Hey guys im new i have a 2002 xterra i believe sc..its the supercharged model. I just bought it yesterday from an auction and it has 171k. Battery was dead to i bought a new and it had no gas to i got some gas for it..not alot but enough i would think to crank it. Well the car turns and wants to start but wont. I checked lines and grounds and they all seem good. I checked underneath and found the oil sensor was broke so i need to replace that. I also found that the distributer was loose, there was a screw for it that hold it in place just sitting in the engine next to it so i put it in tigthing the dizzt and still nothing. The fuel pump starts cause i can hear it when i first turn the key so i think eighter a bad dizzy or a bad starter...

I would be willing to bank on bad "dizzy" (like the term :D ). Common non-starting issue on the X.

is the rotor turning on dist when you crank it ?

dejablue I didnt check that yet, i got the car late last night and was just trying to make start. I can only assume it be gas or dizzy. Im only leaning towards gas cause even with a bad dizzy it should still able to turn on and idle like crap. It also sounds like a missfire but all plugs checked out okay. I will open cap to today and crank and see what up. If its the fuel system i read these cars have bad wire harness for that. So what i just open the gas fuel compartment and the harness is there or is it actualy in the gas tank.

is the rotor turning on dist when you crank it ?

LOL-I was thinking the same shizzy. Broken timing bizzy?

yea it turns...

make sure it is all the way in park. I had a vehicle with the exact same symptoms leave me stranded 300 miles from home for two days, ya I was at my Mom's for Christmas, until I thought to make sure it was all the way in park. I turned the key on, pulled it into neutral and then slammed it up into park and viola, it started right up.

May not be your problem but I would give it a try, I was just about to get it towed to a repair shop before I tried it and it fired. I even replaced the coil pack for no reason...

well i replaced starter, the whole distributer and cleaned battery and all grounds and nothing...It almost started when i moved the distributer around so im going to assume its out of time.

Why did you replace the starter? That was foolish if the distributor was already turning.

Put it on TDC, and move the dist. rotor to no.1 cyl. then try again. If it doesn't start then, then you are 180* out.

Why did you replace the starter? That was foolish if the distributor was already turning.

Put it on TDC, and move the dist. rotor to no.1 cyl. then try again. If it doesn't start then, then you are 180* out.



i dont know what TDC is but i finally got it to crank, I had some help with somone turning the car on while i moved the Distributer and finally cought and VAROOOOM!...Idles kinda rough but maybe thats cause the car has been sitting for awhile..I have the check engine light on but i think thats due to the oil sensor being cracked. I glued it back together and taped it and put it back in but im sure its not right...

TDC is Top dead center. Glad you got it workin!

still running rough after messin with turning the dist. then its still porb out of time just a few degrees tho i would suspect.

the pulley tensioner is loose and missing the washer that goes behind it...i cant run the car much long or else the pully flys off

What pulley tensioner? Why don't you just tighten it? 14mm dude.

What pulley tensioner? Why don't you just tighten it? 14mm dude.

because if i tighing it the pulley doesnt turn. Im missing a washer or somthing

Yeah, sounds about rights, can you just get a washer until you ull the right part from another X?