[68Datsun510]

Hey all, got my 2002 home from a dealer about a week ago, it needs a timing belt so I am not driving it until the rest of my parts come in. I know my way around engines, vehicles, etc, so im doing that on my own. However, in my "binge learning" about these vehicles i found out that the distributors like to shit out their bearings around 100K. I have 120,000 on mine, so while I am waiting on parts i pulled the distributor and disassembled following the DIY guide. When I got it apart i noticed the bearing "looked" ok but there was slight pulse of resistance when rotating the shaft. Should I proceed? Or wait till issues arise... Im new to Xterras but not nissans in general, wanted to ask the more knowledgeable group! Thanks in advance!!

 

[cuong nguyen]

You could do it for peace of mind. There are tell tale signs when it does go bad and it won't cause catastrophic failure as it will gradually get worse.

 

[netdobeiras]

yes i say do it. thats the exact mileage that mine crapped out. Mine also had very little resistance but thats because you are doing it by hand, when you mount it to the engine and spin it 1000 times a minute then it begins to resist. to order a new bearing just google "6000 bearing" that's the universal code number for the dimensions that the bearing has. It doesn't have to say "zz" at the end like ours do but make sure you order a bearing thats sealed and not any other code number except "6000".

 

[fiascofarm]

I am also finding vids and articles that the gear mesh goes bad and replacing bearings has no effect. One mechanic found that loosening the distributor and cocking it to one side (towards better gear mesh) eliminated the noise so he made a shim and no more noise. Trying to find that thread again I came across this thread. My daughter's X has that noise in spades and I am about to tackle it.

 

[fiascofarm]

I should add that he did rebuild the distributor first with a new bearing.

 

[beef tits]

I had the same problem and went through 6 distributors before taking one apart. It would casue the car to buck and eventually die. I have been trouble free since just cleaning it. The bearing felt fine when I removed it and I am certain the metal shavings did NOT come from the bearing. Not sure where though... the whole shaft is lubed by the engine oil system so it could be anywhere.

I changed my oil and did not notice any more metal shavings.

 

[68Datsun510]

Interesting, I punched the roll pin out and disassembled the distributor, the bearing still feels perfect... Slightly apprehensive at this point to do anything but put it back together

 

[beef tits]

Did you see any shavings? Mine would spin smoothly one direction but not the other. It was almost crunchy until I cleaned it all out (the oil pathways and the shaft that is)

Don't forget to re-assemble with lube. Dry starting it might just be where the shavings came from...

 

[68Datsun510]

No metal shavings whatsoever. I will thoroughly clean it up and put some assembly lube in there and reassemble .

 

[beef tits]

I wouldn't worry about it. The distributor has so many points of failure it's ridiculous and if you are on your factory, OEM one it is the best you can get. Mine went out around 100k but it was not the bearing. In my experience, they give you plenty of warning when there is an issue. Nissan no longer makes new units. The dealer will sell you the exact same Altrom unit that NAPA sells.

I'm not saying yours won't fail.. but it's easy to change out. The aftermarket units are the most problematic and prone to failures. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[68Datsun510]

Don't understand why Nissan would shy away from magnetic pick up and use all this fragile light sensing technology . The distributor in my Datsun 510 is 30+ years old and still works just fine (magnetic converted ). Thank you for your input!

 

[beef tits]

I'm sure there are a multitude of reasons but the biggest, most all-encompassing that I would point to is that Nissans are low-budget (cheaply built) mass-produced transportation built specifically for peasants like myself. They are junk, just not as junky as a Chevy or Ford. I don't think that has changed in 30 years at all.

 

[68Datsun510]

You be surprised to many of those 30+-year-old Nissans are still running around with original parts. Something very bad happened in the 80/90s...