Well I was hoping that this thing won't happen to my Maxima (93 SE). But now it looks like I can't get over it...

Coming to point.. I bought this Maxima almost two years ago..(50K mileage) I got it for $4500.. It was a good deal I thought.. (No A/C and no Bose). It was't maintained very well by the seller.
Then I had to replace
- Y pipe
- Fuel pump and filter at the dealer ($650)
- Ball joint, Sway bar bushings
- Brake rotors and pads(front)
- Wheel bearing (front)..
- Passenger side axle

Total around $1800..

I don't mind this kind of repairs and it is expected I guess...

Now I hear this dreaded lifter sound.. Now it is loud.. and the engine vibrates little bit..I got it checked at local mechanic shops.. some of them say that two lifter would have gone one each from left and right...

Just one month ago the lifter noise was there only for 2 minutes after startup and it went away after that.

Their advice is sell the car..!!! I called one dealer he scared me by saying repair might cost as much as $1600. I have to check some other dealers

I like my 3rd gen Maxima.. I can't put 100% faith in that car bcos it is 9 years old

Now the tough decision for me..

1. Is to shell $1600+ to the dealer to get it fixed.. I don't know how good other local mechanic shops are... Will the engine last for while after this repair(now it is 68K miles)?

2. Sell the car as it is ...But it would be tough to sell .. noise is loud.. I might not even get 3000 for the car

I am sure some you of would have gone thru such situation...
I checked it is not VTC or exhaust stud...the engine slightly vibrates
Please help me with your opinions... I know it is a long post...!!!

 

If you strongly suspect that the car was abused by the previous owner, chances are more things are going to fail further down the road. Sell it, and try again with a better car. My $0.02.

 

With a repair bill as extensive as that I would surely think that car had more than 50k when you bought it.
You've been taking your car to the dealer to do simple repairs that they charge alot for. If you don't know how to do it yourself, just take it to a regular mechanic shop. Dealers are expensive on repairs man.
If the engine vibrates you should check into the motor mounts or transmission mount. As for the lifter, try using a different oil and see how much that helps. If the lifter still makes all that noise and the car truely does have 68k (carfax verified), of course it's worth it to repair it. $1,600 is too much though.

 

Just play it smart man, go to multiple dealers and mechanics and try to find exactly what is wrong (try to get the diagnosis done for free) once you know exactly what your dealing with go from there. If there doesnt seem to be anything else wrong mechanically or electronically i say hold on to it, 68k is not alot, unless it was tampered with. Run a car fax also, make sure there is nothing bad in its history. Goodluck man

 

Run some moarvels mystery oil through it, change the oil (not the filter, yet) drive for ten minutes, drain then fill again. I had some lifter ticking for the longest time, then I sarted this routine three oil changes ago. Guess what, no more lifter tap and oil stays clear for 2000 miles. But it sounds like it may be too late for yours. Give it a shot anyway. $20 vs 1600!! Good luck. and by the way, for that kind of money, yank the engine and put a VGT in it. You could do it for under $3000. VGT engines are durable as hell. Can get a used one for like 750. Get your ECU tunes by JWT for 500, and youve got over 200 hp. Or dump it ang get another.

 

maximalover--

How were you able to determine that your problem is *not* with the VTC?

In your other thread on this topic, you said you disconnected the solenoid connector and the noise was still there -- that is insufficient to exclude it as a VTC issue. I'm not saying your diagnosis is wrong but I would like to understand how you arrived at the conclusion your engine has a lifter problem.

Inquiring minds want to know :-)
--SAM

 

this has VTC written all over it. $1600 is also about the price the dealer would charge for a VTC replacement.