Nissan Repair: 2001 exterra, volt ohm meter, haynes manual

Question
hello von, my daughter has a 2001 exterra good cond. 109k 2 problems,  first 2 days ago service engine light comes on vehicle will not idle runs rough, stalls no power. i first thoughtit was like a missing vacuum line. checked every thing. i had the vehicle checked for trouble codes they said no codes stored. im under the hood last night with vehicle running engine surging trying to find its idle. as im giving it some gas i have my hand in the distributer and i feel like a rattle/ growling i remove cap, all looks fine. i go farther and remove dist. completly,  nothing sloppy gear looks ok.  what should i be doing next. number 2 vehicle has a tilt. pass front down almost hitting wheel well and drivers rear wheel well up in the air checked everything nothing broken. ever hear of this condition i checked every survice bulletin and recall  please help whats next.   thank you  rick martire

Answer
Rick,

First, the distributor is probably defective on the 2001 vehicle.  Nissan uses an optical system on engines that have a distributor.  Sounds like yours is going out and causing the problem  No codes so unless it is diagnosed it is only speculation on my part.  But, with a digital volt ohm meter ($20 bucks) and a Haynes Manual (another $20 bucks) you can diagnose it to be sure.

Second vehicle sounds like the spring has failed on the front end of the vehicle on that side.  I would jack it up and inspect the spring to verify.