KRANK NO START 1999 SIMILAR TO PATHFINDER/QX4

[CactusCar]

I have a 1999 Infiniti QX4 – A solid car for over 20 years
Had some simple front end work done – shock absorbers, control arms
-Shortly after that work – the car stopped running
FIRST symptom was it started rough idle an stalling-out at traffic lights
-If I put it in neutral, kept foot on accelerator could keep it from stalling out
SECOND symptom – in addition to stalling out – the car would accelerate by itself while I was driving
-example drive 30 or 40 miles per hour / the car would accelrate/take off lurch
THIRD SYMPTOM – Car turned into CRANK NO START
--- Car has been stranded about a year now
--Can not find anyone to help –
Have had it towed to 2 so called reputable repair shops – that took a bunch of money and did not repair the car
-1 place claimed they replaced a fuel pump because they thought it was the problem – the other place claimed they replaced the distributor because they thought it was the problem
GOING TO AN INFINITI DEALERSHIP IS NOT AN OPTION - DESPITE THE COMMON MISCONCEPTION – THE TECHNICIANS AT THE DEALERSHIP DON'T NECESSARILY FIX THINGS ESPECIALLY ON OLDER MODEL CARS
-- If anyone a see this post and has some ideas of what might be wrong with the car – or knows of a RELIABLE, REASONABLE mechanic preferably mobile mechanic in the EAST VALLEY/PHOENIX METRO AREA OF ARIZONA – MUCH APPRECIATE FEEDBACK
-- There is talk on an off of "replace the ECM" but that is an expensive part, no one will stand behind their own work and take responsibility if that does not fix the problem
-this is what I have replaced so far – in addition to a new fuel pump and supposedly new distributor (which strangely enough did not include a new cap/rotor )
NEW – spark plugs, plug wires, mass air flow, distributor cap/rotor, several relays especially the fuel pump relay 2 times in case one was defective, checked all the fuses associated, swapped out another relay – forgot the name – and supposedly krank-schaft position sensor – I spent money on the part and paid for it to be put in – I don't know that it actually was put in – because people have not been up front with their business practices.
*there are no codes and no engine light/ no red engine light

[VStar650CL]

Unless you're willing to do some DIY diagnosis, you may be up a creek. You're quite right that most dealerships don't like working on very old rides unless they happen to have an old timer like me on staff. Needless to say, there are increasingly fewer and fewer mes. Since there are no codes, first try some basics you can do without tools. Some Brakleen or Gumout squirted down the barrel at the airbox will tell you if it's fuel starved. Pulling a wire at the distributor cap while cranking will tell you if it has spark. Cupping a palm over the exhaust pipe while cranking will tell you if it can breathe.

[MisterH]

Sorry for your troubles, and there's not much I can offer beyond what our esteemed VSTAR already conveyed. But I will say that your initial description of your symptoms sounded like a failed distributor. I wonder if the replacement distributor that was installed was one of those cheap Chinese aftermarket pieces that have a high out-of-the-box failure rate. However, as VSTar says you have to do some basic testing on your own. Lastly, if you still have to find another mechanic look for someone who has many years of Nissan experience. In the case of the QX4, there's nothing that differentiates it mechanically from the Nissan Pathfinder - they both were equipped with the same VG33 engine from 1996-2000. The only thing Infiniti did differently with that engine was emboss their badge onto the intake manifold.

[CactusCar]

Thanks, MisterH - the car will run with a test wire on the fuel pump relay socket - if the fuel pump relay is removed and you put a test wire from pin 3 to pin 5 the car runs - If the distributor was the problems - do you think that test wire could possibly bypass any problem with the distributor? I considered that also that the distributor might be bad, if it was even replaced - because the guy that claimed he put on a distributor had no part number and he also did not bother to replace the rotor and cap - which did not look in good shape - I replaced those myself after that - but do you think a wire from the pin 3 to 5 rules out the distributor? or still can be a distributor problem?

[VStar650CL]

If jumping the relay makes it run then that's pretty conclusive, the circuit is just a relay and the pump. No rocket science, the relay either 1) is bad or has high resistance, or 2) isn't being turned on. First check fuse #17 which supplies the relay. If that's good, make sure there's power at 2 and 3, otherwise you have a wiring problem between the fuse and relay. If that's good, if there's a similar relay in the box, try swapping them. If not, put 12V and ground across the coil terminals 1-2 and see if it clicks. If it doesn't, the coil is bad. If it does, ohm terminals 3~5 while the coil is powered, you should show under 1 ohm. If it's higher, the contacts are shot. If the relay checks good then rig a test lamp between battery+ and pin 1 and have an assistant turn the key from off to on, the lamp should light for about 1.5 seconds when the pump primes. If it doesn't, either your ECM is shot or the wire between the ECM and the relay has a problem.