jasonmax

iTrader: (2)

he must be thinking 87 is full of mud so he use 91 just to clean it out.

grayfox

I read over it, Im not mechanic but If your cat is bad you should get a really bad rotten egg smell when you hammer the gas. (My mom's 2004 maxima has a bad cat she never put premium gas in it)

My maxima has only seen ultra 94 octane sunoco gas since I got it in august.

My 2001 maxima's had its share or problems as well. Sometimes my transmission will start shifting hard for every shift, Then a few days later its back to normal. I also had to change an oxygen sensor when I first got the car. And I hear what sounds like a vacuum leak in the engine area but I cant seem to track it down.

And when I put my foot down on the gas sometimes (mainly when its cold) it sounds like it has a turbo charger I can't figure out what's causing this noise.

My car also has more squeaks and rattles then I expected from a Japanese 2001. The only one I couldn't ignore was the heat shield the rest aren't constant.

I should also mention im in ontario and are roads are salted during the winter that's probably the bracket had rusted so much.

cmd26

iTrader: (6)

Do people who have changed there exhaust or have headers or ant type of upgrade that would affect there cats have this problem?

boris

Yes, it rattles with the headers too.

ZGadson

I'm from northern Indiana. My car has seen more than its fair share of salt and snow.

01maxine3.0

check your idle pulley try adjusting it

oxygen

UPDATE: Guys I just took the car to the dealer. They gave me an answer on what it is. They told me "we dont know"
they also told me my sunroof drains are not clogged as my car is pooling water right through the headliner.

Somerset Nissan, Somerville NJ FTFL
for the ****in loss

sublime258

iTrader: (9)

Lesson learned. Never take your car to the stealership again. They will take your money and not fix anything!

sublime258

iTrader: (9)

Oh yea...and posts 33-35 are some sexy black Maximas if I do say so myself.

oxygen

total bill 0.00

at least that's good considering they did nothing

timmyg1

The exhaust is a pretty tight fit on Maxima's. Try replacing the rubber hangers and bolts for the Cats and see if that helps

zero2sixtyZ

iTrader: (30)

Haven't read the thread too thoroughly, but my guesses or at least where I'd start:

- Heat shield / piping brackets
- Motor mounts
- Valve tappets (due to oil consumption)

maxcrazy01

x2!! same problem and i solve it by changing these few stuff

Scottwax

iTrader: (8)

Octane does not retard your ignition timing. ECU and knock sensor do that. Higher octane gas burns more slowly so the higher compression our engines have don't pre-ignite the gas before the spark plug fires.

All grades of gas are supposed to have adequate detergents to prevent your injectors from clogging but some do add additional detergents to their highest octane gas.

I am pretty sure the problem is pinging (aka pre-ignition). I get it between 1500-2000 rpms under light load. My heat shields have been off and back on with the pre-cat swap. One shield was missing a bolt but the shop replaced it when they put it all back together. I really doubt at this point it is the heat shields.

I use 93 octane fuel (all premium here is 93 octane) and have even tried octane booster, which had a minimal effect. I think the problem is most likely carbon build-up on the pistons, which not only raised compression slightly but also creates hot spots on the tops of the pistons and in the combustion chamber which contribute to pinging. Many of use use a quart of oil (or two) between oil changes so that adds to carbon build-up. I'm going to have my Dad's mechanic run that BK stuff through the injectors and the gas tank and see if that helps burn the carbon out of the combustion chamber.

I think the long term solution would be to use a water injection system. Tear down an engine that has a water injection system and the combustion chambers and the tops of the pistons look really clean. Water injection prevents pinging not only by keeping everything free of carbon but because it cools the air/fuel mixture down a bit so it doesn't ignite prematurely.

jbasalo302

i have had the rattling problem in my maxima also, it comes and goes...it seems to do it the worst when its warmer out, and when it rains there is nothing...but i know it will be an expensive fix. my solution is just turn the music up!

5 ltr. beater

Isn't it entertaining to listen (or in this case read) about them still referring to 87 octane gas as "dirty" gas and 91+ octane fuel as "cleansing super fuel" . Then again before I learned about engines I used to think the same way. Mainly cause when I started to learn how to drive my mom would let me pump gas and she would always tell me "son, don't forget to put the clean gas in my car and not the dirty inferior gas" .

asianstyle

iTrader: (1)

i have a similar problem, you said it sound like rubbing/humming noise. that's exactly what i have going on right now, it just started yesterday and its driving me insane. only does it when i am on the gas around 2-3000 rpm. I thought something was rubbing against my tire but I inspected and can't find anything. did you ever find out what it was?

Jasjeet

iTrader: (1)

Im having the same issue. To me it seems like the sound is coming from somewhere through the beginning of the exhaust.

Some one mentioned the MAF, On my car I dont think that thats the issue because I needed a new MAF, I changed it and the car still makes the rattling sound!

Also I read about the heat shield. This seems right imo, on my 03 max it seems like thats where the rattling is coming from.
If i remove it is it safe?
thanks

girvinman

iTrader: (1)

I have a similar issue as well. Noise started three weeks or so ago. I have an 03 6-speed with 97K on the clock running the cheap gas. Just changed the oil and trans fluid. Live in NY, so lots of snow and salt on the roads here, but the undercarriage still looks pristene, as I only occasionaly drive it in winter. One of the main differences is that my max will "knock" under granny-normal acceleration and is not constant. I have never heard it under hard acceleration. It sounds like spark knock to me, but I have always been under the assumption that vehicles are most susceptable to this under hard acceleration/load. My first thought and still my gut feeling is to change the plugs, but after checking out the forum I'm having doubts on what it might be. Any thoughts?

asianstyle

iTrader: (1)

well i found out what my problem was. it was my clutch going out. I was driving and all the sudden snap crackle and pop. No movement at all, engine would rev but it was like i was in neutral. Had it towed to a shop and he confirmed that my clutch was shot. I have 155,000 miles on original clutch I think. Going for an upgraded stage 1 clutch. Might as well do it now.

girvinman

iTrader: (1)

Ouch, sorry to hear that. If you can, take advantage of the opportunity to do some upgrades. Stage 1 clutch would be nice, maybe even a lightweight flywheel!

artemz28

yeh i have the same rattling sound at a lil under 2k rpm. Gets veryyyyy loud sometimes, usually pops up wen car is well warmed up, im talking bout maybe 15 min into driving. I got an 03 se, got the rattling sound, a leaked exhaust ( meaning to get it fixed, saving up for a full system ) and just recently i started to get a lil rumbling sound wen i stop at light or just idle, very annoying, and i got no clue where its coming from, prolly just my exhaust getting worse.

BTW- im new here, wanted to start a thread with a few quetions, but site wouldnt let, anyways, not to throw you guys of topic, but can anyone help me with my gas mileage, i only use 93 gas, last oil change i flushed my engine and filled it up with Pennzoil synthetic blend. About 3 weeks ago, had a tune up done, and i still get around 13 mpg city. Its very annoying, even my dte with 18.5 gals in it says im getting 234 per tank. I burned half the tank now, and only drove about 115 miles. I don't speed, and usually drive under 2 rpm. lots and lots of stops and gos thou. thank you. Once again sorry for such a long post, just getting everything i have on mind out at once.


_ as for the 2 rpm rattling sound.. the music helps alot, and it would still b a lot nicer to know its not there

girvinman

iTrader: (1)

Wow, that’s horrible. Is your Parking brake on? Do your tires have the proper amount of air pressure? You should also check your brakes, maybe one of your calipers is hung up or the Parking brake is frozen on. Just some thoughts on where to start. I'm not insulting your intelligents here, but it’s always best to start with the easy things.

artemz28

my e brake doesnt work period.. not tight enough, im not worried about that thou, air pressure is low in right front tire, but it leaks, i need a whole new set anyways, getting them in about 2 weeks, i got very low thread, car drive fine thou, fast as hell, and other then all that is amazing. then again, air pressure might influence the mpg by a mile or 2, eather way im getting 12, 13. i read around, and ppl here are getting 20 and that just makes me sad. i live in nyc, brooklyn, stop light every 40 yards or so, if that makes a diff... also about a week a ago, i feel like wen i pick the speed up slowly as soon as it hit 2 rpm, well 20mph, the rpm needle drops to 1.5 and it feels like car looses power... however, whe gassing it harder it doesnt seem to lose power, only on light acceleration, what might that be?

00GreenMax

iTrader: (1)

Agh, its nice to hear a little voice of reason now and then. Its all to common to skip over the simple stuff and expect it to be a major issue.
I think that 75% of all "engine" rattles end up being a heat shield.

Chanimal117

iTrader: (1)

Guys i just bought an 02 Se 6spd with this rattling sound between 2500-1000rpms as the revs fall in gear or in neutral. Previous owner told me it was a temperamental heat shield but after giving it a good listen with the help of my mom bliping the throttle i determined it was coming from my rear pre cat coming off the header on the firewall side. The rattling was pretty loud and made my car sound like a clunker. Anyway i had it replaced and now the rattle is completely gone. If you guys still have the rattle I'd have someone blip the throttle and give it a listen. Listen at the front of the car for the front pre cat and at the fire wall just behind the engine for the rear pre cat. Hope this helps.

jocoo

iTrader: (3)

My car makes rattling noise at around 2000rpm as well. Doesn't really happen in park only reverse and drive. Mine is caused by a washer rattling on my exhaust in between the exhaust and oxygen sensor. I do have headers installed so the oxygen sensor is relocated which makes for the gap and allows for the rattle.

My suggestion....check washers? and or bolts make sure they are tight?

yankeefan13

Yep im having the same problem as Oxygen. Mine makes a noise only sometimes though, seems to be at random. I give the car premium still and have checked under the car and nothing seems to be loose. It happens only under acceleration too, probably round 2k. Still don't know how to fix this...

yankeefan13

So would I be right to say the fix for this is the heat shield???