Replaced throttle body and distributor, NO start

[99Qx4GroundUp]

Alright guys here I go again.

Took the qx4 to get scanned, threw camshaft position sensor, MAF sensor code, throttle position sensor code.

Went to the salvage yard and got another MAF sensor, Ordered another distributor off rockauto.com and replaced the whole throttle body and sensor also from the salvage yard.

I just installed the throttle body/ sensor

Installed the distributor

Installed the MAF sensor.

The car turns over strong and then slows down the crank until I get a clicking sound (sounds like battery click) and it loses power. I turn over a couple minutes later and it does the same thing...

Any ideas on what I did wrong? Maybe ordered the wrong distributor? I.e. manufactor date??

Help a newbie that may have made a rookie mistake.

[99Qx4GroundUp]

Update... Now it barely turns and I get more battery clicks...

[99Qx4GroundUp]

Another update.. The battery was causing the bad ignition, got it recharged but I still can't get the engine to run. It just cranks and cranks and cranks, tries to start a little bit every 10-15 seconds but won't catch..

Anyone been through this and figured it out? I'm going to check the ECU.

Note I didn't disconnect neg terminal when i replaced the distributor and I hope I didn't damage any electrical components..

[99Qx4GroundUp]

One more update. I went to see if the car would start after my last post... crank. crank. BOOOOOOM. muffler exploded like a small bomb.

I know it runs rich by the smell of gasoline from the exhaust but Jesus, that was crazy.

My next order is going to be sparkplugs, PCV valve, new O2 sensors, and obviously new muffler. And probably new cats...

My question is WHY did all of this happen just from replacing the distributor?

[vonscorpio]

Perhaps I missed something, but did you address the camshaft position sensor issue? I know a lot of Nissan/Infiniti vehicles won't start if they have (or think they have) a failed camshaft or crankshaft position sensors.

It might help some of the more veteran Nico members (like Atraudes or Hawairish, not me) if you listed all the work leading up to this point-- from engine was running, to now.

[99Qx4GroundUp]

The Camshaft Position Sensor from what I've read on here is located inside the distributor. So I purchased a new one from rockauto.com..

I bought a "camshaft position sensor" from Autozone. Turns out they are miss-categorized and are actually crankshaft position sensors.

The car drove to Advanced Auto Parts and when I figured out that the sensor was in the distributor, I took the old one apart to see if I could find it.

I couldn't find anything that resembled what I bought. I put it back together and the car no longer ran, only cranked and cranked.

I put the new distributor(full assembly) on and it was giving me the same issue. But the difference was that it would sound like it wanted to run for a second but just for a second and then it went back to only cranking with an occasional backfire.

Then today, my muffler decided to commit self-implosion.

[atraudes]

You can't get the engine to run for any period of time, save for a few blips of ignition, correct? It sounds like either your timing or firing sequence is off (or both).

That muffler explosion you experienced was a spark plug firing while the exhaust valve was open, which ignited the exiting fuel vapor which sent a flame down the exhaust pipes to the muffler where it probably had the most fuel hanging around.

I'm going to offer a couple of questions based on my mostly academic understanding of these distributor-based systems. How sure are you that the spark plug wires are hooked up to the right posts on the distributor, and are you sure the distributor is installed in the exact same position as when you started?

The reason I ask about the spark plug wires being hooked up to the right posts is a very common mistake is to get the #1 spark plug hooked up to the right post (since it's labelled on the cap), and then hook up the rest in the right order but going the wrong direction around the cap (clockwise instead of counter-clockwise, for example). Or being one post off to begin with. No shame either way, I've done both If you never disconnected the wires from the cap, naturally this won't be the problem.

Also, if the distributor is turned too much in one direction or the other it will throw the timing off too much and you won't get proper detonation.

This reminds me of when my buddy and I were trying to get a rebuilt 289 started and we kept getting Wizard-of-Oz-style fireballs blown out of the carburetor. Turns out the crankshaft I had installed was from a later-year 5.0 engine which used a completely different firing sequence so the spark plugs were occasionally igniting while the intake valve was open.

[99Qx4GroundUp]

I unhooked the plug wires and plugged them back in in the order I removed them from the cap (counter-clockwise). I know that they are all in the right order, the wires are numbered as well so there's that.

I don't precisely remember which way the rotor was facing when I took it off (refer to the rookie mistake part ) Should I just keep flipping the rotor from plug to plug to see if that would work?

I took the No.1 plug off and cranked the engine until I saw "TDC"... and put the rotor to No.1 position to see if that would help. It did not, but I thought I'd try...

What do you mean turned too much in a certain direction? the housing or the rotor? I tried slowly turning the distributor housing back and forth to see if it would catch during the ignition, also to no avail.

Safety Precautionary Question: With my muffler blowing up, will there be any other possible explosions I should know about? I assume backfires will happen in this test phase, but what kind of damage could I do if I keep doing it?

Thanks

[99Qx4GroundUp]

I may have ordered the wrong manufacture year for the distributor...

[99Qx4GroundUp]

Update!

I got her running, I just kept positioning the distributor around and around until I found where it needed to be for timing.

It sounds like a monster truck with the blown muffler, but at least I'll have to now get the Flowmaster's 40 series that I've been wanting.

I'll be getting the leaks and everything looked at regarding the blowing up and stuff...

A tune up is in store for sure.

I appreciate the input that everyone gave.

Thanks guys,

J

[atraudes]

Well, it sounds like you've got a poor man's Flowmaster

Glad to hear it's up and running again!