Sarara

So I thought let me add some more pictured and video/sound clips that might help someone to tell me what kind of problem my car is experiencing and what repair work I am expecting.

Car has little over 90k miles and all oil change was done regularly. Started using synthetic when car had 60k miles. Always used premium gasoline.

SORRY ENGINE IS NOT CLEAN AS WINTER JUST WENT OVER.


So here is the sound clip for my crappy engine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXd1OXf6BmE

Here is the exact the same engine noise "Wayne" reported a while back:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXBcmPDnsY0

Here is the video clip for my one exhause tip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uDiv22OEvA

Here is the video clip under my engine compartment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9vGQvlhpiQ


So I got mechanical sthetoscope to pin point highest to lowest noise.
I kept my camera microphone close to the mechanical stethoscope earbud to record the noise at several targets. may be not acurate but way much better than recording normal way.

My Target was:
1) Fuel dampers
2) Fuel rails
3) Exhause shield? from top
4) Exhause shield? from bottom
5) Intake manifold
6) Rocker cover
7) Timing chain cover side

Here are the pictures (with the red arrow where I did probe mechanical sthetoscope) and video/sound clips:

Fuel Damper sound clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nqvREZWTrk


Fuel rail sound clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unocvTYaqhA


Exhause shield/cover from top and bottom:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aRs6XHk-I8


Intake manifold:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNVcv22hAqU


Rocker Cover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVcgz0IFQ2g


Timing Chain side of engine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfVTB8A8mzs


I found that highest noise was reported by mechanical sthetoscope at fuel dampers then fuel rails then exhause shields.

Fuel damper was already replaced by dealer- no fix
Exhause shield was been checked week ago and found no issue - no fix


Any help isolating this noise issue and what kind of repair I am expecting?

I started to believe I may have:
1) Valve clearence issue. If yes then How much I expect to fix?
2) Camshaft issue. If yes then How much I expect to fix?
3) You would be the better judge.

Thanks

beacher1

I had a similar problem with my car. It was a problem that would come and go. At certain times when accelerating it made the diesel clattering noise that you describe. What fixed it for me was on the underside of the engine compartment there at two plastic panels that come down both sides of the engine close to the sub frame. I put rubber foam the tape on one side between the frame and the plastic part and the noise went away.

Apollos2

iTrader: (16)

My guess is either A/C compressor going bad or Exhaust Bracket .

http://forums.maxima.org/6th-generat...ccelerate.html

SmokeNismo

a lot of V6s have a diesel type of sound at idle. My brothers 07 camry has a diesel type of sound of its own also. But nothing sounds as good as it during acceleration

Sarara

I am uploading clip on youtube right now. Please bare with me....

edit: Ok here is the video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXd1OXf6BmE
Sorry it was a night time but at least you can hear the noise what I am talking about. It gets worst inside the car compartment. Like I said during cold start and when engline worm-up to normal temperature, this high pitching idle noise gets very loude but goes down to just like in this video after driving for about several miles. I tried to use flash llight to show my pullys running at the side of my engine.

Please please help.

Shoey1

maybe you have a lifter going bad. they make a diesel clacking noise when they are bad

Sarara

You have to educate me what is lifter and how do I check that. Sorry but when things gets to the engine, I am far from an expert.

BLACKNESS MONSTA

I have an 04 and it sounds deisel-ish at idle. Not as bad as urs tho. Ive seen a couple of 05/06's at the dealership and they made the same deisel type sound at idle. Its just how our cars sound, but urs is worse than usual...

Sarara

Exactly and I have no ideas what and where to fix this.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

My 06 sounds new, 60k on it and driven hard everyday, your car sounds like my friends father's TL at 117k, a week before it ceased

At what mileage did you get the car, and when did the noise start developing.

Galto2000

Recently I've been alternating my commute with my 04 Maxima and a Toyota. One week I drive the Max and the next week the Toyota. I noticed that after the Max has been standing still for a week, when I start it for the first time, it makes a very loud metallic rattling sound which immediately fades away in the engine noise (in about 5 seconds).

I also noticed this week that after my commute in the Max, my noise makes a diesel-like noise... very loud clicking and also lower frequency (in sound) knocking sounds which I can hear clearly inside the car when idle (and turned a/c, vents and radio off).

I got about 83K.

I am taking it to the dealer tomorrow for an oil change, and I will tell them to check it out.

anyone any ideas?


Cheers

G

Sarara

Bought at 32k

Noise was there but not this much. Went to stealers few times and they said it's all cool. Kept driving with like... ohh noise...no noise...ohh noise...no noise....and here I am at with absolutely bad noise in engine.

Sarara

Please pretty please take few moments and update here what deler said for your car engine noise.

You's and my car has 95% similarities and symptoms.

klemenz

daymn thats weird

Galto2000

Will do Sarara, but tell me, you haven't confronted your dealer with this problem yet?

Sarara

When noise was somewhat minimum then I did. It's just got worse from few days and I am traveling for 3 weeks starting from tomorrow. Car will be parked for 3-4 weeks and then I will ask dealer to check my car out.

Galto2000

Sarara,

what was the dealer's diagnosis back then?

BLACKNESS MONSTA

I think if u use regular instead of premium it can make the noise worse...Im guilty of that too lol

Sarara

They all said this is normal for nissan maxima. H3ll it was not at that time either with less than this noisy engine. At that time my car was under warranty so may be they all said its all cool. Now I am way over warranty period so basically I am farked if they say my timing chain is making this noise.

By the way always used premium gas....always all the time.

athlon omega

iTrader: (4)

Had this problem before. It's your timing chain tensioner. It cost roughly about $1100 or more to fix at the dealer. They told me that noise was common too and I shouldn't worry about. It got worse and worse. I got a local mechanic to replace the timing chain tensioners and guide for about $900 parts were around $150. The noise is gone. I would do the same since that sound isn't innocent as the dealer would have you beleive.

Galto2000

I am still under my extended warranty - but not for too much longer (expires in August this year). That should cover it.

I just took it in to the dealer. Won't know much until Tuesday though - none of their mechanics showed up this morning.

I know that I will get the run-around as the service-customer person immediately said that this was common to these engines and "quite normal".

G

DONS459

I don't belive these overhead cams have lifters in the valve train.

Lovemycar

bull **** my motor doesn't sound like that

Apollos2

iTrader: (16)

Oh no, that is far from normal. No offense but your car does sound like an F-250 turbo diesel.They are full of it and since you took it to them under warranty (hope you have something in writting) and they didn't fix it I think you may have a case to still have it fixed under warranty. That is not the AC compressor and it's definitely not the exhaust bracket. I've never heard a Maxima sound like that, but it sounds like Athlon Omega may have your answer. You gotta love the org

Sarara

Yes I went to delear when I was under warranty. At that time I had fuel damper TSB with me and they refused to repair fuel dampers. I went to Nissan and they forced dealer to perform fuel damper work. Of course that did not fix the issue and dealer did not mention anything in detail about this in their invoice. I knew noise was there and now I am out of warranty.

What are my chances to get this fixed? How do I proceed?

Apollos2

iTrader: (16)

I would probably call Nissan again, reference your fuel damper issue, see if they can pull the record to identify you and your prior problems with that dealer and then tell that you told them about this problem and they said the car was fine. Heck, I'd email that You tube link to the support person you are talking to you. See if the can help out after that. The dealer/Nissan fixed my A/C out warranty under a "good faith" policy or something like that. If Nissan tells them to do it,even for 1/2price, you would at least be getting something out of it.

Oh yeah, what city/state are you in?

Sarara

Boston

There is no way in the h3ll I am paying higher repair cost if I need to fix this. I sure am feeling like I did the right thing and informed dealer about this issue when I was under warranty. Sure I was exactly not sure at that time so I pushed for fuel dampers repair and they repaired this for me only when I went after them and Nissan customer service. But I guess they knew what it will take to fix my car and it was suppose to be free so they ran around and waited for 60k miles to pass for my car. My car never came out of this crappy noise and now it's going worst. I do have all oil change records so far and/or all other brake repair bills. I am going to deal this now completely different way to make them bend over backward.

And damn plastic tensioners? I never ever imagined that my engine timing chains has plastic tensioner.
They did this for purpose so that we all must repair this crap when plastic tensioners run out of all meat?

Sarara

Hey budd, any updates or news? How much those suckers asked you for repair?

fcoral 05

"Heck, I'd email that You tube link to the support person you are talking to you. See if the can help out after that". That's part of what was quoted by apollos5, the only with that is that i would suggest that you take a daytime video of the sound, include the VIN of the car and even yourself in the video and in the the car while driving so they can have no excuse to deny you, because just looking at the video nobody knows whose car that is. it can be anyone's car. I'm just saying have all your stuff lined up so you can go in fighting all the way with very little doubt. This is just my .02

Sarara

Point noted. I have some direct contact information of Nissan and other consumer protection agencies.

Sarara

Called-up one buddy who knows more about car stuff and according to him it could be a exhause leak. Could it be? As you can see how constant idle noise is in my engine. Also it does rattle accelerating during low gears, low speed, or at load. Exhause shields are in good shape as I have checked that out last week. damn this is headache for me as well as for many of you I guess.

Galto2000

Don't know yet, those clowns didn't have their act together this morning so I won't know until Monday or so.

Apollos2

iTrader: (16)

This is true, get enough of the car in the video to prove it's you, vin etc excellent idea. All the "ducks in a row" before you get started.

I don't know what an exhaust leak sounds like, that reminds me of what a motor sounds like when it's low on oil. Your rattle at low RPM is almost sure to be the bracket, it almost always is. There is more than one and they are kind of hard to find unless your car is on a lift but I would focus on that engine noise first.

Sarara

Just one question.

Last time I was there when I was under warranty to have them check my engine noise and they said its normal for this engine the way its designed. So
I never went there after that.

Should I make one more visit to the same stealer and see what they have to say now before I bring h3ll down for them? Just so you know I am 30k miles over the warranty period now.

Apollos2

iTrader: (16)

Should you make one more trip to the dealer? That is hard to say, if you are 30k outside of the warranty, I'd probably just start with Nissan. If you cannot get Nissan behind you it won't do any good to go to the dealer unless Nissan tells you too.

Please keep us updated.

Enjoijoe

That's weird hope it is nothing to serious

Galto2000

As expected, I am getting the run-around from my Nissan Dealer. My old trusty maintenance manager left a few months ago - I really miss him because he really listened and did whatever he could, but now I just got one of the typical Nissan average run of the mill 'don't care' person.

On the phone I got the following feedback:

1) On the louder than normal engine noise I experience since lately :

The dealer think my car sounds normal. True, it's nothing like Sarara's 'diesel', but I am worried about a deep knocking/tapping sound roughly at 7Hz at idle. It's best noticed when you are inside the car (the higher pitch ticking noises are filtered out that way) with the climate control turned off and the car running on idle.

2) On the rattling sound I get at startup after the car has been sitting still for a week: They say the can't reproduce it; of course they can't because the car has to be standing still for a week. I took it in last Saturday. Even if I let them keep my car for a week (which would be fine with me), I am worried that they will miss the noise event (you know how that works; the mechanic asks some helper to go an fetch the car from the lot ....)

The second one is which worries me to most. Any idea how I should take this one on? Did anyone on 'the org' confront their dealer with this issue? How did you do it?

G

fcoral 05

Galto there's a guy called winterfaust, his name is chris and he's a service manager at a nissan store in the marryland area,try to shoot him off a PM and see if he answers. i know he's more on 6thgenmaxima.org so you can also try overthere too because i know he took care of a few folks from overthere with that loud timing chain area and excessive engine noise. i haven't seen him on for a while but once he responds you can set it up and take the drive across and have him give it a look and see what he says. Let us know how it goes.

Sarara

Exactly the same words I had (and probably the same reactions and expresions even though I did not see at your end) when I went in to have them check my engine noise.

Are Nissan provides training to the dealers and/or so called senior technicians for how to deny warranty repairs? and let customer come back after warranty expired and charge them arms & legs?

Hey thanks for the update budd.
Now you can see how I felt when I was knocked out with saying "no noise there....are you nuts?.....fark off....but wait and gimme my $90 for your visit"

Galto2000

Actually, I did find that post of Chris (from Criswell Nissan in Gaithersburg) and I tried calling the number he posted, but he no longer works for that dealership there