Hi I am new to this forum and decided you guys can help me better than our local Nissan dealer. I I have a 2000 Frontier 2WD with 3.3L and auto with about 80K miles, I bought it used.
Last week I found the timing belt was shot when it stopped running on the highway. I tore it down and found about 8 inches of 'teeth' missing, what was strange it looked like some of the teeth were lying in the bottom for what looked like a long time. I purchased a new timing belt and using my trusty service manual it told me to line up the crankshaft pulley with a notch on the rear housing at about the 5:00 o'clock position and the top left (facing the motor) cam sprocket should be pointing at a mark at about the 11:00 position, the right sprocket at about the 1:00 position, again there were only some convex "dimples beside the housing nuts that I assumed was the marks that I should use. The belt I bought had 2 stripes on it and 1 "stripe" that was a series of white dots, I assumed this was to be alighned with the cranckshaft sprocket and the solid lines to the marks on the camshaft sprockets. I installed it in this fashion but when I started to motor it ran like the timing was way off, I took it for a test drive and it felt like the timing was retarded. I put it on TDC and noticed that as the #1 piston came up it did compress so I guess it would mean that the cam (at least on that bank) was closing the valves okay. I removed the distributor cap (while at TDC) and found the rotor pointing between number 1 and number 2 spark plug terminals. I could'nt figure out how this could be as I simply replaced the belt using the marks and the disributor wasn't removed so it should still be in mesh with the right side cam sprocket. I was going to move the distributor to move it towards the number 1 terminal and noticed it wouldn't move any further as it was all the way over in the slot in the direction I wanted to go.
And here is where I'm at, I was going to lift the distributor out and point it at the number 1 terminal but thought I would confer with you guys first.
Here is what I was wondering could have happened and see what you guys think: the preveious owner had the timing belt jump (maybe shearing off some teeth) and the remaing teeth was able to 'catch' and they re-timed it (and sold it). I thought that was why the sheared teeth looked like they were in there for a long time, and why the timing was clear over to one side of the slot.
I am only guessing so if anyone can help me I would really appreciate it.
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