hey i have a 95 max se with about 146k mi. and my engine is really noisy. my friend's 96 max's engine is real quiet like (with hood open) i mean not completely quiet, but you know, nice engine quiet (i dunno, humor me).

my engine sounds like a click clack clack clack click clack clack noise... what things should i be looking for?

i got my wrench, my hammer, hot glue gun, and im ready to start bashing stuff up!

 

yeah find the ecu, the spark plugs and the air box, and beat the he11 out of them with the hammer, that usually works. If its a clicking, find out around what area its coming from and let us know, or go to a mechainc, they usualy won't charge you just to listen and take a quick look. Goodluck

 

Your car probably sound like my bro's 300ZX before he got everything fixed.

Oh boy, it requires opening of the engine, so I say go to mechanics and have some things readjusted and replaced.

It's gonna run somewhere $500. But of course, I could be wrong, and it could be as simple as a loose nut or bolt

 

Mate,

It could be the valves.
Some cars need the valves adjusted to the correct clearances.
My Jaguar had the same noise.
I fixed it by replacing the shims on the valves.
I'm not sure if the Maxima has shims.
Just a thought.

Cheers!

 

that sounds like valve chatter, but with that many miles on the car, it could also be excessive carbonization of the pistons.

 

If it is your valves, then you've got some excessive engine ware going on. Our VQ motors do use a bucket and shim setup. This setup usually requires little or no maintenance over the life of the car. It's possible that your cam shaft or shims have worn a bit causing excessive valve lash. It can be adjusted, it's not an easy job. Special tools are required to remove the shims and I'm sure your local mechanic isn't going to have the Nissan specific tool for this job. Take your car to Nissan and see if indeed your valves are the cause of your noise. If so, I'd let them do the adjustment.

Tom