VG33E stalled while driving on highway. cranks but no start

[alexf20c]

2000 Pathfinder 4x4 VG33E, 160k miles

i do all the routine maintenance myself and everything is up to date. timing belt was replaced at 98kmi (62kmi ago).

scenario:

i just filled up this morning at Shell. i felt a very slight stutter about 1-2mi away from the gas station. after the next traffic light, i began accelerating like normal, then it just completely died on me. i put in neutral and tried to fire it back up. nothing, so i pulled over.

it cranks over strong and fast, and it even has those blurps where it sounds like it wants to fire.

first i checked under the hood for blown fuses (fuel pump, ignition, ecm, etc.) but they're all good, and so are the relays. i pulled up the rear seat and the cover over the fuel pump. the fuel pump does prime when you first turn the key to on, so i'm pretty sure i can rule out fuel issues.

i checked the distributor to see if by some act of god, the rotor had spun on the shaft. nope. the rotor looks great as do the points inside the cap. the cap/rotor was replaced maybe 30k miles ago, as well as the plugs (OEM NGK).

my neighbor towed me home and i took another quick glance to see what i could find. i tried pulling a plug to check for spark and also to check for compression (though i have no actual compression tester), but none of my 3 spark plug sockets fit. WTF?!

i checked my FSM and it lists a 16mm plug socket. ugh. is this available at autozone/oreilly or do i need to go to the dealership?

anyway, what are everyone's ideas? do you think it's related to filling up the tank within 3mi of the incident? could it be the timing belt? we had it replaced only 60k miles ago.

i'm pretty sure the VG33 is an interference engine. would i have felt/heard the piston contacting the valves if indeed the timing belt did let go?

HELP!!!

[alexf20c]

update:

fuel filter replacedfuel pump verified to workgood sparktried starting with starter fluid, nothingdistributor cap/rotor in good condition

the VG33 has a cam sensor on each head, and a crank sensor on the block near the rear main seal. any chance it's the crank sensor?

it's quite a hassle to pull off the timing cover. (quite a few accy brackets need to come off as well.) is there any way to check the timing belt other than a compression test? i didn't see any timing marks on the harmonic balancer.

[bmlawless]

I don't know what the cause of your problem is, but I can address two things.1) The VG33 is indeed an interference engine. That's why it's so important to replace it at 100k miles.2) Your vehicle came from the factory with a spark plug tool. It should be under the back seat in a bag by your jack. It doesn't look like your traditional spark plug socket. It's a long tube.3) I'm not sure what you are doing to test your fuel pump, but you need to actually test the pressure. The fact that it sprays fuel is not enough. I learned this on my truck after spending a lot of time and money on parts before finally taking to a mechanic who simply dropped anew pump in.

The only fuel condition problem I can think of that would stop a car immediately is fuel full of algae growth or you somehow picked up diesel.

[carnal_c30]

On my 2000 I had a similar problem it ended up being the distributor even though I was getting spark when I tested it (cam sensor possibly) I was at 170k miles and had been through the list you described

Only CEL I had was for cylinder misfires