2004 SC Motor Ticking Question

[CT Frontier]

I'd like to start off by saying my names Tony and i'm relatively new to the forum but not to owning nissans as we have several in our family. I currently own a 2004 Frontier S/C with 56k miles on it. About a week ago the engine started cutting out and misfiring ect. I figured it was due for a tune up so I replaced the plugs & wires, fuel filter, air filter, and oil change. This tune up did not clear up the issue so i was forced to change out the distributor which had gone bad. This got the truck back on the road however in about 100 miles the check engine light came on with several codes P0328, P0420, and P0430. I have noticed that the truck has significantly less power as well. I then started to notice the engine making a ticking noise. When I start the truck up cold she purrs like a kitten but as soon as it gets up to temp it starts to tick. The engine then ticks at low rpms and it seems to go away when I hit 2000 rpms. At that point I decided to check the oil which only had about 500 miles on it, and it was very dirty. I changed the oil but the tick is still there and the computer is still throwing the same codes. I'm just not sure what my next step should be. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[BlueMoon]

P0328 KNOCK SEN/CIRC-B1

P0420 TW CATALYST SYS-B1

P0430 TW CATALYST SYS-B2

pulled that from 2002 manual, not sure if it applies.
hope that helps though

i have a hard time believing your distributor was bad. what was wrong with it?


edit:
just read through the manual a bit more. do a dummy check on things. make sure all your plug wires are connected and seated properly. make sure harness connections are fully connected.check your grounds, loosen/retighten them.

[CT Frontier]

When I originally did the tune up I changed the cap and rotor out, but that did not clear up the misfiring and issues at that time. So I had it towed to a local garage. They called me the next day and said the distributor was bad. So I bit the bullet and had them change it out. I picked it up and the truck ran great for a day or so. Then I started getting the other 3 codes and the ticking. Hope this clarifies where im at.

[Hertz]

P0328 is the knock sensor. Very common issue with the VG33E and VG33er. It just means that your knock sensor has gone bad and need to be replaced. It won't trigger the light but it will throw a code. Chances are, that code has been in there for quite some time. The sensor is on top of the block under all of the intake equipment and is PITA to replace in that location. There is some information on this forum and others about relocating the sensor but on an S/C model I believe there is some controversy. You'll have to do some research on your own because I don't know enough about it to give you good advice.

Both P0420 and P0430 are concerned with the primary catalytic converters. Chances are you have a bad converter. That will make the vehicle run poorly. As far as the ticking noise, I'm not sure. It may or may not be related to the bad cat. If it's clogged enough maybe a gasket blew out causing a slight exhaust leak.

[daves d22u]

worst case happened to me. for got which cat code it was rs bank 1 cat. replaced cat found out particles were sucked into motor took out my motor at 69,000 miles.
i started having oil consumption right away. 3 qts in a day with no smoke.

[CT Frontier]

Wow thats new to me. I didn't realize particles from the cat could end up in the motor? Is that a common issue? My mechanic said the cat shouldn't cause any issues unless i need to go through emissions, and recommended that I wait until my emissions is close to change it out. Why would the motor not start ticking until it warms up? Could the timing be off from changing out the distributor?