CorollaULEV

http://youtu.be/w2Io2QgNbXI

http://youtu.be/UrVPuc71jJ4

Objective data:

- 2010 Maxima SV with cold weather package and tech package (I don't know...can't remember. It's the backup camera and the video display, but does NOT include navigation)

- 36,xxx miles

- ZERO oil comsumption

- UOA since new with nothing suggesting major problems

- have ALWAYS used 0W-30 or (recently) 5W-30 Castrol synthetic oil

- knock with engine under slight load at lower rpm (idle to ~2000rpm) - after that, engine noise drowns it out

- NEVER uses oil

- have ran 91/93 AKI 99% of the time...87 AKI used very infrequently since purchase (1 or 2 tanks at most)

Subjective data:

- fuel mileage is consistently perfect (27-30mpg hwy)

- acceleration is generally AWESOME (CVT has its days...it's temperamental)

- does not smoke EVER

- UOA says engine is doing OK

- NOTHING abnormal except knocking

- knock is at light load at low rpm

- after owning 2007 Altima 3.5 SE for 3 yrs, knock is present, but knock in Altima was never as audible as Maxima

- no difference with fuel grades (aside from 1 or 2 tanks)

Is this a normal sound or not?

D-SV

I let an old guy here at work listen to it... He thinks it could either be a Crank Bearing or a Pin on the Piston that is going bad. My first thought was maybe an exhaust leak?

Ghozt

mine sounds like this too. i had a whole thread about it. took it to 9 different master mechanics (some nissan, some not) and everyone said its normal. the VQ35DE is a LOUD engine, what you're mostly hearing are the fuel injectors clicking.

here listen to mine - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU5wUqpqBlA

jommbi

Mine is doing it too. Has been since the first 1000 miles, possibly earlier. I'm over 20k now.

See the following thread

http://forums.maxima.org/7th-generat...ping-idle.html

My stats are the same as yours, no oil consumption, only 93 octane in car, performance is excellent. Frankly, I'm not sure what it is, and neither does Nissan. Its been looked over twice now. Once very thoroughly. I don't think its the injectors as it seems localized and different from the normal injector chatter.

Every tech I've spoken with has said its normal. I'm still not sure.

Ghozt

yeah if we had sticky lifters or valve issues the motor would be shaking more, or we'd be throwing codes

Jbling700

Here's a video of my engine. Sounds the same thing as CorollaULEV's engine I guess

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElXb3...ature=youtu.be

silver7thgen

Sounds Fine too me. I say that cause mine sounds similar.

CorollaULEV

A lot of people blame fuel injectors. I agree that injectors on ALL VQ35DE engines are noisy. The injectors are a high-pitched ticking. What I'm talking about is the hollow tapping/rattling. At times it sounds like a rapping noise.

The noise has ALWAYS been there, but I think it has gotten louder. That's very subjective, though. I pay attention to it all the time while driving and I think I'm just listening to it so much that...my mind is playing tricks on me.

I have had oil analysed after every oil change by Blackstone Labs. I mentioned that I noticed the knocking noise and now, every analysis I get, they say bad things because aluminum or iron was 2 or 3ppm higher than last sample (think of how much aluminum and iron is in an engine). I personally think everything is fine because the noise has been there since new and nothing else has changed.

It wouldn't be rod or main bearings because copper and lead aren't elevated. If it was a piston pin, copper and tin would be elevated. Neither has been the case. Blackstone went all to hell because my copper and lead were elevated on ONE analysis....which they thought meant I was ruining a main or rod bearing. That was 15,000 ago and they have never been elevated since. That, I'm pretty sure, was a particle streak.

It does make me feel better that others' Maximas sound the same.
I think the solution is just to turn the stereo up. LOL.

Late,
Trav

Richard66

So I finally got around to listening to the sound bites of engine noise from different threads and my wife says “what are you listening to”. As she has excellent hearing she could hear the recordings from my laptop from the other side of the room... I told her what it was and she said “I’m glad my car doesn’t sound like that”. Now I’m no sound expert and a recording might sound different, or pick up more than from a live episode so we went out a listened to her car, hood up and in the garage, no foreign tapping noise. My wife couldn’t hear any tapping either. I recorded it for 30 seconds and listened to the recording and there was no tapping. When we got this car my wife was amazed at how quite the engine was compared to her 2000 Maxima GLE. This car is totally stock with 16K miles on it. All the servicing is done by the dealership, so their stock fluids are what are in the car. If this knocking is “normal” as what the service techs are saying than why are there cars out there that are not afflicted with the noise? This tapping noise might not be anything to be concerned about, and it might be normal noise in some engines but I would defiantly be keeping a ear out for increased noise levels as time goes on

Jbling700

My Max has taps (see video) and all things are done by the dealer..... My engine is basically stock. NO mods.The only major thing on my car is the Eibach springs and some cosmetics but that's about it. Can you post a video of your Max so I can compare it to mine????

jgoon1

i hate that sound bugs the **** out of me lol

Ghozt

i only hear my sound while idling, i never hear it any other time and ive never seen any negative effects on performance.

CorollaULEV

I'm just glad I'm not the only hearing this.

I changed the oil today @ 5200mi. Sent a sample in to Blackstone again. It'll be fine, I'm sure. Threw in some genuine Nissan ester oil 5W-30 just to see what would happen. The noise is still there...if not louder...or maybe my mind is still playing tricks on me.

Haven't taken it to a dealer to have them listen to it, but I probably will sometime soon.

I almost think it's something in the torque converter. I hear the noise at all low rpms in all gears, until in drive and the torque converter locks up. Then, I don't hear the noise. Of course the noise is there in idle (all gears). there's about 94 speed bumps getting back to my house and everytime I get to speedbump, brake then hit throttle again (when TC unlocks) is when I hear it the most. Perhaps it's not an engine noise, but a transmission/torque converter noise. Dunno....I still say the fix is to turn the stereo up.

CorollaULEV

So this friggin noise has gotten WAY louder since I changed the oil to the Nissan 5W-30 ester oil. It is obnoxiously louder at idle and I can hear it in higher rpms, also now...like up to 4000rpm. I can even feel it in the pedals and steering wheel at lower rpm, now. LOL. So, to the Nissan dealership I go tomorrow at 3.

If they start giving me crap about accusing me of not changing the oil (since I do my own service) and the only proof I have is the UOA I've done each and every oil change...I might loose my cookies.

Late,
Trav

CorollaULEV

UPDATE:

Took car to dealer, tech requested I ride in the car with him, however, he could not hear the noise. I could...it was loud and obnoxious, but you have to know what to listen for and he just couldn't do it. He let me drive a 2009 Maxima w/ 10,000 more miles than mine. It made the same noise, just not NEARLY as loud as mine. Long story short: normal operation (possible fuel dampers per the tech).

I've held off on modding it because I didn't know if it could handle it. However, the UOA was PERFECT. Just placed my order for Racingline y-pipe.

Late,
Trav

Ghozt

I feel like my noise was also louder with Nissan ester oil, it quieted down a little after putting on some Castrol GTX full synth but mine I still feel is loud as well. Everyone who hears it in person keeps saying it sounds normal so I try not to get too worried about it. I'd be lying though if I said I wasn't listening intently for other sounds/things to go wrong while I'm driving.

What did the tech mention about the fuel dampers?

CorollaULEV

He basically just said that the fuel dampers were noisy. Their job, obviously is just to prevent pulsating fuel pressures in the fuel rail. I do NOT think that this is the culprit. There is a member on this forum that had his fuel dampers replaced in an attempt to solve this knockety-knock on his 7th gen. With new fuel dampers, the noise remained. Either way....I'm not worrying about it either. The oil anlyses all say my engine is fine.

Late,
Trav

STARR

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like my car, and mine has been properly cared for, oil changes, I have read car reviews about Infiniti engines being rough and lacking the smoothness, and I guess they are right, cause this engine is supposedly a horizontally oppose Infiniti engine if you want to call it that.

Ghozt

Has anyone tried running 10w-30? You think thicker oil might quiet it down and would be safe to try?

STARR

iTrader: (1)

Im using 0w40, if you do the research it is a thicker oil listed for the Germans even with a 0w40 rating

CorollaULEV

I DO think that thicker oil would help. On mine, the knocking gets louder as the engine gets hotter. Even if the dashboard temp gauge says it's warmed up, it's not that loud. But after driving for 2 hrs to Flagstaff (lots of hill climbing)...it gets kind of obnoxiously loud then. Which to me says that as the oil gets thinner, it gets louder. Just my guess...

IFuXwiTuZ

I have the same noise but it sounds way louder when you make a video, sounds pretty normal to me....i think your just thinking about it way to much and its making you bug out lol

Ghozt

^ very true the video makes it sound different. i wanted to play the video for several shops they said it was useless they needed to hear it in person

CorollaULEV

THANKS you guys. You are making me feel much better! HATE the idea of paying $36,000 for a clunker. LOL. Not joking about that. I have realized from the start of this thread that the BIGGEST part of this really might be ME. My dad has always told me "don't fix it if it ain't broken". Believe me....there's a reason for him telling me that. Ha!

I have listened to several videos on Youtube of Maxima's....like videos that were NOT about their knocking engine. Videos of aftermarket exhaust and such....they all have the same noise.

So, at this point, I'm just chocking it up to being normal engine noise. My 07 Altima 3.5SE had the same noise (not as loud).....but whatever. It's there, my engine is wearing good according to Blackstone. Not gonna worry about it.

Thanks y'all.

Late,
Trav

jommbi