Nissan Repair: Problem with Altima, spark plug wire, distributor cap

Question
I drove my '93 Altima for about 30 minutes then parked it  for about 20 minutes. When I tried to crank it again,it turned over fine but it wouldn't start.It's like it wasn't getting any fire.I tried a few times then waited about  20 minutes. After that it fired right up. The next day while driving about 40mph it cut off. I coasted onto the shoulder ,put it in park and it would not crank. It did the same thing as the day before. Waited a while and it fired right up.
About 8 months ago  I had a similar  starting problem but it did not cut off while I was driving. I  replaced the distributor cap and rotary button and  it's been doing fine until now. What could be causing this problem ? I'd appreciate any advice you can give me. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Tami -

Looks to me like you need to replace the ignition module. You almost had it, as it is located in the distributor. If you remove the cap and rotor, it is sitting on the bottom of the distributor with a couple of mounting screws and wires attached to it.

Best way to check it for sure is when the car is in a no start condition, remove one spark plug wire and insert a screwdriver in the boot until it contacts the terminal. Hold the screwdriver about 1/4" away from any metal engine surface while someone cranks the engine. If there is no spark jumping between the screwdriver and engine, then replace the module. Be careful not to touch anymetal surface while performing this test.

The distributor operates under tremendous heat, and a lot of times the module fails until the engine cools off a bit.

Hope this helps -
aloha
calvin