# RIP 94 Altima?



## mike316 (Jan 10, 2006)

Hey I was wondering if you can help me. I have a 1994 Nissan Altima GXE. The milage is 145k but has a new engine with about 40k. The old one blew because the previous owner ran it with no coolant. I got it back in july 05' from the owner who just had it sitting. Anyways, I bought it and got a new Cat for it but about 2 months ago i started to have problems with it. Now the engine wont turn, The engine does have a leak but thats about it. The air intake is not clogged either. First the car would not accelerate. For example i would be at 65, id floor it and it wouldnt even go 66mph. the odometer needle wouldn't move. Then later on i experienced shaking. As time passed the shaking only got worse.It even shook when in park but not as violently. Then later i had stalling problems. Id be at a light or a stop sign and it would die if i didnt pump the heck out of the gas. Once id get past 20mph Id be fine. but then it regressed to 40mph then it would die on me. like id have to get the car paast 40 to not have any trouble. Now, my cars engine can barely turn, and the second i put it in drive, the car just stalls. it cant even leave the parking lot. This was all within a 2 month time frame. I only used the car for work. Can someone help me figure out whats wrong with it? at first i thought it was the tranny but im not sure. Id really appreciate your help thank you... :fluffy:


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## KA24Tech (Feb 2, 2004)

It is definitely not in the trans. The first thing to do is tune it up with new NGK spark plugs, Nissan cap, rotor, and air and fuel filters. While replacing the distributor cap look under the cover under the rotor for oil. This could be much of your problem. There are a few threads about this.

Troy


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## Darktide (Jul 29, 2004)

I'm putting my bets down on a bad O2 sensor. Do a tune up and replace the O2 sensor while you're at it. I'm sure it'll be fine.


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## jserrano (Oct 27, 2004)

I'll place my bets on the MAF sensor and throttle cable/linkage.


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## gfriedman (Oct 12, 2005)

mike316 said:


> The engine does have a leak but thats about it. ...



What kind of leak are we talkin here?? My money is on a vacuum leak..


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## Ironchild (May 11, 2005)

20 bucks says its a blinker fluid leak...........


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## mike316 (Jan 10, 2006)

*reply*

it leaks from the engine..im not much on cars but it leaks from the lower right portion of the engine. behind the right side of the exhaust manifold. i think its the part from where the spark plug wires come from..is that the oil distibutor?..im not sure


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## gfriedman (Oct 12, 2005)

^^^WTF. That's your problem! Oil leaking from the distributor is killing it. Replace the distributor and it should be fixed.


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## KA24Tech (Feb 2, 2004)

It does sound like the distributor is leaking, and I recommend taking the cap off and looking for oil inside. Plus I recommend getting the Haynes manual for the Altima at your local auto parts store or www.books4cars.com

Troy


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## mike316 (Jan 10, 2006)

*leak*

i checked the distributor and i found no oil in it. i just saw that the rotor button was dirty and im gonna replace it. the leak isnt coming from there. i actually see alot of oil coming from behind the exhaust manifold as far as leaking onto the transmission...any suggestions?


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## ssaemployee777 (Jan 8, 2006)

You need to remove the plastic cover inside the distributor after you remove the distributor cap. ans see if ther is any oil coming out. Did you just remove the cap or did you go any further?


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## Darktide (Jul 29, 2004)

ssaemployee777 said:


> You need to remove the plastic cover inside the distributor after you remove the distributor cap. ans see if ther is any oil coming out. Did you just remove the cap or did you go any further?


the little plastic cover that you're talking about is actually the rotor button that Mike was talking about.


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## ssaemployee777 (Jan 8, 2006)

Darktide said:


> the little plastic cover that you're talking about is actually the rotor button that Mike was talking about.


After you remove the rotor, you have to remove the pastic cap (that goes over the thin disk with 360 little slits). On my 94 altima it looks like a cap on the spray can.


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## KA24Tech (Feb 2, 2004)

There is actually a steel sealed cover plate under that plastic cover which is held down by small phillips head screws. They are thread-locked so they are a pain to break free. Under there is where the oil will be to cause the problems.

Troy


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## ssaemployee777 (Jan 8, 2006)

KA24Tech said:


> There is actually a steel sealed cover plate under that plastic cover which is held down by small phillips head screws. They are thread-locked so they are a pain to break free. Under there is where the oil will be to cause the problems.
> 
> Troy


This is what mine looks like:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...9840&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT#ebayphotohosting


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## mike316 (Jan 10, 2006)

*start*

i know the distributor is making it not start...what would cause all the shaking and stalling of the engine once i start it?....


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## ssaemployee777 (Jan 8, 2006)

mike316 said:


> i know the distributor is making it not start...what would cause all the shaking and stalling of the engine once i start it?....


The distributor may not be sending the proper information to the ignition coil by the cam position sensor.

Look for E F and G in the attached link

http://www.howstuffworks.com/ignition-system.htm


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## mike316 (Jan 10, 2006)

*ignition*

i cleaned my distributor with wd-40 which was suggested by a guy at kragens and flushed it out with a can of compressed air...i got most of the oil out...the car started right up..my stalling is pretty much gone...although i dont wanna jinx it..it still shakes and makes a chugging noise when i accelerate...any suggestions?


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## gfriedman (Oct 12, 2005)

Sorry to burst your bubble but the Kragens guy gave you a temporary fix. Until you either fix the oil seal or replace the distributor it is going to keep filling up with oil again.


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## mike316 (Jan 10, 2006)

*leak*

do you mean the little o ring on the distributor?...if i get a totally new distributor will the engine stop acting up?


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## ssaemployee777 (Jan 8, 2006)

mike316 said:


> do you mean the little o ring on the distributor?...if i get a totally new distributor will the engine stop acting up?


Why would you want to spend $150-200 for distributor when you can replace the o-ring for around $5.00. That is if the oil has not harmed the optical pickup. Also, how old are your ignition wires? 

part # 22131-1e401

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=searchCatalogOEM&siteid=214027


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## mike316 (Jan 10, 2006)

*...*

whew who knows..that thing hasnt had a tune up since the new engine was put in..im not the first owner...im gonna get it tuned up this week....what do you mean if it hasnt harmed the optical pick up?


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## LONDONDERRY (May 19, 2004)

mike316 said:


> whew who knows..that thing hasnt had a tune up since the new engine was put in..im not the first owner...im gonna get it tuned up this week....what do you mean if it hasnt harmed the optical pick up?


This a very typical problem with Altimas
When the o-ring on the distributor fails out, oil coats the electical components inside the distributor. If you take the plastic housing off it, what you see is a encoder disk with slit markings and photo optical sensor. When the encoder spins the sensor reads the slit markings. When oil coats the encoder and sensor it fouls the timing up and ruins the sensor. So the ECU loses the signal and the car stalls out. If you wait 15-20 minutes, the oil will settle and you can drive the car bit if your lucky. So you can either replace the o-ring, a temperary fix or replace the unit as whole, the sensor is integrated so you can just replace that. Most people tend to replace the whole unit. Will electical components, your better off with new distributor, OEM only. $350-500 depending if you want a mechanic to do it.

Good luck
Frank


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## mike316 (Jan 10, 2006)

*o ring*

i picked up the oem o ring from a nissan dealership...i cleaned out the oil with carburator cleaner and some canned air..it works fine and doesnt stall....i bought some fuel injector cleaner but not the one you hook up directly to the fuel line..im going to see how far i get with this...


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