altima97-shaking and now cant turn car on

[nick007]

hello everybody!few days ago I want to warm up my nissan before I leave work and as i turn it in it start to shake.I dorve it home and after maybe 5min it start to run normal and smooth.day after the same thing. and after that it turned off when i stoped on intersection. i replace the spark plugs and i turned on.it was runing normaly.after few min it turn off again. again later on i turned on it was shakin and then agsain on intersection turned off and that was yesterday.i cant turn it on anymore. I did the code reading and it says few things;1. camshaft position sensor A Bank 1 circut mailfunction sensor 2.knock sensor 1 circut mailfunction bank 1 or 1 sensor3.random/multiple cilinder missfire detection4.gear one icorect ratio

I eresed codes and readed again(I didnt try to turn the car on).1.knock sensor 1 circut mailfunction bank 1 or 1 sensor

I dont know how to start to solve this problem.is it wires or distributor or knock sensor.

please,I would appriciate advise.thank you!nick

[mksue3240sx]

check the rotor to see if it burned through. I have seen a rash of these at the shop lately. the spark goes right through the rotor and shorts to the distributor shaft. sets wierd codes, rough running some no starts.

[nick007]

thank you for your respose and advise.I dont know too much about cars. can you please be more specific and tell me where is that rotor located. is that part of distributor or alternator.thank you again.nick

[david gussie]

The rotor he is talking about is the distributer Rotor. Be careful taking it off and putting it back on. It must be in the same position. The rotor is inside the distributor cap. As soon as u take the cap off, it is the top piece that rotates inside the cap touching the electrical contact points on the inside of the cap. It may pull off or it might have a screw or two holding it down. The tip of the rotor should be cleaned of any carbon residue and the inside contact points too. There are 4 contact points , one for each spark plug. If the inside of the cap is cracked, replace it and the rotor. You should clean the inside of the cap and rotor every 25, 000 miles and replace every 50m to 75m. A 1997 car souldn't have a rotor, just a pick up ignition piece at the base of the distributor cap.. I don't know. The last time I replaced a rotor was on an 1987 ply sundance. It is un likely that it is the spark plugs or wires. I'm not a mecanic, just a weekend warrior like yourself with years of car problems solved

[david gussie]

also the pick up sensor lets the distributor know where the piston is in relationship to the need for a spark. If that is bad you cant start the car. if it is on its way out you may have those types of problems u are talking aboutlet me know what it was.

[Importroller]

firstly, the distributor cant go in a "wrong way" the notches on the cam shaft and the distributor only mate one way. you just need to mark the distributors location in accordance to the head before you even begin to take it off. Now, judging from what you are saying, I would check the distributor cap and the distributor. look for a white chalky deposit on the posts of the cap. if there is any, scrape it off and you should be good. if its clean, check the distributor for oil or any signs of moisture on the large disc inside. If there is any indication, replace the distributor. other possible venues to look at for problems like this is your fuel system. Make sure your car is getting sufficient Fuel pressure

[nick007]

hello everybody!well I check the distributor,rotor,cup,wires. no problems.so Im thinking now maybe is fuel pump.I dont know where is located.
Modified by nick007 at 6:02 PM 3/26/2007

[yacharenis]

Hi, Were you able to fix the problem? I am having this problem since the last 5 days. Could you please elaborate in detail how you fixed the problem? (if you have already fixed it)

[3Q Jay]

you and nick007 will get better responses by placing these technical posts in Nissan Online Mechanic. I'm not a mod, so i can't do that for you, and double posting is a no-no.

but. that aside, the U13 altimas are infamous for leaking distributors that wreak havoc with the spark and run fine then don't run at all.

look UNDER the rotor (closer to the engine, pull off that thin plastic donut ring and look inside). Replace the whole distributor if you find anything that doesn't look right (get a nissan reman'd one from one of our sponsors--not real cheap, but an easy diy if you mark things and take your time).

as for fuel pump, replace the fuel filter first, then rig a pressure gauge and verify your pressure at: key on engine off, then at engine idle, then at 4000 rpm under load.

fuel pump is under the back seat.