The Nissan 3.3L VG33E firing order is 1-2-3-4-5-6, and the distributor rotates counterclockwise. The 1998 Infiniti QX4 VG33E workshop manual lists that order and counterclockwise rotation, and its number one cylinder diagram shows the cylinder layout used below.

The VG33E is the 3.3-liter, single-overhead-cam member of Nissan’s VG V6 family. It sits between the older VG30E and the VQ engines that replaced it, and it is the engine most people mean when they search for the Nissan 3.3 or VG33 firing order.

Nissan 3.3L VG33E firing order

The firing order is 1-2-3-4-5-6. Unlike the later VQ engines, the VG33E fires its plugs through a distributor, so the order matters when you route or replace the plug wires.

Start at the cap terminal for cylinder 1 and work counterclockwise around the cap in firing order: 2, 3, 4, 5 and then 6. If two wires are swapped, the engine will usually run rough or misfire on those cylinders, so change the wires one at a time.

Nissan 3.3L cylinder numbers and layout

The VG33E is a V6 with two banks of three cylinders. In these trucks the engine sits lengthwise, and cylinder 1 is at the front of the passenger-side bank.

That puts cylinders 1, 3, and 5 on the passenger side and cylinders 2, 4, and 6 on the driver side. The numbers alternate between banks from front to back, which is why a 1-2-3-4-5-6 firing order still jumps from one bank to the other with every plug.

Nissan 3.3L vehicle applications

The VG33E powered Nissan’s late-1990s and early-2000s trucks and SUVs. Common applications include:

  • Nissan Frontier
  • Nissan Xterra
  • Nissan Pathfinder
  • Infiniti QX4
  • Nissan Quest and Mercury Villager minivans

If your engine code starts with VQ instead of VG, use the firing order for that engine. The Nissan 3.5L firing order covers the VQ35.

Our take

For a 2000 Xterra, a 2000 Frontier or a 1998 Pathfinder with the 3.3, the order is 1-2-3-4-5-6, the cap turns counterclockwise, and cylinder 1 is at the front on the passenger side. Check the engine code on the label or block before you start, and replace the wires one at a time so the order never gets lost.