89 pathy no spark!

[stangkilla1]

need help my 89 pathfinder wont start. there is no spark from the no1 plug wire when i use a calabrated spark tester. i tried just changing the coil to no avail. any thoughts from any mechanics out they? i did a little work on her this summer but let her for about a month she started then but not now it has been raining alot but she was covered up under hood with a big towel so she was dryish help me pls.

[smj999smj]

There could be any of several problems; the two most common issues for no spark are bad distributor and broken timing belt.

[stangkilla1]

fortunatly for me the timing belt is good and the distributer is also new i feel its the ignition relay cause it turns over great and it was running before the only thing different is i hooked up the alternator condensor backwards the body attached to battery and the conection was to earth. could a burnt out condensor stop her from catching cause it turns over nicely just doesnt start thx for responding so kwick thx guys.

[smj999smj]

The only thing the condensor does is help reduce ignition system noise from passing onto the radio. While the distributor may be "new," that doesn't necessarily mean it's "good," especially if it's an aftermarket part. You could try swapping the ignition relay with another that is not related to the engine control to confirm/eliminate that as a potential problem.

[stangkilla1]

i put a different ignition relay and it fired then died why is the condenser on the alternator then?i figured with the only two things i touched it has to be one of them rite? not. anyways im going to get a condensor and a newer ignition relay i dont know what else to do?

[stangkilla1]

full story bought the truck this summer was runninng and driving when i bought her she had a serious back pressure issue which turned out to be sorely advanced so i needed to tear it down set timing belt and pull distributer to set the timing on it. it ran great after that. i also needed to change the engine coolent temp. sensor. so i flushed the system which ment pulling the alternator to get to the drain plug. when i put the alternator back i reversed the condensor hooking the body to the battery on alt and the connector on the earth on the alternator. and it turns over but no firing? why i have been working on cars since i was little and this has never been an issue before.

[stangkilla1]

the truck is starting now after looking at all the ignition systems. however the truck runs for about 30 seconds then sputters and dies will start back up rite away but then will die after a minute i can rev the engine until it decides to quit. then there is nothing to do its like all power to ignition is dead? its so weird that its doing this i rebuilt most everything on the top end. distributor,cap,rotor,new fuel filter,battery.anyways can someone help me if you have had this let me know.