 uF values with several hundred or thousands of volts rating with relative ease and low cost.
at the distributor the AC ring down when the points open will make that capacitor swing below ground, you won't be able to do that with the traditional electrolytic
not only that, the electrolytic will have much too high internal resistance to be useful and they don't like hot, that is the fastest way to kill an electrolytic
repeated hot environment
electrolytic are for high energy storage where series resistance is not critical
think large 10-100000 uF values, and always with a obvious polarity mark
they do not do well in high temperature applications unless they are very expensive specialized electrolytic
they also cannot be negative biased unless specially designed to do so.
AC electrolytics are meant for power applications like 60Hz motor starting, etc, not usually in frequencies in the KHz or above.
when your computer power supply dies, it's usually one of the big electrolytics that shorted out
because it couldn't even handle being in your warm cozy home
-s
