cracked distrubutor cap?

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rayebo - 31 Dec 2005 00:35 GMT

I posted earlier about my 96 altima stalling on me sometimes. Alot of
you mentioned that I should have my cam postion sensor checked to see
if oil was leaking on it. I took it to the mechanics earlier this week
and asked them to check this and if this was the problem to replace
it. Today he called me and said that I had a cracked distributor cap
and I needed a new rotor button, and he said he would further check
the distributor, but he suggested that i replace these two things
before I paid for the more expensive part. I guess I am just looking
for a second opinion here, to see if this will really cause your car
to stall out. I am worried because I am a woman and will possibly be
taking a 2nd shift job soon so that means I will be driving at night
alot by myself and I want to be sure my car isn’t gonna let me down.
Thanks, Raye

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Truckdude - 31 Dec 2005 00:55 GMT

>I posted earlier about my 96 altima stalling on me sometimes. Alot of
> you mentioned that I should have my cam postion sensor checked to see
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> alot by myself and I want to be sure my car isn't gonna let me down.
> Thanks, Raye

I had an 85 Sentra that would stall at night, early morning, and when it
rained. It ran fine as long as the weather was warm and dry. The problem
was a cracked distributor cap. BTW, the spring-loaded rotor button is part
of the distributor cap.

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Remco - 31 Dec 2005 01:08 GMT

> I posted earlier about my 96 altima stalling on me sometimes. Alot of
> you mentioned that I should have my cam postion sensor checked to see
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> alot by myself and I want to be sure my car isn't gonna let me down.
> Thanks, Raye

To replace the distributor cap is a very simple job -- it takes
literally minutes.
Should the distributor need replacing, most likely a tech would replace
the cap anyway.

Unless your mechanic charges a lot of time on this, I'd say that he is
looking out for you in not wanting to replace an expensive part. Your
problem could very well be attributed to a cracked cap.

Remco

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Codifus - 03 Jan 2006 18:03 GMT

> I posted earlier about my 96 altima stalling on me sometimes. Alot of
> you mentioned that I should have my cam postion sensor checked to see
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> alot by myself and I want to be sure my car isn’t gonna let me down.
> Thanks, Raye

Do you get a check engine light? On the 96 Altima, the cam position
sensor is inside the distributor. Replacing the distributor replaces
them both. Given all that's happened to your car, what with a cracked
cap letting the elements in to corrode your rotor as well as the cam
position sensor, I would simply replace them all. Disttributor, rotor
and cap.

The distributor will cost a quite a penny, like $250-$400. It's an
easier pill to swallow once you know that it will last another 100 K
miles or so, not including the cap or rotor, of course.

CD

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ppointer@nospamindspring.com - 04 Jan 2006 03:16 GMT

> I posted earlier about my 96 altima stalling on me sometimes. Alot of
> you mentioned that I should have my cam postion sensor checked to see
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> alot by myself and I want to be sure my car isn’t gonna let me down.
> Thanks, Raye

Same thing happened to my Celica -- easy fix.

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