linkovich

Hi all,

My car just died the other day while driving, then wouldn't start back up. Turned over, but no fire. Towed it and the next day, it started up but died again in an hour while my mechanic was diagnosing. He said the distributor was out of range and therefore likely the culprit after checking other things out too. He said there was an issue with sparking. I'm not that knowledgeable in this arena because I've never worked on a car with problems like this, so bare with my terminology or what he said, it may or may not have been relayed here will.

Anyway, he's not a z-specialist (but works on lots of classic cars) and said he tried searching around for a new distributor and wasn't having much luck. He found an aftermarket in a brand he likes, and said all others he found he wouldn't even install them due to their quality. He said this one he's had at least 70% success with. He has a shop guarantee of 12 months or 12,000 miles, so that's good.

The question for everyone is, does anyone know any good resources to find something that's very reliable, better than he found? And/or brands to stay away from? Or even if there's a non-aftermarket (doubt it...nissan discontinued it) somewhere.

Thanks!

NismoPick

I'd run away from your mechanic asap.
There's nothing special or unique about the Z31 "VG30E" distributor... it's also found in all the VG33E's: Pathfinder, Maxima, Quest, Villager, etc...
He also didn't search very hard for a new one, because you can get one anywhere that sells car parts... ebay, Autozone, O'Reillys, Napa. Here's the link to Autozone:
https://www.autozone.com/external-en.../194604_0_4618

The distributor itself is very basic with just a gear, bearing, and rotor on top. The electronic part is the CAS (Crank Angle Sensor) which I highly doubt your mechanic actually tested and found "out of range". If it really is the CAS, go grab one or two from your local junk yard, or I have about 10 of them. See attached pic.
The more likely culprit is the ignitor, ecu, or faulty wiring. You can also upgrade the stock Z31 ignitor with the VG33E PRW-2.

NismoPick

Also... Not sure what part of California you are in, but Henry Arteaga is down in the LA area and he focuses on the Z31: https://www.facebook.com/itwasadatsun/
There are also a few Z guys up in the Bay Area..

linkovich

Ugggh, I wrote something slightly wrong ....I said he was haven't trouble finding one, but what I meant was finding a STOCK one, not aftermarket! But he also said the quality of the aftermarket ones aren't the greatest, hence going with a brand he trusted. I trust my mechanic so far, they did a good job on another repair and very knowledgeable in general from what I've gathered so far.

@NismoPick, I've asked the Bay Area group for local mechanics and none of them could offer anything in my area. Of course I'll consider driving to some I know further away for something that requires specialty, but I'm going to have to live with a local mechanic that's not a specialist. They said they've done z31s over the years, even swapped engines, so they're slightly familiar. I've also seen quite a few cars in their garage that have been modified, expensive, or classics, people who care about their cars. They had a mint condition 67 mustang convertible and a mint condition 72 NSU 1200 TT in there when I went in this last time.

NismoPick

By "stock" I assume you mean "OEM" aka a Nissan distributor? Still not hard to find, just requires a quick searchie on Le Google or a ph call to Nissan:
https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/part...100-21p00.html

Again, the only electronic part of the distributor is the CAS, which can be bought new for $60-$70, or grab a used one for virtually free at any junk yard.
https://www.ebay.com/p/Engine-Cranks...3041973&chn=ps

linkovich

Sorry yes OEM. I called Nissan the other day before posting here, and that part is discontinued....and he said they've been discontinued for awhile, meaning it's likely nowhere sells them, just as my mechanic was having a hard time finding am oem one.

My question here was about aftermarket ones and the quality of them. But it sounds like you think it might not be the distributor at all. It's hard to know what to do now because on the one hand, so far my mechanic has been good and it took me awhile to find a good mechanic, and I'd rather not have to keep looking once again....and especially with an inoperable car. On the other hand, it's not good to have the first line in a response as "I'd run away from your mechanic asap" when I feel like I can trust them. I don't know a thing about distributors, I've never had to work on that part of a car before.

But this one my car was not starting so I felt like the best solution was take it the shop and let them deduce it, especially since my driveway is currently occupied by my roommate's RV for a bit, so I'd have to work on it on the busy street! No good! Right now I kind of need to just have my mechanic do it, or find another close-by mechanic with another coin flip that they'll be good, and possibly have to tow it again.

NismoPick

Welp, I don't want to keep saying the same things over and over again... so... good luck?

linkovich

Update to this:
Mechanic put in a new distributor. So far so good but haven't driven it much. I've noticed a few times starting it up, it doesn't start right away, but seems to be driving fine.

From the notes on the invoice, this might give a better description than I was able to provide before!....
"Fuel pressure 28lbs. Spec at idle is 30lbs. In testing, no spark when vehicle shut off. Rotor in distributor is worn. Signals from distributor are not within spec. Inside of distributor is corroded. Replaced distributor and tested."

I will definitely update this thread again if anything else is different, but thought I would update this for now.