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Bringing it Home page 2
Luckily, my short list of tools included
the phillips head screwdriver that I needed to remove the distributor
cap. I loosened up the 3 screws, and lifted the cap free of the
distributor. As I lifted the cap, two of the spark plug wires from
the rear bank fell off the cap. I continued lifting the cap to get
a look inside. The distributor cap and rotor were covered in oil.
A quick smell told me that it was WD40, not motor oil. I explained
to the boyfriend that the oil would cause all sorts of problems with the
spark, and then set to cleaning up the mess. I wiped away as much
oils as I could with paper towels, and then sprayed the cap and rotor
with engine starting spray to remove the rest of the oil. Another
wipe with the paper towels to dry things off, and a few minutes for the
starting spray to dry, then I screwed the distributor cap back down.
My next task was to reconnect the two plug wires that fell
off. Luckily, the wires were routed such that they could only hook
up to the cap terminals one way, so I couldn't get it wrong. I
pulled the boots back onto the wires a few inches, and made sure that
the terminal engaged in the cap, then pushed the boot back over the
connection. After fixing the two wires that fell off, I checked
the rest of the wires, and at least 3 more were not connected properly.
After I checked all the connections at the distributor, I
checked the connections at the plugs, and then followed the wire from
the "C" terminal on the cap to find the coil. This was when I
realized that the "C" terminal was connected to the #6 spark plug.
The #4 plug was connected to the #6 terminal, and the coil was wired to
the #4 terminal. I sorted out the wires, and again made certain
each one was connected tightly to the distributor.
When I was done, the boyfriend asked if he should try
starting it again. I told him to go ahead, and low and behold, it
fired right up. That is how I got my 1993 Nissan Maxima for free! |