Nissan XTerra Forum banner

Melted Distributor Cap

4K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  VTCMart 
#1 ·
Last night my girlfriend called me to let me know that her xterra was dead at a stoplight. It would sometimes start - but not stay running long enough to get across the intersection. It eventually would not even start and we had it towed home.

For reference, this is a 2000 xterra 3.3l 4x2 automatic with 240,000 miles - with very little maintenance done other than oil and air filters
The complete distributor was replaced last year with a cheapo autozone unit - the battery was replaced at about the same time

I looked into the issue this morning and found that there was no spark. When I pulled the distributor cap, I noticed there was a hole burned right through it! Searching various forums for the issue, all I could find was that the culprit was likely a cheap distributor cap. I went to Napa and bought a new cap, slammed it on and fired up the xterra.

At this point I thought I was done. The car ran great, I drove it around the block a few times, recharged the A/C and parked it back in its usual parking spot. Before I turned the key, it died just like I had turned the key - and would not start again.

Here is the strange part - if I take off the distributor cap and then put it back on - the xterra will start and run from between 30 seconds to 10 mins. I have done this about 5 times! This lead me to believe that something was going on inside the distributor. I pulled the rotor off and then the plastic cover. Underneath, I found that the connector from the position sensor to the coil is obviously burned.


What do you think the causes of these problems are? What should the repair be?

thank you!
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Get a new distributor. And get one with a lifetime warranty - trust me. They are all junk from the same factory whether you get it at the dealer, Vato Zone or Napa...
 
#4 ·
I have had bad luck with aftermarket caps and rotors on VG30 engines in the past, I stick with Genuine Nissan on those specifically (or Hitachi which is the OEM)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top