# 94 altima GXE dies when warm, sometimes



## redbrd2 (Nov 11, 2005)

Hello all,
I hope someone can help, as I am tired of putting money into false solutions.
I have a 94 Altima with 165,000 miles. The car always runs great when I first start it up, and for about the first 15 minutes, there are no problems.
Before doing some work, the car would begin to sputter, lose power, then die and not restart for about an hour, enough time for it to cool down some.
I have done a tune up with plugs, cap, and rotor, the wires appeared new when I bought it. One person suggested the ignitor, so I replaced the ignition control module and verified the timing. Seemed fine for a day, then after driving, the car would not start back up until it cooled down.
A couple of things: The car does not crank over fast (new battery) and after attempting to crank for 15 seconds, the ground cable from the battery begins smoking a little and is quite warm (I'm hoping corroded connection at the starter? (looking for ideas here)) I pulled a plug wire from the dist and sparks were weak and intermittent. It seems now that the car runs great, but has difficulty starting when hot. It sounds like it will almost start, but won't, like it has a weak spark. I am tempted to replace the coil, but don't know if it would act any different warm or cold.
I have read the posts about oil in the distributor. Would that cause what I am experiencing? If so, how long of a job is it to replace?
Although the engine light doesn't come on, I intend to purchase a code reader for any codes which may be stored.
Of note, not sure if it's important, when doing some checking, one plug, #3, appeared to not be firing correctly, so I replaced it, but it was new so I don't know what caused that, could have just been faulty. 
Any advice on the most effective and inexpensive way to diagnose this issue is much appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

redbrd2 said:


> Hello all,
> I hope someone can help, as I am tired of putting money into false solutions.
> I have a 94 Altima with 165,000 miles. The car always runs great when I first start it up, and for about the first 15 minutes, there are no problems.
> Before doing some work, the car would begin to sputter, lose power, then die and not restart for about an hour, enough time for it to cool down some.
> ...


the distributors are notorious for going out on our altys. 165k miles might be about the right time for it to start acting up. as far as your starter goes, id go and have it tested. it sounds like its pulling excessive amps. could be an indicator of the solenoid going out or the windings being corroded. i personally havent witnessed corrosion as far down as the starter, but of course it wouldnt hurt to check it out. if the distributor is indeed bad, it wont take but maybe 5-10 minutes to change out. just be sure to oil the rubber o-ring before you set it in.


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## redbrd2 (Nov 11, 2005)

*Distributor?*

So, in order to verify if it is the dist, when I pull it, I will see oil in it somewhere? Are the symptoms I'm experiencing sound typical of the dist?
Anything special I should know about purchasing one or installing one?
Thanks again,
Steve


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## LONDONDERRY (May 19, 2004)

redbrd2 said:


> So, in order to verify if it is the dist, when I pull it, I will see oil in it somewhere? Are the symptoms I'm experiencing sound typical of the dist?
> Anything special I should know about purchasing one or installing one?
> Thanks again,
> Steve



Yes you should see oil in the distributor, around the optical enconder disk. You don't need to know anything special, expect get good warrenty on the distributor, rebuilt one are all so know to crap out over time.


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## redbrd2 (Nov 11, 2005)

*More diagnosis*

Hello again,
Well, I replaced the starter, and now she cranks over much faster, done issue with that.
However, I also replaced the O-ring on the distributor. She ran good for about 20 miles, then the same thing happened. I have determined what is happening, but don't know why. When it gets warm and starts acting up, for some reason I am getting no spark out of the dist cap on the #3 cylinder. If I do get spark, it is weak and sporadic at best. Did replacing the O-ring on the distributor do any good, or do I need to now replace the distributor? Is there anything else that could be causing this? If I do need to replace the distributor, does anyone know where I can get the best deal with a warranty?
Thanks in advance,
Steve


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

did you try the nighttime fireworks show? start the engine in the dark with the hood open and see if you see sparks along any of the wires and around the base of the ignition coil.


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## redbrd2 (Nov 11, 2005)

*No sparks*

Not even one spark. Took awhile for it to start acting up. Did act the same, only started cutting out and backfiring if I revved it to 4000 rpm. The third plug wire/plug is still what was acting up. 
When I changed the O-ring on the dist, I did not see any oil on the optical disk. No oil was noted within the distributor that I recall.
Also, I noticed that my coolant reservoir was boiling after running it. It did not overheat, fans still kick in, and the heat works. Is this normal?
Any other ideas on what is causing #3 to cut out?
Thanks again!!


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