# !988 Maxim "Distributor not spinning"



## djohnss (Jul 12, 2005)

My daughter has a 1988 maxima with a 300 V6. The problem started as she was driving 35 mph when the engine quit. After checking I found that there was no spark which eventually led me to finding out that the distributor was not turning. Could my problem be a broken timing belt and if so would a broken belt result in bent valves? Is the distributor run off the cam shaft? If not what drives the distributor? Are there other parts or components that could have broken? What should I check next? Thanks for your reply!


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

99% sure the timing belt has broken.

if it was running, I'm also 99% sure the engine is toast. the VG is an interference engine and if the belt breaks while running, it's sure to bend a bunch of valves.. Every one I've seen wound up getting a new engine (or junkyard).


yes, the distrib runs off the front cam, which is of course driven by the tmiing belt.

the next check would be to pull the timing covers off the 'front' of the engine and see if the belt is intact. If it's broken, then call around to some junkyards and try to find a place that has an engine for it, or find one that's willing to pay you for the car.

the engines for the 89-94 models are slightly different- I'm not sure if they'll work or not due to computer and sensor differnces... If you can find one for an 88, you should be able to get the engine for under $500 or so and it'll cost another $500 or so in labor to swap it over. you'll also be best off yo buy a new water pump, timing belt, and cam/crank seals while the engine is out. 
this takes about 2-3 days to swap everything over and you're looking at around $1300-2000 in parts and labor.

so the next question is, are you willing to pay that much to fix a car that's not even worth that much in running condition?

sorry for the bad news, but that's the naked truth.
good luck.


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