Nissan XTerra Forum banner

distributor rattle problem

10K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  toyotawarrior 
#1 ·
i got a really nasty rattling problem comeing from the distributor area. if i hold the distributor i can feel alot of vibration and noise when i rev it up slightly. it is 100% not the distributor bearing, as ive replaced the stock one, and then the entire distributor afterwards thinking mabey the lower section was screwed. all i can think of now is the cam shaft bearings are shot or mabey the gear on the cam is toast. i dont know much about these engines, and i am probly gona tear it down tonight. can anybody point me in the right direction here?
 
#2 ·
In my 02 V6 the distributor developed a loud knocking noise just off idle ( pinpointed with cheap mechanics stethoscope ). I replaced the dis. and problem solved. I also didn't find any bad parts inside it. Maybe has something to do with bottom part of the shaft that is spring loaded allowing the gear to walk upward, not shure.

I also heard this exact same noise on a previous xterra that caused me not to buy it thinking it was inside the engine.
 
#3 ·
I heard a similar noise and could of sworn it to be the distributor but come to find out, it was my timing belt. When they get loose they make a clatter and it sounds like shot bearings and you can feel it just about anywhere that touches the timing belt covers so check to see when you are due for a timing belt. After I did my timing belt and tensioner, the clatter went away.
 
#4 · (Edited)
thanks for the replys guys. i am leaning towards timing belt/tensioner, i popped the valve cover off and it seems the cam is inside the head? i cant even check the bearings or gear since its buried inside the head some how. i guess the next step for now is to pop off the timing belt cover (and all those wonderful accessories....) and check that out, i sure hope its nothing serious because i just bought this thing for $6000 canadian, and i am already regretting it... :( and wtf is with the stupid hoses behind the intake manifold near the bottom? why dont people think when they design these engines....
 
#6 ·
thanks for the replys guys. i am leaning towards timing belt/tensioner, i popped the valve cover off and it seems the cam is inside the head? i cant even check the bearings or gear since its buried inside the head some how. i guess the next step for now is to pop off the timing belt cover (and all those wonderful accessories....) and check that out, i sure hope its nothing serious because i just bought this thing for $6000 canadian, and i am already regretting it... :( and wtf is with the stupid hoses behind the intake manifold near the bottom? why dont people think when they design these engines....
Well the V33E engines are pretty basic, one of the first engines designed by Nissan. The first Pathfinders were the same design, just a lot smaller. These are very sturdy engines if well maintained. I have driven up to 300,000 miles on my pathfinder before I got the Xterra. Very capable off road just stock. You will of course have to replace external parts once it starts going past the 100,000 mile range but most modern cars are worthless garbage after that many miles but with the Xterra, you have a passenger mid size truck basically. I have never been stranded by a pathfinder nor Xterra with a VGxxE engine.

The only complicated issues come from the intake plenum and all of the routes of the hoses and the hard to get to spark plugs on the driver side. I will leave a link to the factory service manual so you can see all the specs and diagrams. It's free and it is what I used to service my timing belt last week. I have never done any work on an engine ever I was able to complete that task. The only mistake I made was making the tensioner a bit too tight. The cam sensor is located inside the distributor and there is one that is underneath and towards the back of the engine.

You should not have to take off any valve covers or the intake plenum to find what you are looking for. Valve rockers do rattle in older engines but thats just from wear. Just be sure to give it some good oil (3.5 quarts) and do a sea foam treatment as well. When you do a tear down to get to the timing belt (if this problem is a cause to do such a job) go ahead and replace the belt and tensioner at the minimum. Also a good time to look for coolant and oil leaks, go ahead and remedy that as well. Have proper tools available, that harmonic balancer is a tough one. There are a few videos on Xterras on how to do it plus a treasure trove of posts on this forum of all of us who did this process on our own and we definitely list our mistakes so take an hour and read through the Timing Belt sticky thread.

Rattles are annoying but I drove for a long time on rattles and never felt unsafe or remorseful, just go through your process of elimination. Get to know your engine and make it yours!

Nissan Xterra Factory Service Manual
 
#7 ·
so i got the timing cover off, and the timing belt was all flappy and loose. however when i cracked the tensioner bolt loose it instantly springed to life and started putting tension on the belt. i took both off and the belt looks pretty good and isnt stretched out at all. the tensioner also looks to be in good shape. so i am puzzled on what to do now.... it looks to me like either the previous owner didnt set the tension properly or they are useing the wrong nut(s) on the tensioner. it looked like an ordinary nut followed by 1 thin washer and 1 thick washer. i cant see how cranking that nut tight would allow the tensioner to even move at all to keep a spring load on that belt wich would make the spring pretty useless. how is this tensioner supposted to be set up?
 
#8 ·
nevermind... i am reading through that service manual link you left NEXinthesky, thanks for that by the way. this sure seems like a weird tensioner setup, im guessing all it needed was a slight adjustment.... still, could a loose belt really cause all that rattle at the distributor? when i had my hand on it, it felt bad, like there was something seriously wrong goin on underneath....
 
#9 ·
Did you get a cheap dist ???? If you spent under $100 usd it will take 3 to get one good one.
yeah i got a cheap distributor off ebay for around $100. no name brand. however the rattleing was still present in the original distributor. i did notice the new distributor is a bit sloppy in the hole, like it doesnt really slot into anything it just kinda gets held down by the adjusting bolt....
 
#10 ·
nevermind... i am reading through that service manual link you left NEXinthesky, thanks for that by the way. this sure seems like a weird tensioner setup, im guessing all it needed was a slight adjustment.... still, could a loose belt really cause all that rattle at the distributor? when i had my hand on it, it felt bad, like there was something seriously wrong goin on underneath....
Like I said before, I had an awful rattle noise that I was sure it was the distributor and after replacing the rotor and cap, it was still there. I was afraid it was a bad bearing. Now that I replaced my timing belt and tensioner, the rattle is gone so that is why I suggested a loose timing belt hitting the sides of the cover causing that noise since its below the distributor and the distributor will conduct vibrations.

As far as the tensioner is concerned, the spring is there to help it swing loose or tight, it is not designed to keep the tension on the belt. Once the tensioner is tightened down on the nut and washers, the spring is really just there.
 
#11 ·
yeah i got a cheap distributor off ebay for around $100. no name brand. however the rattleing was still present in the original distributor. i did notice the new distributor is a bit sloppy in the hole, like it doesnt really slot into anything it just kinda gets held down by the adjusting bolt....
Thats one of the problems with the cheap ones they make them to fit more than one motor and not good in all of them.:eek:
 
#12 ·
It sounds as though the t-belt tensioner may have rust welded in place, maybe it sat a long time? When you cracked it with the allen wrench to tighten it, it may have freed it to rotate again, which let it spring back and restore tension, etc.
 
#14 ·
just to recap on this, its all fixed now. the problem was most likely the timing belt not being tensioned properly(or at all), but i also replaced the fuel regulator and injector seals/filters. it starts as soon as i turn the key now and idles nice. and dejablue was right about those cheap chinese distributors, dont waste your money on them. thanks guys!
 
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