# Wrong parts for my '96 Nissan HB



## oksam (May 25, 2009)

I was unable to find for an answer to this problem by searching the forum. Really...I tried.

I have owned two Nissan HBs and have had problems getting proper replacement parts for both of them (the first one was an '87.) Recently, I purchased a distributor cap off of eBay Motors, and the cap was said to fit a 1996 Nissan pickup with a KA24E engine, which is precisely what breathes beneath the hood of my little XE. Trouble is, the new cap only has ports for four spark plug wires while the KA24E has eight plugs. Thinking maybe I'd been ripped off, I Googled some reputable supply sources to see which cap they were selling to '96 HB owners.

I started with the ACDelco site. Delco sells an E345A distributor cap for '96 HB owners. The E345A is what I bought on eBay Motors. Again, wrong cap.

Next stop, the AutoZone: AZ sells a Duralast distributor that also has only four spark plug ports.

Amazon.com also sells the E345A distributor cap. They even have a nice feature that checks to be sure the part will fit your vehicle. Amazon assured me the E345A would fit my truck.

Thinking maybe an independent might get it right, I visited frugalmechanic.com. Frugal not only claimed the E345A would fit my engine, they went a step further by recommending it for use with the 300ZX, Maxima and Pathfinder, even though I'm pretty sure none of these vehicles were ever powered by a 4-cylinder engine, much less one that only had four plugs.

By now I'm pretty sure I know what you all are thinking: Why doesn't this guy go directly to Nissan and get OEM parts? Great idea, but guess what? Mynissanparts.com sells the same cap that all the other places are selling! It only has places to attach four sparkplug wires, while my HB has eight plugs and I'm pretty sure it won't work if only half of them are plugged in!

If only this problem ended here, I'd probably be happy, but the same thing happens with windshield wipers, thermostats, brake pads, oil filters and more. To the best of my knowledge, the guides that Wal-Mart uses for replacement parts are almost 100% inaccurate. The only thing they've ever gotten right for my vehicles were the headlamps.

Obviously, there must be a way of getting the right parts, because whenever I'm forced to take my trucks into the shop for repairs, they always seem to get it right. So what's the deal? How can a guy who's trying to save a few bucks doing simple repairs make sure he's getting the proper parts and not just getting ripped off?

Money's tight nowadays and I can't afford to throw it away on bad parts. Paying full price at the dealer is hard to swallow, too, but if that's what it takes I'm ready to bite the bullet.

But...really...isn't there a way to get the right parts without having to drive 20 miles to the nearest dealer?

Any help would be very much appreciated!


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

the z24 has eight spark plugs ..


the ka24e has 4 spark plugs..

the 87 truck has the z24 engine..

90 and up has the ka24e


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## cjserio (Mar 18, 2008)

Wow dude...maybe your vehicle was bought used and someone replaced your engine with something else? I've never had a single problem getting the right parts for my truck....right down to nuts and bolts.

I mainly shop at:

Genuine Nissan Auto Parts, NISMO and Nissan Accessories - Courtesyparts.com

or

Auto Parts Fast at RockAuto

If none of these sites are working for you, then you must not have stock parts in your truck right now. The KA24E definitely has 4 spark plugs. It's a 4 cyl engine and it WAS used on the Pathfinder as well as the other vehicles that you've mentioned. Take a picture of what's under your hood and post it. The guys here will know in a heartbeat what you have.


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## 1ATony (May 13, 2009)

If you have any questions or concerns you can also call our sales dept. for help. 1-888-844-3393 and tell them your from the Nissan Forums we sponsor.

Here's a link to our site if you would like to poke through our selection.All of our parts include free shipping.

1A Auto Parts


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## oksam (May 25, 2009)

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the advice. It's tough getting old (don't ask!) and getting things mixed up from time to time. Anyway...I was partly right and partly wrong. My truck does indeed have only 4 spark plugs, but the distributor cap still doesn't fit. My last truck was an '86 with 8 plugs and when the new cap obviously didn't fit (not even close) I jumped to the conclusion that my truck had 8 plugs without even bothering to count the wires! :givebeer:

It looks like I'll have to upload my photos to some place like photobucket so that I can link to them here (or is there a way to attach files directly to our posts? Sorry for being such a newbie!) Better yet, here is a link to the same sort of cap I purchased online: CAP ASSY-DISTRIBUTOR - TRUCK-HARDBODY (D21U) 01/1996-1997 2.4L 4-Cyl SOH :: CourtesyParts This same cap (an AC Delco E345A) was listed at all the sites mentioned in my first post.

And here is a link I just now found to the only place that has gotten it right yet: 1996-1997 Nissan Pickup - Bosch Distributor Cap

That's my cap! And it's a Bosch. My cap has three mounting screws while the other cap only has two. So, I'm still left wondering why something like 9 out of ten sites listed the wrong distributor cap. I've gotta have some of the worst luck (and worst memory) in the world. Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, and sorry for the confusion on my part.


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## oksam (May 25, 2009)

Well, I managed to make another mistake! The first link in my last post showed an Hitachi distributor cap, which is slightly different than the one from Delco. The Delco cap has a perfectly round button that spins around and looks like some sort of vent. Makes me wonder just how many varieties of distributor caps are out there! Thanks again for your help.


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## SPEEDO (Jun 9, 2003)

Nissan used a Hitachi & a Mitsubishi dizzy, and of course the cap & rotor will not interchange with each other.. if you look at the base of the dizzy you should see a part number, something like 22100-40F00 (hitachi) or a "40F10" (mitsubishi) on the later models you might see "1S702" which is also a hitachi
hope that helps a little..


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## hans747 (Jul 14, 2005)

I have a 1996 also, and I know what you're talking about. Nissan switched from one distributor to another during production in 1996. When you go to buy that distributor cap, tell them what month your truck was built (it should be printed on the doorjamp of the driver's side). That will tell them which cap/rotor you need.

The same thing applies to your front brake calipers. They switched those in 1996 as well.


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