Distributor type

[tfranchise2k]

Hi guys. I'm new to this cool site so please forgive me if I'm asking a question that someone has already answered, but I have a 1984 Nissan 720 and I needed a new distributor. I went to the auto parts store and picked one up. When I went to take off the old distributor I noticed it had 5 wires connected to it, but the new distributor only had a place for four wires. I'm not the original owner of the truck but to my understanding the 2.4L was the only motor that they put in the king cabs. So my question is that is it possible that the motor in this truck is the 2.0. It has 8 spark plugs, and I replaced the alternator a few years back, but after I did some cross referencing I found out that both motors use the same alternator. Does anybody know if the 2.0 has 5 wire connections. Thanks to anybody who reads this.

[fastboatman29212]

edit: I just read your post again. I see now that your OLD dizzy has 5 wires and the NEW dizzy has only 4. Based on my Haynes manual, 4 wires should be correct and are connected as I described below. Sorry for any confusion in my last paragraph below.

Hi guys. I'm new to this cool site so please forgive me if I'm asking a question that someone has already answered, but I have a 1984 Nissan 720 and I needed a new distributor. I went to the auto parts store and picked one up. When I went to take off the old distributor I noticed it had 5 wires connected to it, but the new distributor only had a place for four wires. I'm not the original owner of the truck but to my understanding the 2.4L was the only motor that they put in the king cabs. So my question is that is it possible that the motor in this truck is the 2.0. It has 8 spark plugs, and I replaced the alternator a few years back, but after I did some cross referencing I found out that both motors use the same alternator. Does anybody know if the 2.0 has 5 wire connections. Thanks to anybody who reads this.

OK, first off, at one place you said distributor and another you said alternator. If I get the drift of your question, then you are talking about the distributor and not the alternator.

The dizzy cap will have 10 towers, (8 for plug wires and 2 for the coils).
My Haynes book has a general wiring diagram showing only 4 wires coming from the dizzy. Three go to the terminal junction block and another single BLACK wire that goes straight to the condenser.

The 3 wires from the dizzy to the junction block are as follows:
Black with white stripe - this terminates at the fuse box
Red - this joins to a red wire coming off of the negative pole off one of the coils
Blue - this terminates at the negative pole of the OTHER coil

I think you should talk to your parts supplier and see if they have a new dizzy with only 4 wires or at least tell you where to hook that 5th wire.

[tfranchise2k]

I looked at the Haynes manual as well, but usually they just give one general picture for several different motors. I was just wondering if maybe someone switched the z24 with a 2.0L. Your advice has been very helpful, and if you have anything else to add I will be more than willing to listen. Thanks a lot

[Aven]

Can you post a picture of your engine?

[tfranchise2k]

Hi Aven I'll post one tomorrow. Thanks for the reply

[tfranchise2k]

Hey Aven I sent some pics to your yahoo account

[Aven]

Got them. You take pictures like I do.

Hard to say looking at the second two pictures. It could be a 2.4L engine, but I don't think its an '84, or at least the air filter cover isn't. The only thing I'm sure is that it isn't a California model.

[tfranchise2k]

it should be an 84 Nissan motor, because i did replace the alternator a few years ago, and i bought it for an 84 2.4 but when i did some research i learned that the 2.4 and the 2.0 both use the same alternator but not the same distributor. If you have any other ideas I'm more than open to suggestions.

[captainzeros]

The L20B and the Z24 can't use the same distributor. The L20B has four spark plugs. The Z24 has eight spark plugs.

There is also a 2.2 liter motor out there, the 1981 and 1982 trucks had the Z22 (which is basically the same motor as the Z24)

[Aven]

tfranchise2k's engine photos.

[tfranchise2k]

Captainzeros thanks for that info. I just checked auto zones website and the 82 2.2 and the 84 2.4 use the same alternator that I bought a few years ago, but they use different distributors. This motor could possibly be the 2.2 from that year. Does anybody know if the 2.2 has four or five wires running to it.

[tfranchise2k]

Fellas I think i Have it. According to Auto Zone the 2.0 does use 8 spark plugs and wires, and the close up of the dizzy shows five connectors at the module. And the alternator is the same part as the 2.4. Cross your fingers for me.

[captainzeros]

which 2.0? Wikipedia tells me there was a Z20 available in 720 trucks in the US, but I've never heard that anywhere else (they cite a factory service manual, my factory service manual of a different year mentions no such thing existing, who knows) but I know for a fact that the L20B engine was in the 1980 trucks and it's a conventional 4 spark plug inline four motor.

Once I get home I can go take a look at the wiring in my 1981 Z22 truck for you if you still want. To be sure what motor you have the model is printed on the side of the block (Z22, Z24, etc).

[tfranchise2k]

anything you can do will be great. I haven't had time to go by autozone. I did however look at Oreiley's and Advanced's websites and they each have a distributor for a 2.0 with the eight wire spots and the two coil spots. I know for a fact that the 2.4 was the only motor they put in the four wheel drive models, but the more I research the more I believe that there was a 2.0 that also used eight plugs, but like you said who knows lol.

[captainzeros]

Look at your engine block, below the center two spark plugs on the exhaust-manifold side. It'll say something like Z24 000000 or z22 123456, that'll tell you whether you engine you have for absolute sure. As far as all documentation that I have goes, it should be the Z24 motor unless somebody swapped it out (the engines in these trucks are basically by year, the 1980 truck had the L20B, the 1981-1982 trucks had the Z22, and the 1983-1986 trucks had the Z24, with no overlap to my knowledge)

look right here on the engine, it'll tell you which motor you have.


I'll go out and have a look at my distributor and alternator for you come daylight. If I were you, I'd pay careful attention to part numbers and such from where you're ording from, because to my knowledge there was NEVER a 2.0L sold in the US market with 8 spark plugs, which means who knows what part you've ordered if they've marketed it as such, what you might be thinking of is the 2.2L Z22. The common 2 liter engine was the L20B in 1980 that had a conventional four spark plugs

[tfranchise2k]

thanks for the info I will check the motor tomorrow for those codes.