So this has been an issue that has been coming and going and since I been driving it on a daily basis I want to figure out whats going on. The noise only comes at random and when I'm driving about 50-55 and it gets louder when the car is driving faster. The noise doesn't change with acceleration and if I throw it into neutral it doesn't go away. It never happens at lower speeds and isn't associated with running the air con / heater. It has happened both during the summer that I drove the car and right now during the winter weather. I also thought it would come up during idle but it doesn't. The location comes from the center part of the car because if I put my head on the passenger side it comes from my left and from my right when I'm on the driver side. I've pinpointed that it comes from approximately where the digital clock sits and towards the engine bay.

I've replaced all the engine mounts already and I originally thought that was the problem.

Yeah it is SUPER LOUD so if anyone can chime in that'd be great. Otherwise I don't feel any power loss and the car still drives normally in those circumstances. It also happens maybe 2 out of 7 days that I drive it maybe less.

 

you never did describe the sound. humming, groaning, whining, rattiling, popping, etc. etc.

 

Its a knocking / rattling noise but its in a consistent manner. It drones on for like 10-40 seconds. I guess next time I'll record it since its hard to replicate.

 

first thing to come to my mind would be CV axle, or wheel bearing, reverberating through said axle.

 

I know I need to replace the CV joint...I'm guessing thats just part of the CV axle?

 

new axles come with the CV joints. a lot easier to swap a $75 axle than rebuild one yourself, and hope you did it right. plus both joints are new.

 

I haven't done it yet, I was going to order a driver and passenger side joint online.

 

I had a VE auto that would make a super loud hammering sound when hitting around 70 mph pushing the redline in 3rd. Does it sound like a demon is trying to pound it's way through the hood?

 

feels more like trying to get into the car but its not very consistent. It happens only at high speeds when it does happen though. And generally when it happens, I'm at the 2.2k range on the RPM. I generally don't accelerate past 3k.

 

does the car shake when this happens?

 

No shaking. It's just the knocking noise coming from the engine compartment. Resonates through the cabin. It gets pretty loud for like 10-50 seconds. It also doesn't go away if I decelerate...like if I'm going 60 going down to like 50-45. It goes away and doesn't come back if I just stop the car on the side of the road. It's also more likely to recur if it happens during that driving session...so it'll go away and come back intermittently but won't happen again for a while.

 

If it only happens when you're doing that certain speed and only then... sounds like its something related to

-Your tires/wheels
-Bad wheel bearing...VERY BAD WHEEL BEARING
-Axles but you said you replaced them
-Transmission

We need to narrow this down. Jack your car up and check the front wheels for play (i'm going to assume you know how) if there's any play, report back to us to let us know in which direction whether up/down or left/right

Are all 4 tires matching?
Do you know if you have any bent rims?
When was your last wheel balance and rotation?
Are you sure its the engine compartment and not just vibration from steering/suspension transferring to the hood/cabin?

 

It may be transfering from the engine compartment through the steering wheel but the sound is coming from my right side and not directly in front of me.

The wheels should be okay because if they were out of balance they would make the sound every time I'm driving on the freeway. The tires all have only 2000 miles on them. I bought them back in 08' when I got the car from tirerack.

I haven't replaced the axles yet. I was planning on doing it because the CV joints were making the sounds while turning. I'm not so sure about the wheel bearing yet. And my transmission does have a bad input shaft. It makes the whining noise when its in neutral and what not. That was next on my list of things to do. I need to find a shop to take care of it since that's not a job that I want to take on myself.

 

I think the three things you listed in the last paragraph would culminate to cause the problem you are experiencing. When my bearings went bad, which wasn't noticeable until I got up to 50-70 mph, the loud noise resonated through the car, and I imagine it is different for each car depending on tires, axle, and other components which would transfer the vibration. Go grab a 36mm socket, take your hubs to a machine shop with new seals (inner and outer) and bearings so they can press them in, and go buy some re manufactured axles all at the same time. Shouldn't cost more than $200 if your local machinist isn't greedy and you feel like doing the axle swap yourself....

 

I'm afraid its going to be a lot more work than just grabbing a 36mm and taking the knuckle/spindle to a machine shop

I wish it were that simple

 

I thought my car was falling apart until I read about the symptoms of a bad wheel bearing. $50 later I had the smoothest ride of my life. Never know till you try! He indeed may have a bit more on his plate, but if certain things are obviously bad or going bad, small steps will get you to the finish line.

 

50 bucks? thats how much the pressing alone costs here... I just replaced a wheel bearing through warranty and although I didnt have to pay for parts, the total price for 2 seals and a bearing would've been $106.94 PLUS 50 bucks to press it..

 

Sooo the other day the noise happened again and I hadn't had time to replace the bearings or the CV joints yet. I isolated it to the ceiling and I opened the sunroof cover to see that my air deflector was vibrating really hard against the glass. And the noise resonated through the cabin until I slowed down to a stop outside the freeway. I don't want to jinx myself yet but it seems as though that might have been the noise all along. I will go ahead and replace the CV joints since I know those are bad. I'm not sure if I should touch the wheel bearings yet. Is it advisable to go ahead and replace them ahead of time or just wait? I'm at 141k on the clock right now.

 

I would replace them now when you will have the knuckles off. If you are doing the work yourself, it is advisable b/c it will save you time. If you are having the work done, it may be more economical b/c shop time is expensie, but that is perhaps only a consideration if the shop will cut the price due to one job vs. two.

You will have to cough up close to, if not more than, ~$100 for parts and labor to get the bearings, seals, and a shop to press them out/in. Either, way, I am all about preventative maintenance, if you can't tell. Happy you found the noise problem though, they can cause a bit of worry with these older maxies.

 

And the other thing about the sunroof deflector...it pretty much shaved off some paint on the roof too...so good thing I'm about to repaint. I don't think I'll reinstall it.

I'll definately do the wheel bearings with the CV joints then. Hopefully they last for atleast another 100k. Is it bearings and seals?

 

It's best to replace both, in my mind, simply to prevent seal malfunction in the future, which would naturally result in premature bearing malfunction, and there is an inner and outer seal for both.

 

I was about to say the same about the sunroof deflector. I bought another Max the other day, had to drive it 3 hours home and it started to make the same sound as the one I described earlier in this thread, and this time it was apparent that it was coming from the deflector. Now that I look at the pics of the other car that I sold, I see it had a deflector as well.

The deflector is the most worthless piece of trash part that was ever available for these cars. Yes it ruins the paint where the rubber makes contact, traps dirt and moss underneath, and makes this extremely loud and startling noise. Not only should you not install it, you should break it in half and throw it in the trash.

 

new thread for the new max? ibanotherve

 

VE or VG?

wait, I would be pretty sure it's a VG.

Must have been a good CL find. I haven't checked there lately for Maximas. I have been looking for camera gear and painting my wheels in my spare time.

 

It's actually a black VE-5 speed. Took a Greyhound to Tacoma to pick it up, that was lots of fun ha. I've been busy working on it so I didn't make a thread, figured i'd wait until it was worthy, which it is now short of a wash and interior cleaning. Just need to wait for it to stop raining

 

that don't stop the swimsuit models...
do it!

 

I should be selling my 4th gen wheels and tires soon. Let me know if you or anyone local might be interested.

As soon as the rain lets up, I will finish painting my 05 Maxima 17s. I already got them into primer.

 

Damn Im pretty sure I was looking at that maxima on CL also(in Tacoma) that must be why I never got emailed back!

 

I will, but I need pictures of my VG too because it fits into the story. I was actually going to make a thread about the VG itself when I saw this VE and got sidetracked. Both cars need washed and photographed, cold rainy Portland weather isn't the best time to do either one. Would you wash your cars in the Oklahoma City THUNDER?

Well the VE came with virtually brand new tires, and the VG has very good Michelin's, so i'm not really in the market for wheels or tires, i'd send people your way but pretty much the only Nissan enthusiasts I interact with are right here

Sorry man, I know the feeling. Small world..