Folks,

I have a 1995 Maxima SE. During the cold months, I develop a "rattle" near the timing chain area during cold startup and it lasts about 2-3 minutes, until the engine is warm. I've diagnosed the problem to be coming from the timing chain area.

What normal maintenance procedures are done on the timing chain? Can the hydraulic tensioner be adjusted to stop this rattle? Does anyone else have this problem and how was it fixed? Does the oil pump have a screen on it that could be clogged over the years? Are there any TSBs for this problem? Thanx.

I use Mobil-1 for the past 6 years.

PM

 

You need to replace the tensioner.

 

Is this based on personal experience?

 

as a previous owner of a 95 I am well versed in this areea...and he's right...95's and early 96's had a poor tensioner design. it would not bleed out the air well, and so would rattle till the engine warmed up enough that the oil would push through all the small clearances in the tensioner and bleed it comepletely of air..

first, make sure you are using GOOD oil filters...STP, Bosch, WIX, Nissan OEM, etc...nothing fram/pennz/qauker...etc. You can play with oil weight or type a little bit but it made no difference for me.

from here you have little choice....either live with it or fix it.....its my opinion that its not good for the timing chain to be rattling around...mine got worse and worse and eventually never went away during driving. To fix it there is a timing chain kit at thepartsbin.com....it comes with all the guides, chains and tensioners for $180...you will need a good tool collection and a good place to work if you intend to do this yourself. there are also some other gaskets and such that can get consumed in the process. the dealer quoted me $1100...i had $230 in parts +/- and a good weekend in doing it myself.

I heard of another member buying a new tensioner and replacing the plunger in the old tensioner with the plunger from the new one....i have no first hand experience here....perhaps the plunger wears down with age and excentuates the problem?? You can not replace the whole tensioner without doing the guide as well.....but this option would be doable yourself in probably less than an hour with simple tools....the main tensioner alone i think is $50..?

 

I talked with my local dealership about this issue, he explained that they can go in and replace the worn parts (not the chain i guess cause he said that lasts forever) for about 400 bucks.

 

I'll get a quote from my dealer and let you know.

PM

 

I think I was the 'guy' referred to in the previous post. Yes, you can replace the 'plunger' alone through the access cover on the timing chain cover (4 bolts). Yes, it's beatch to do (small hands help) and yes it works! I fixed my '95 for good and it cost me just the price of tensioner kit. I had a more detailed write up on another thread a while back, hit the 'search button'

 

I had a rattling timing chain. Flushed the oil and it disapeared.

 

As I understand it, there's the tensioner itself, then the guide. Which one? I see a lower, center, and upper chain guide listed for the VQ30DE...