# 1986 z24i not firing. done everything



## sambaldwin07 (Sep 22, 2008)

i hope you guys can help me out. im at the end of my rope with this truck.
i have a 1986 nissan d21 hardbody with the z24i engine ( the one with 8 plugs) i got this truck and it was running but the distributor was not bolting down correctly the hold down bolts did not line up. so i bought a haynes manual took the front timing cover off and put the truck back in time. bought a new distributor plugs wires. the distributor then bolted up good and it ran pretty good,, well a couple of hours later i started bleeding my power steering and we went to start the truck and it will not hit a lick. i bought 2 new coils and the crank angle sensor cable. still nothing. i check my crank angle sensor for the volts and it was good. i check the coils and im not getting fire to them. i have traced all the fuseable links and they seem to be in good shape. i checked the blue relay on the passenger side of the truck well i changed all of them on that side. and stilll nothing. i think it may be a ecm problem but not for sure.. any ideas.. i read alot of the old post on the z24 engine and i couldnt find anything like this.. please help.
thanks


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

trace the power wire to the coils...


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## Copper93 (Mar 24, 2007)

I had a Chevy pickup that did that once. It ended up being a 21.99 control module. On the chevy it was located near the distributor. I don't know if your nissan has one or not. If it does I would check that.


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## jblakeslee (Nov 30, 2005)

I agree with with the above....check the wires to the coils...your post said you were not getting power to the coils.....if you do not get power to the coils....you will not get spark out.......get that straightened out first......


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## Copper93 (Mar 24, 2007)

I checked and there is one on your nissan, its about 90 bucks at advance auto. Its the ignition control module. The control module takes the signal from the distributor and fires off the coils.


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## sambaldwin07 (Sep 22, 2008)

hey guys thanks for the reply i order the ignition contol module today. advance auto will have it in the morning. will keep yall posted. thanks again i hope this works this truck started out just needing a transmission and now after a fortune later im still puttn money into it. hopefully it will payof one day..


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## sambaldwin07 (Sep 22, 2008)

hey i bought an igniton control module or ignitor whichever. and my truck still wont hit a lick.... do any of yall think it may be the ecu? i hope not.. my ecu is flashing the trouble code for ignition signal.but if i understand right that if i changed the ignitor the distributor and the crank angle sensor threee times what else could it be??? any help would be nice.. 
thanks sam


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

did you check to see if there is power going in to the coils.?


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## sambaldwin07 (Sep 22, 2008)

no power going into the coils..


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

trace the power wires back to the there source..


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## sambaldwin07 (Sep 22, 2008)

i havnt had a chance to trace the coil wires back to their source but just curious where do they lead to a relay or straight into the ecu.. are they fuseable links to the coils.. sorry for these questions dont know much about nissans.. although im learning alot more than i ever thought i would..


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## sambaldwin07 (Sep 22, 2008)

i dont understand how it could be running so good one min and then 30 min later not hit a lick.. sorry im venting..


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

take a look at these schematics ..

i know they are the wrong year but they are almost identical to the previous year..

also that is how eveything is in life it works and then it does not..

minute to minute day to day...


check you pm...


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## brookwood61 (Aug 18, 2005)

My 720 has the Z24I. The distributor heats up after a while when going bad, and will shut down the truck. After it cools, it runs, until it gets hot again. I changed the distributor, and took care of that problem. Another thing to do, is to check all the grounds throught the truck. It started running real bad once, and I ran a ground from the computer, right to the floor. That fixed that. Make sure there is a ground from the engine to the fireall too.
Good Luck


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## brookwood61 (Aug 18, 2005)

Opps-sorry about the double post. I haven't been here in a while.


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## hessian hillbilly (Nov 6, 2008)

*ignition control problems*

hi, im new here. i have an 88 hard*ody with z24. it was repaired from an accident in the front before i bought it, and LOTS of things wrong. i rebuilt it, dialing it in i found the exhaust side not firing. good coils, swaping coils around ignition control modual not working, replaced. dialed in valves, timing, and idles, then no exhaust firing again...

2 wires- black w/pink stripes, from harness 4 wires: one to dist., another for some accessory i dont have, and these 2. they were together in one connector round for a bolt or screw. but i dont find were they go! in the harness, each one goes to each ign. mod/coil. 

had cut off connector, then twisted back together, both coils fired, and brake light in dash was on, (had this prob b4, would mostly go away), then no dash brake light and no exhaust fire. 
any ideas? *


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

check to make sure the wireharness leading into the exhuast coil has fire.

if not try feeding it a known hot or batt source to see if it gets fire.

if it does trace the harness back to the problem which is prollie a short or broken wire..


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## hessian hillbilly (Nov 6, 2008)

not sure how to check from the harness. but.. from the harness connector-ignition module connector-coil connector. replaced exhaust ign. mod. worked then stopped.
i wish i had a diagram of this part of the system. haynes doesnt show much, and what it does is hard to find, for z24i.
the 2 wires, b/p, one goes to harness exhaust ign. mod. connector, other goes to intake ign. mod. connector, inkake one is spliced in to another wire in the connector.
the other end of these 2 wires need to go some where.


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

check it for power with a passive circuit tester..
you can get them for a dollar from harbor frieght..


i am talking about the wires that go itnto the coils and transistor ..

the power source for both ..test the incoming for the exuast side ..

if it is not hot ,give it a bat source ,if this gives the exhuast side spark trace backwards to find the break..


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## hessian hillbilly (Nov 6, 2008)

there is voltage from the harness. it looks like the $120 ign. mod. fried. first obvious issue is to figure out these 2 wires. they each go to each module but the other end???
a diagram in haynes shows this part of the harness( with the 2 wires) going to the tb, vacuum cut seliniod, fuel cut seliniod, and auto choke heater. i have no empties ant the tb.
note: only vacuum cut sel. has a 2 wire connect. also i believe the ex. side shuts off under load/ hi rpm's. i appreciate your help, this is the final stage to go to smog and its driving me crazy.


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## hessian hillbilly (Nov 6, 2008)

i think those 2 wires are engine ground. nissannut has some great diagrams etc... i hope this helps the person that started the thread.


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## hessian hillbilly (Nov 6, 2008)

it appears they are engine grounds. both coils are firing.


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

well i am completly lost now..

so u have determined that the coils are both working and the ignitermodule is bad...

does that mean you have fixed your problem???


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