Nissan Repair: 1986 Nissan Pick up fuel cuts/no start, pep boys, coil wire

Question
Driving home, the engine cut off on my 86 Nissan Pick up truck. I couldn't re-start. Not an ignition thing, thought maybe clog in fuel line or filter, maybe pump. Had it towed and it sat at Pep Boys for 3 days while they tried to figure it out. Said they talked to their "experts" and troubleshot it for hours. Not the fuel system, pump, fuses, links. Not electrical, not ignition, etc. Asked me to remove the vehicle and take it to the dealer. Any suggestions? Is there more a dealer could check?

Answer
Annie,

It is back to basics here and we need to understand which one it is.  If it cranks then the starter circuit works.  Have the fuel pressure checked and see if you have that.  Now, if we have fuel pressure we need to check for spark.  If the fuel pump is working change the fuel filter.  Now, for spark you need to see if the coil is firing.  My bet is the distributor is defective.  I won't say bad things about Pep Boys and they are good at basic things but this would be something a specialist like a dealer would find.  Check the ignition circuit by pulling the coil wire and getting a short wire and put it in the boot and hold the end about a quarter of an inch from the engine block and if you do not get a spark when the engine turns over the distributor trigger mechanism is defective.  The one you have is optical and the seal in the distributor ends up failing letting oil get on the optics and that is what kills it.  So, for me I would check the distributor and if there is evidence of oil I would replace it.