WarthogWD21 Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Hey everyone, if you remember I was going to get rid of my Pathfinder because of lack of interest and no willingness to fix the problem but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it and it has been sitting under my carport for a few months. Anyhow, I found some inpiration and I want to get the little guy running again. Here is the summary, the distributor was pulled and now the engine is out of wack and I can't get it back in the right position. I believe the cam shaft position sensor is shot but I would like to get the car running before I pay $200 for a new sensor (price is from O reily Auto parts, if you know a cheaper place that I can buy in person feel free to tell me). So my question is how do I align my motor? I know about the little marks on the distributor to drop it in correctly, but it wont slide it when lined up, so I'm assuming the motor isn't in the correct position. Some notes : I removed the A/C system and in the photos the alternator isn't attached along with the bracket that holds it for better access. Also the air intake is off, again for better access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nismothunder Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 So my question is how do I align my motor? I know about the little marks on the distributor to drop it in correctly, but it wont slide it when lined up, so I'm assuming the motor isn't in the correct position. First do you mean factory dizzy lines or paintlines that you put on when removing? Second. Try turning the dizzy 180 degrees and installing. Thats all i can think of at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarthogWD21 Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Welp, I didn't put on paintlines so that idea goes out the window. I need this thing to run, so what ever needs to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 "it won't slide in when lined up" do you mean it won't fully seat or won't line up when fully set? You factor in the gear having to "mesh"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 You need to first set the motor at Top dead center on the compression stroke. (There are many tricks to finding this with the distributor out, you can google it). Once the motor is set at TDC on compression stroke then you can drop in the distributor into the hole and line it up following the picture in the factory service manual. For reference, after the distributor is in, the cap should be pointing directly at the number 1 cylinder plug terminal on the distributor itself (not the actual #1 cylinder of your engine). Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarthogWD21 Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 You need to first set the motor at Top dead center on the compression stroke. (There are many tricks to finding this with the distributor out, you can google it). Once the motor is set at TDC on compression stroke then you can drop in the distributor into the hole and line it up following the picture in the factory service manual. For reference, after the distributor is in, the cap should be pointing directly at the number 1 cylinder plug terminal on the distributor itself (not the actual #1 cylinder of your engine). Hope this helps. Yes it did, this monster runs after sitting for 3 months. Yhe torsion bar on the passenger side is shot , belts sounds terrible, white smoke is coming from the motor/carb and when idling it goes around 550-900 rpm. So I have my hands full for awhile. I thought my Land Rover had problems Thank you very much. When I first had this issue I tried bringing it here and my ability to describe the problem was terrible so I couldn't resolve it. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I believe the cam shaft position sensor is shot but I would like to get the car running before I pay $200 for a new sensor (price is from O reily Auto parts, if you know a cheaper place that I can buy in person feel free to tell me). It has been my experience on these vehicles the sensors you get aftermarket will not last long. I have seen this many times with ones from OReilly's (specifically). They last about 6 month then fry and then the customer is coming to me to just get a new one because they are fed up. I believe part of the reason is you have to break one of the seals on the original distributor to replace the sensor and over time moisture gets inside, and/or that they are not up to par quality-wise. Just IMHO...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarthogWD21 Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 It has been my experience on these vehicles the sensors you get aftermarket will not last long. I have seen this many times with ones from OReilly's (specifically). They last about 6 month then fry and then the customer is coming to me to just get a new one because they are fed up. I believe part of the reason is you have to break one of the seals on the original distributor to replace the sensor and over time moisture gets inside, and/or that they are not up to par quality-wise. Just IMHO...... How annoying. But as far as contaminents go, this pathfinder is full of sand, clay, rock, dust, and everything you can think of. I don't know why it still runs. Or how for that matter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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