'98 Frontier cranks but won't start.

First thing to look at is the distributor cap and rotor. Even if both seem OK it would be worth taking a fine grit emery paper to all the distributor cap contacts as well as the rotor. Shining a light bulb inside the distributor cap in a dark room can sometimes locate a hairline crack in the cap. Of course, you'll want to clean both ends of the central high tension wire too. Good luck. Al

Sounds good but I'm trying to understand how any dirt on the contacts could cause problems. They don't touch, right? Something about a Hall effect sensor?

Is there a practical way I could tap into the central high tension wire to see if there's a high voltage present?

Thanks,

Michael

It's not dirt that causes loss of conductivity between the distributor cap terminals and the rotor surface. It is corrosion that is induced by the 25000-50000 volts that passes between those surfaces. After a few tens of thousands of miles the distributor cap terminals take on a pale blistered look that can impede conductivity. Filing/sanding away that blistered surface coating and restoring bright metal will restore reliable contact. The inductive ignition testers (i.e. the pencil type which are placed very close to the high tension wire and illuminate a light when high voltage passes through the wire) will often light/blink even when applied to the central high tension wire while just cranking the engine. Try it on a car that's working to determine if the tester you have is sensitive enough to detect high voltage in the wire while cranking. Good luck. Al

Ah ok. Where do you get the inductive type of ignition testers?

Thanks,

Michael

I'd expect that simple ignition testers would be available in most auto parts stores. Some are designed to be inserted in the wire to the spark plug. One end is a short length of spark plug wire that connects to the spark plug and the car's spark plug wire connects to the other end of the tester. A light flashes if voltage is detected while the engine is running. Another type is the inductive style which is cigar shaped and is placed very close to a high tension ignition wire and lights an internal light if it detects voltage. They can be useful diagnostic tools. Good luck. Al

Ok thanks Al!

Michael

Forget the Hayes Manual......

Wow thanks!

Michael

I did your emery board trick... lots of white stuff flaked off, but still no go.

I got an ignition tester from AutoZone ($7). Crude thing, pretty much just an adjustable screw where you're supposed to look for a spark. (!) I thought there was a removable central high voltage wire outside but it's under the cap, where a spring is. Removed the distributor cap, removed the spring, placed the ignition tester in position, strung an alligator-clip wire to ground, cranked dad's truck. Dad said no spark. Darn. Well I guess that $7 saved me from buying a new cap and rotor...

Oh yeah I got some OBD2 codes now too: P0505, P1490, P0446, P1105. They all seem to be pointing to a computer failure of some sort. I sure hope it doesn't come to that. I'll try and test for a signal to the distributor using Striker's links. Otherwise this might be a job for a pro...

Thanks y'all,

Michael

Most of the codes you listed pertain to a problem with the evaporative emissions system (fuel vapor recovery) ,chances are your computer is fine

Check all the fuses first, chances are the distributor took a dump.

I did your emery board trick... lots of white stuff flaked off, but still no go.

I got an ignition tester from AutoZone ($7). Crude thing, pretty much just an adjustable screw where you're supposed to look for a spark. (!) I thought there was a removable central high voltage wire outside but it's under the cap, where a spring is. Removed the distributor cap, removed the spring, placed the ignition tester in position, strung an alligator-clip wire to ground, cranked dad's truck. Dad said no spark. Darn. Well I guess that $7 saved me from buying a new cap and rotor...

Oh yeah I got some OBD2 codes now too: P0505, P1490, P0446, P1105. They all seem to be pointing to a computer failure of some sort. I sure hope it doesn't come to that. I'll try and test for a signal to the distributor using Striker's links. Otherwise this might be a job for a pro...

Thanks y'all,

Michael

Yes, dad checked all the fuses. We were wondering if the computer is programmed to shut down the truck if codes remain for a long time without being addressed (prior to this, months back, dad had a bad fuel/air mix code which I thought pertained to the O2 sensor... I finally got around to replacing that, but forgot to erase the code...)

Backprobing the 200 mV signal to the distributor, we couldn't find a signal (that I could detect, at least). I used a multimeter, then a tape recorder (backprobe wire connected to the Microphone Input) to listen for ticks... nothing...

Haynes manual said to check the camshaft position sensor (part of the distributor I suppose) but I never removed a distributor nor set the engine to Top Dead Center before...

Thanks,

Michael

Thanks, Striker!

--Winston