racerdave Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 (edited) So I went driving up this mountain near where I live, in 4L, just cruising along. 91 pathfinder XE-V6 I came up to a small hill and so I started to give it some more, and it started to miss and sputter I stopped put it in park and rev'd it up a little to see if it was still doing it under no load, and it wouldn't rev past 4k, the more throttle I gave it, the more it would miss. So I parked it, checked everything, it all seems to be fine, let it cool down, started it back up, and it idles fine, but under any load, it misses randomly. I limped it down the mountain, and started taking back roads home. I could only get up to 35 mph on a flat area, uphill was hell and I basically had to idle up any steep hill, so I pulled over to let a few cars past me. and it died.... I let it sit for about 2 min, and then tried to start it again. it started right up. It ran fine, with the occasional miss fire all the way back home (30 miles), it felt sluggish, as if the timing was off a little, or it was only running on 4. After it started to run better, the tach. sits at 2 positions, 800rpm (with no throttle) and if I give it any throttle, it jumps to 4000 and stays there no matter how much throttle I give it, and as soon as I let off the throttle it drops back down to 800, instant response for the tach. I checked the codes, and it doesn't say anything is wrong. I have experienced other cars doing this to me in the past, and 99% of the time it was the module in the distributor. Does it sound like that is what it might be? Edited February 28, 2008 by racerdave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitemedoughboy.com Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 So I went driving up this mountain near where I live, in 4L, just cruising along. 91 pathfinder XE-V6 I came up to a small hill and so I started to give it some more, and it started to miss and sputter I stopped put it in park and rev'd it up a little to see if it was still doing it under no load, and it wouldn't rev past 4k, the more throttle I gave it, the more it would miss. So I parked it, checked everything, it all seems to be fine, let it cool down, started it back up, and it idles fine, but under any load, it misses randomly. I limped it down the mountain, and started taking back roads home. I could only get up to 35 mph on a flat area, uphill was hell and I basically had to idle up any steep hill, so I pulled over to let a few cars past me. and it died.... I let it sit for about 2 min, and then tried to start it again. it started right up. It ran fine, with the occasional miss fire all the way back home (30 miles), it felt sluggish, as if the timing was off a little, or it was only running on 4. After it started to run better, the tach. sits at 2 positions, 800rpm (with no throttle) and if I give it any throttle, it jumps to 4000 and stays there no matter how much throttle I give it, and as soon as I let off the throttle it drops back down to 800, instant response for the tach. I checked the codes, and it doesn't say anything is wrong. I have experienced other cars doing this to me in the past, and 99% of the time it was the module in the distributor. Does it sound like that is what it might be? im having a similar problem but mine just pukes and misses when you accelerate, but if the sensor in the dizzy was going out you would get a code for crank angle sensor or ignition signal.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadkennedys Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 i would check your vacuum advance, check for spark under load if possible, and check the ckp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerdave Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 i would check your vacuum advance, check for spark under load if possible, and check the ckp What is CKP and how do I check spark under load? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitemedoughboy.com Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 i would check your vacuum advance, check for spark under load if possible, and check the ckp Vaccum advance? what planet are you on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadkennedys Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 you have never heard of vacuum avance? its been used many of times. if the pathy doesnt have it then my bad i havent worked on one in a long time. as far as spark under load rev the engine up a lil and check for spark dont do it to long you could flood the cylinder. i would try to get my hands on a spark tester that way you you dont need to rev the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitemedoughboy.com Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 you have never heard of vacuum avance? its been used many of times. if the pathy doesnt have it then my bad i havent worked on one in a long time. as far as spark under load rev the engine up a lil and check for spark dont do it to long you could flood the cylinder. i would try to get my hands on a spark tester that way you you dont need to rev the engine. yeah i've heard of it... lol, i was just pickin on you because the pathy's are all electro do whacky thingymabobs.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerdave Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 yeah i've heard of it... lol, i was just pickin on you because the pathy's are all electro do whacky thingymabobs.... So, I know I have spark, it runs and drives, but how am I supposed to tell when its supposed to spark ??? What are the symptoms of a bad distributor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 how am I supposed to tell when its supposed to spark ??? Unplug the coil wire and hold the metal tip while touching the engine block with the other hand, then have someone turn the key and crank the engine. J/K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey.T Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I would suggest checking for error codes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerdave Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 Unplug the coil wire and hold the metal tip while touching the engine block with the other hand, then have someone turn the key and crank the engine. J/K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerdave Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 I would suggest checking for error codes... I am not getting any... :-\ I am going to go start it up and let it sit and check again right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Pull your plug wires and check for a broken plug or cracked wire, perhaps? Sounds like a spark problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IncidentalOffroader Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I am not getting any [trouble codes]... :-\ Are any codes pending? Pending codes don't light the MIL until the fault is detected multiple times, and then they get promoted to trouble codes. My '01 was severely misfiring and the computer knew it because it was blinking the MIL. But the misfire didn't show up in the trouble code readout. It was in the pending list. Make sure your code reader is showing you pending codes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 On a 91 it doesn't show pending codes. OBDI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerdave Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 Are any codes pending? Pending codes don't light the MIL until the fault is detected multiple times, and then they get promoted to trouble codes. My '01 was severely misfiring and the computer knew it because it was blinking the MIL. But the misfire didn't show up in the trouble code readout. It was in the pending list. Make sure your code reader is showing you pending codes. What was your missfire issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badiceman Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 This sounds alot like what is happening to me. The guy I took mine to said its the MAF sensor now im working on getting one for cheep. So im not sure if that really is the problem yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostPath Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Since this happened when you were climbing a hill, it could be fuel system related. I'd do a fuel pressure test and see what I got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitemedoughboy.com Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 This sounds alot like what is happening to me. The guy I took mine to said its the MAF sensor now im working on getting one for cheep. So im not sure if that really is the problem yet. i have 2 or 3 extras if you want to go that route Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boothill2008 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I know this sounds silly, but I had the same problem with my truck and it was the fuel filter, when was the last time you changed it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Unplug your maf sensor and check for corrosion on the pins. I had this same exact problem on my 89 and could not figure it out for the life of me. I leaned on the wiring harness and it died. Thats the only reason I found it. Make sure all the connections are clean and secure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headpeace Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 that is what is happening to me right now, I've put a new O2 sensor in, new fuel filter, new spark plugs, and cleaned my MAF and its still running like shiite. Any other suggestions, I was thinking of replacing the distributor cap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Cap/rotor...coil...wires... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headpeace Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 alright here's my final fix for this problem: engine idling very rough, almost to the point of dying, no power while driving, actually went into power mode to get to about 30 MPH. What I did: 1. Replace plugs 2. Replace O2 sensor 3. Clean MAF 4. Replace Fuel filter 5. Replace Rotor 6. Replace Cap Next on the list: replace wires and coil, But while putting the cap back on I noticed the air intake hose where it actually connects to the intake was split 50% on the bottom - hard to see. Replaced that and booya, good as new. Figured I would share just in case someone else encounters the same prob, check the air intake hose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Yeah, they like to split around the TB on the bottom. Had my stock one do that and had it band aided for almost a year with duck tape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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