ever since i purchased my 96 with 165000 miles it has made a slight ticking noise. is it the injectors or the valve train? looked through the faq's and saw nothing for 4th gen. any one have any input? it seems to get slightly louder when the engine warms. nothing super loud just ticking.

 

E-Man69,

I assume you checked your oil level to make sure its topped off. Not sure about the Maxima's, but the same sound on my Lexus means the valves need adjusting. Unfortunetly not a easy task at all .

Does the sound start as soon as you turn on the engine till the time you turn off the engine? Also, do you notice the sound (tap) increase during initial take off when the engine is under heavy load.

If these symptoms exist, you probably need to have some kind of adjustment made to your valves. Now, do not take my word for it, this is just personal experience from my other car, but appears the symptoms are the same and probally similar problem with the Maxima.

I am sure someone with more Maxima engine expertise can chime in.

THanks
MaximaBiz

 

Mine will tick for about 2 seconds on a cold start up, other wise their is little noise.

 

On a very cold start its normal to hear a little ticking because the oil doesnt hold in the cylinders very well unless you are using synthetic. As for the ticking it sounds like your valve lash is out a bit, and this would be quite normal for a car with 165k. I dont think theres anything to worry about though, VQ's arent known for bending valves unlike say honda's where it is imperative to have it readjusted every 60k miles.

 

If it is near the firewall, driver side, it is the Idle Air Control Valve (attached to throttle body). That is normal as it opens and closes at idle. IACV only operate at idle so that should be the only time you hear it. If it is coming from your fuel rail, it is probably injectors. That is normal as they shoot the fuel. If from under your valve covers, that'd be valves. All of my Nissans (3 of them) have/had some ticking from there.
If it is something excessive (loud), you may want to get it checked.

Dave

 

Thanks a lot for the input guys. it sounds as if its nothing to worry about as its not extremely loud just slight. its probably just the valve train doing its job. but can the valve train be adjusted. any input is greatly apprecciated.

 

Thanks a lot for the input guys. it sounds as if its nothing to worry about as its not extremely loud just slight. its probably just the valve train doing its job. but can the valve train be adjusted. any input is greatly apprecciated.

 

There's a sticker under the hood I believe that has the specs for the valve lash. However, if it is not excessive and doesn't get worse, I wouldn't be concerned with it. Like in my previous post, the 3 Nissans I've had all seemed to be a little louder than other cars in the valve area (not by much, but it's there).

Dave

 

the oil is topped off and recently changed. it sounds more like a sewing machine than a tap and its just slightly louder after running temp. i dont understand if its normal or not. doesnt sound like just injectors. if you have any more input, glad to hear from u.

 

thanks a lot dave, thats encouraging. sounds like regular valve train noise. like a sewing machine.