Hi,

I've got a '95 SE 5 spd with 65000 miles. Use Mobil 1 10W-30 synthetic. Just did my 60K maint. and put in Champion plat plus plugs, fuel filt, pcv valve, oil/filt. Also, changed coolant and flushed all brake fluid. Now (probably unrelated to the maint.) for first mile after cold start in morning (outside temp around 40F here) I hear what sounds like valve chatter. Anyone experience this? Suggestions to fix?

Also, I did not yet change out the manual trans oil. You guys recommend this? Use synthetic 90w oil?

Finally, on very slow turns, I hear a lot of creaking. The shock boots are all falling apart. Concern? The shocks function well, but I'm tempted to upgrade shocks/springs.

I've done a number of mods. Redid fog light wiring. Installed variable intermittent wiper stalk. Installed windshield washer bottle with low fluid light. Put in MB Quarts all around. Put in GLE speaker grilles and full fake wood dash/door switch covers. Installed cd player and put in GLE type drawer. Put in alarm system (Excalibur aftermarket) and trunk opener solenoid (put in relay and small trunk opener switch in dash). Along with this swapped out to GLE type opener for fuel door.

Tom

 

get some new boots, mounts, struts, and get some sport springs. That will get rid of the creak, and get that chassis stiffend up a bit!

 

Chances are what you're hearing is not valve chatter. Its the timing chain. 95's have a problem with the chain tensioner not building up enough oil pressure to keep the chain taught. Easiest solution to this problem without paying $1000 to Nissan to swap the chain and tensioner is to change your oil from synthetic to dino.My mechanic (ex nissan, knew what the problem was right away when I told him about it) told me the synthetic is slightly thinner, therefore harder to build the pressure with. Either that, or he said to use a heavier grade oil. I have done so for the last 50k miles, and as long as I change the oil regularly, I have no problems with the noise.....

 

This is true. Strangely enough, when I used to used 5W-30, the chatter is there sometimes on cold mornings. With 10W-30, I have not heard a peep.

 

the replacement tensioner is at a different angle, angled down...it would be easy to replace if you didn't have to replace the guide too. Parts will set you back around $200-225 and its a long weekend. My dealer quoted me $1100, and I garantee he would have come in above that had they done it.

what happens that causes the rattle is air would get trapped in the tensioner because it was horizontal...and that air couldn't bleed out. Air as you know is compressible, and could not resist the timing chain bouncing as much as a tensioner full of oil could. after the engine warms up and the oil thins out a little it would push the air out of the tensioner. synthetic had no affect on mine.....a good filter like a wix or nissan may keep the oil from draining back into the pan (so the tensioner is not full of air in the first place). It helped only a little on mine though. After I replaced it everything was fine.

mine creeked too...i think it was the strut mount (swivle plates some call them)...i think they are like $40 a piece.

good luck,
John

 

what are the consequences of not fixing this "noise"

 

Does your OIL light blink also at start up. If it does then its your oil pump working. We all have. even some 2k2s. Dont worry.

 

Hi...No, my oil light doesn't blink on start up - I wasn't clear about what you were trying to say. My oil pump is fine, as far as I know. By the way, I use Nissan oil filters exclusively. I just learned about Wix and it does look like a great filter. On the replacement tensioner, I could do this job myself. I'll have to check the manual, but I presume it's done with the engine in the car. Do you know of any other upgrades by Nissan on the '95 Max? And I do use 10w-30 Mobil 1 oil.

Thanks!

Tom

 

hey tom,
the noise in mine got worse and worse over time. It can't be good for that timing chain to be slapping around in there...i had concerns about the chain breaking, i know others on the list have just lived with it.

my oil light would take a couple seconds to go off, just a little more than I would consider normal, it was much quicker after the tensioner was replaced.

I had a haynes manual, and it walks you through it fairly well.
I opted to take the hood off the car as well. the engine stays in the car, but you really take a bunch off of it....the upper and lower oil pan, upper intake manifold, y-pipe (good luck with that), lower engine cross memeber, unbolt the alternator, a/c compressor, steering pump, valve covers, then finally take the front cover off the engine. You will need an engine hoist to support the engine as you take off three of the four mounts, a good floor jack and a pair of jack stands (its nice to get the car up in the air so you can do the work underneath easily....and there is plenty of that...i had the rear end on ramps so it was still level....and put the jack stands under the front suspension arm pivot mount...you'll see what I mean. I would replace belts, the thermostat, maybe the idler pulley for the alternator, ac compressor belt. you'll need the front and rear oil pan gaskets, the timing chain kit (thepartsbin.com has this, all the stuff is in there), gaskets for the y-pipe, some good "form-a-gasket" (i like permatex ultra black). the kit has all three chains, all the tensioners and guides. replacing the two intermediate tensioners is a whole bunch extra work, and I chose not to do it.....but replaced all the other parts.

It will sounds HORRIBLE when you start it for the first time, and will take a good couple minutes of idling to quiet down to a normal level.

the dealer estimate had 11 hours on it....they weren't kidding....but for $1100, less than $250 was parts, it was a good project to save some money on.

Good luck.