# Help!! 98 Pathfinder won't start. Gas, air, spark ??



## MJL (Mar 14, 2012)

1998 Pathfinder, 130K mi. 20K since last tune-up (plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, air filter, etc.).

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a miss while idling. The RPM’s would drop and pick back up. Yesterday I started my car and drove about a mile and it cut off. It felt like it ran out of gas. Has a little over half a tank. I tried to start it up and it didn’t hit a lick. The motor turns over fine. I waited a few minutes and cranked it for a few seconds and it started up for about 15 seconds and cut off again. I tried to start again and it would not start. I tried to start it a few more times until the battery was almost dead and it fired up for about 10 seconds. I revved engine and it seemed fine and then it cut off again. I cranked a few more times and that was it for the battery. It was a little weak anyway (5+ years).

Towed home and charged battery. Checked codes. Nothing. Turned the key on to see if I could hear the fuel pump. Yep. Pulled spark plug wire and checked for a spark with an old plug. Yep. Sprayed ether in intake and it did not hit a lick. Pulled two more spark plug wires and a good strong spark from both. Inspected distributor cap and it looked fine. Checked power to fuel pump. OK. Checked fuel pressure. 43 PSI. Still will not start. Won’t hit a lick. I was thinking maybe distributor or timing belt? But it started fine for several seconds 2 times after initial cut off.

Any ideas guys?

Thanks for your help.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Was the timing belt replaced at the 105,000 mile interval? If you have spark and fuel, compression would be the next thing to check. You may have jumped a tooth, initially. If the distributor was bad, you wouldn't have spark.


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## MJL (Mar 14, 2012)

No the timing was not changed. My bad. Would the engine start and rev ok if it had jumped a tooth? I will check compression. Whats another easy way to find out if the belt has jumped? I noticed timing marker on the crankshaft pulley. Would hooking up a timing light and just cranking it to see if i could see the notches work? Is this an interference engine? If so, I guess the belt has jumped a tooth or two instead of breaking or the motor would lock up when the pistons hit the valves. Is my thinking right? I guess I could also open up the oil fill cap and see if the rockers are moving. Thanks for all your help.


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## MJL (Mar 14, 2012)

Well, I checked the compression on cylinders 1,3,5 all in spec. Hooked up a timing light while my wife cranked and the pointer looked like 14 degrees BTC. What are the symptoms of a bad crankshaft position sensor or camshaft position sensor? I read somewhere that the crankshaft position sensor is not used to control the engine system and is used only for on board diagnostics. I don't know if this is right. Also, it seems like these would throw a code. Maybe my ECM is bad? Any help would be appreciated.


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## pt2614 (Mar 5, 2008)

There are others here with much more knowledge than me, but I had similar issues. Mine was the distributor. Once I pulled it out bearings rolled all over the place. It is real easy to pull out, just make sure to mark it. Also make sure you have no vaccuum leaks with your intake. If it is the distributor, buy genuine Nissan, because my replacement was bad out of the box.


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## MJL (Mar 14, 2012)

I did replaced my distributor and it started right up. I should have updated this thread. I have also changed my timing belt, water pump, etc.. Now I have a miss with my new distributor. No codes. I did not put in a genuine Nissan. I'm thinking this could be the issue. It's not a steady miss but I really notice it when I first start the engine when it is cold at idle. Maybe my new distributor is bad also. It was a Richport?? brand.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

It could also be a fuel injector issue as they had issues with them and there was a TSB issued as well. Nissan's recommendation was to have a professional fuel injection service performed to clean out the injectors prior to replacing any. Most of the time the cleaning works if the injector is what's causing the misfire.


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## MJL (Mar 14, 2012)

Put another new distributor in and all is working fine. Thanks for everyone's help.


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## xunrealx (Aug 18, 2013)

*98 nissan pathfinder*

Hi, I had the same reactions today.

Rpm going up and down. and eventually it stopped on me today.

when I start the engine its missing the lick.

May I ask.... what brand distributor cap you bought? Did you do it yourself?

Thank you so much


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## pt2614 (Mar 5, 2008)

Hi xunrealx,
I ended up buying the entire distributor from AutoPartsWarehouse.com. It turned out it was defective. I send it back and they gave me a new one within a few days. At one point when I did do a tune-up I did put a cap on it. That was before all of this stuff happened. I am sure it was from AutoZone.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

When it comes to ignition parts, it's always best to stick with genuine Nissan or NGK parts. I realize the Nissan reman distributors are expensive, but if you get stuck somewhere or have to replace a part several times, then the difference in price doesn't seem so much.


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## xunrealx (Aug 18, 2013)

*Yup*

I got a machnic to take a look at it, and he said it was the fuel pump..

I change it for 200 dollars.. and the car still does not start..

machanics.. ofcourse... he said hes coming back today with computer thing to see if there's a problem with the sensors... man.. I'll let you guys know what happends.. thanks for the reply!!


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## xunrealx (Aug 18, 2013)

Hi guys, so i changed the fuel pump and that did not fix the problem..

Now I'm looking at either the Air flow sensor, or camshaft sensor

does anyone have a good video link that I could look up to find where and how to switch and clean these two sensors? 

Thanks!!


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## scottypotty (Aug 30, 2013)

My 1990 Pathfinder died after starting when the clutch pedal was depressed before I took off for school; it won't restart and sounds rough; it won't even fire. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Remove the distributor cap and watch the rotor while somebody cranks the engine; if it doesn't turn, the belt is broken. If it turns and there isn't a lot of slop in the rotor shaft, to the the basics. Check for a fuel issue, spark and compression. To eliminate a fuel issue, spray carb cleaner into the engine and see if it starts. If it won't start on the carb cleaner, it's not a fuel delivery issue. Check for spark to the plugs. If you have spark, perform a compression test.


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## scottypotty (Aug 30, 2013)

smj999smj said:


> Remove the distributor cap and watch the rotor while somebody cranks the engine; if it doesn't turn, the belt is broken. If it turns and there isn't a lot of slop in the rotor shaft, to the the basics. Check for a fuel issue, spark and compression. To eliminate a fuel issue, spray carb cleaner into the engine and see if it starts. If it won't start on the carb cleaner, it's not a fuel delivery issue. Check for spark to the plugs. If you have spark, perform a compression test.


...Hey, thanks a lot smj999; you sound like you know your stuff. When I cranked the engine with the dist cap removed, the rotor only once slightly moved. Could this actually be a broken distributor and not the timing belt; if the timing belt was broken wouldn't there be absolutely no movement whatsoever?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

It "could" be a broken distributor shaft, but it's more likely the timing belt. What usually happens is the teeth of the timing belt strip off at the crank sprocket, so you might actually see a little movement on the rotor as you crank the engine. It's easy enough to pull the distributor if you want to check, or you could pull a couple of spark plugs and do a compression test. These are an interference engine, so the possibility exits of bent valves, but sometime you get lucky on the VG's. I usually just put on the new belt, guide plate (sometimes lower timing cover) and crank pulley and start the engine to see how it runs. If it runs okay, then I'll continue to install the upper cover, belts, etc.


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## scottypotty (Aug 30, 2013)

smj999......Again, I can't thank you enough for your appearent expertise (not to mention your quick responses). One thing that rather concerns me though, after searching the web for a few days I've found a few references stating that if the "engine gets cranked while the timing belt is broken, hang it up; the engine is ruined." Why is this? [..who wouldn't attempt to restart their car after it died...how else would one determine that the rotor wasn't turning]. When attempting to turn over the engine, while it definitely doesn't sound like it is about to fire, it doesn't exactly sound like it's the end of the world.


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## scottypotty (Aug 30, 2013)

smj999 (I do hope you are still alive; you were incredibly helpful to me)...Well, here it is a month later, and because of fulltime school (and record rains in Colorado) I only just yesterday got the last of everything off to be able to see my timing belt--you were right, the rubber teeth were chewed off @crankshaft timing pulley (causing the rotor to move ever so slightly). I plan on getting the parts tomorrow, but I have two percieved problems.....1) the crankshaft timing pulley doesn't look like the Hayne's pic; it seems to have 'covers' @each end covering the spline cross-sections (which probably keeps the belt aligned), and thus cannot see the 'punch mark' to line up w/oil pump housing notch., and 2) the LH camshaft timing pulley 'punch mark' is a little (6 teeth) to the left of the mark on the rear timing cover. The RH cam pulley mark is lined up perfectly w/punch. How can this be? I can't see how the pulley would have slipped @LH cam (facing toward firewall w/hood up) since the belt got chewed up @crank pully and couldn't have moved once this happened. In short, I cannot figure out where to assume the marks should be when replacing belt. Also...any recommendations on turning the cranshaft w/out taking the tranny off (I can't do this)? Place balancer back on and use chain wrench? Thanks 1,000,000!!!


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

If the belt slacked up after it broke, it's possible that the valvetrain tension on the cam caused the LH camshaft to jump out of position. Either that or the end of the camshaft broke, which is hopefully not the case. One concern you have to keep in mind is that this is an interference engine, so the possibility exists that you "may" have one or more bent valve. If the belt broke while the engine was being started or at idle, you might be okay; if it broke while you were driving down the road, you'll need to be concerned. 
The punch marks on the rear timing cover on VG engines never line up exactly with the marks on the cam sprockets; they are usually just a hair outside of the marks when the cams are @ TDC #1 position. This is not a concern, because there will be (or should be) marks on the new timing belt. The arrow on the timing belt should point to the front of the vehicle. There should be one dotted line and two solid lines on the timing belt. The dotted line matches up with the cam sprocket timing mark on the right bank (passenger side). The solid lines will match up with the left band cam sprocket timing mark and the crank sprocket timing mark, respectively. I usually remove the top timing belt cover first, then turn the crank pulley clockwise to match the timing pointer on the lower cover with the 0 degree mark on the crank pulley and the cam sprocket timing marks toward the punch marks on the rear cover so I know I am at TDC #1. Obviously, you will have to get the cam sprockets in time before installing the new belt. Then I use an air gun to get the crank pulley bolt out. Not having access to air tools makes the job harder. I'm not a big fan of the breaker bar/starter jerk method because I've seen it cause cracked starter housing on Nissans. A chain tool can be used if you wrap one of the old belts around the crank pulley, but be careful because the pulley is brittle. There's the old "rope trick" where one feeds rope into the spark plug hole of a cylinder that has the piston down in the bore and then turn the engine to lock it up when it can't compress the rope any further. When the crank pulley is removed, the lower cover and guide plate can be removed, exposing the belt. When I'm concerned about bent valves, I will install the new belt (after lining everything up), guide plate, lower cover and crank pulley and bolt. Then, I'll start the engine and listen for a misfire. If the engine sounds okay, then I'll continue reassembly the front of the engine.


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## scottypotty (Aug 30, 2013)

Holy mackerel you're quick to reply! Obviously this is what you do for a living (mechanic); if there is some way I can thank you (Subway gift card?) please don't hesitate to let me know. You have been of great service to me and I thank you for your time. Where should the woodruff key line up on the crankshaft pulley @piston #1 TDC (...I believe I saw 6 o'clock written somewhere). Also, since my engine died @idle w/broken belt, I am praying that I have no bent valve. Which cam pulley punch mark might I rely upon to be @piston #1 TDC; the RH (driver side) currently @exact rear cover mark, or should I assume that both cam pulleys are okay with respect to each other (it failed @ idle while parked--I dont see how the belt teeth could have 'jumped'), and simply (lol) place crank pulley @TDC #1 and proceed w/belt replacement? I will get the parts here shortly and I'm nervous as hell (we're expecting snow this weekend and I want to get this thing fixed today/Thursday)


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

I don't want any compensation. I'm a former Nissan Master Tech who worked with Nissan for 16 years, leaving them in 2003. I only do mechanics on the side now that I got a job in corrections (less hassle, better benefits, more time off and clean hands!). The woodruff key should be at 12:00 for both crank and cam sprockets @ TDC, If you got to Autozone.com, they have free repair guides with pics that might be of help to you; all it requires is that you register an e-mail address.


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## powerinfast (Jan 10, 2015)

Hi all I have same problem and 1 hour ago now I repaired can I show problem point of distribütör And builder is chef cemil


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## satchboogie2u (Jul 30, 2016)

*GSR*

it is most likely cam shaft sensor made into distributor, this is for 98' model P/F. Know this from owning this prob.... Had to buy complete distributor because cam sensor is not sold! Bought a after market distributor worked fine, but heard that some have bought after market distributor's and had to return them once or twice to get one that worked!!! Best to buy factory, a little pricey, but worth it!!! I'm still try'n to find away to test the distributor outside the vehical...


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## biggjdogg (Nov 30, 2019)

smj999smj said:


> It "could" be a broken distributor shaft, but it's more likely the timing belt. What usually happens is the teeth of the timing belt strip off at the crank sprocket, so you might actually see a little movement on the rotor as you crank the engine. It's easy enough to pull the distributor if you want to check, or you could pull a couple of spark plugs and do a compression test. These are an interference engine, so the possibility exits of bent valves, but sometime you get lucky on the VG's. I usually just put on the new belt, guide plate (sometimes lower timing cover) and crank pulley and start the engine to see how it runs. If it runs okay, then I'll continue to install the upper cover, belts, etc.


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## biggjdogg (Nov 30, 2019)

smj999smj said:


> Was the timing belt replaced at the 105,000 mile interval? If you have spark and fuel, compression would be the next thing to check. You may have jumped a tooth, initially. If the distributor was bad, you wouldn't have spark.


MY 1998 NISSAN USUALLY FIRES RIGHT UP SECOMD CRANK OF ENGINE BUT THIS MORNING IT CRANKED AR PO UND 10 TIMES AND FIRED UP FINALLY AND I CAME IN GOT LUNCH READY AND 5 MINUTES LATER WENT OUT GOT IN WAS GOING TO WORK G OK T ABOUT 10 MILES AWAY IT STARTED SPITTING AND SPUTTERING AND QUIT TRIED STARTING IT BUT ONLY WOULD CEANK AND NO START AT ALL CAN ANYBODY PLEASE HELP I HADE IT TOWED HOME 140.00 IN STUCK ITS MY WORK VEHICLE I DRIVE IN THE LANDFILL TO ORESERVE MY NICE TRUCK I NEED HELP PLEASE ?? THANK U IN ADVANCE 
JACK


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

1998 Nissan Pathfinder...correct? If so, most likely cause is a bad distributor, but could be broken timing belt or fuel pump failure, to name other possibilities. Spray carb cleaner into the intake and then try to start. If it fires, runs for a few seconds and then stalls out, I would look for a fuel issue and check for a clogged fuel filter (near the rear axle) or no/low fuel pressure (i.e. bad fuel pump relay or fuel pump). Remove the distributor cap and make sure the bolt holding the rotor to the rotor shaft didn't fall out. If good, have someone crank the engine and make sure the rotor shaft turns; if it doesn't, likely broken timing belt. With the cap and rotor checked and re-assembled, check for spark to the spark plugs and make sure the spark plugs aren't fouled out. No spark: possible bad distributor...something fairly common on VG engines. If you need a factory service manual for help (the "EC" Engine Control section is what you'll need), the you can find a free, online FSM at NICO Club's website.


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