Gary95

Well, I'll be darned. This VQ engine is so well known for excellent reliability, has won tons of awards... Now at 130k, I'm getting a strange "whirr" sound from it when I rev towards 2k and above. Strange. It's been getting louder over the last month, so it's time to do something about it.

So I bring the car into a reputable Nissan dealer to confirm suspicions (idler pulley, belts, etc.) and fix. Well, turns out the belts are in great shape (esp. for 40k on them), and the idler pulley is super quiet. Definitely not the water pump (it's on the other side of the engine, where the noise isn't coming from).

They can't figure it out. They're going to contact Nissan tech support for assistance. The lead tech there has 15 years on these engines and even he's stumped. Weird, eh? I just hope this doesn't turn out to be a freak bearing failure and I'm stuck with $500 in diagnostic labor costs...

Has anybody here beat me to the punch, or am I the first?

davey6693

You mean Nissan techs not being quick to fix a problem. Sorry, thousands before you buddy

blizz20oma

iTrader: (1)

Sure it's an engine whirr, and not say, a tranny whine? By AE shift in your profile I assume you're rolling a M/T.

AMDMAX

my brother had a similar occurence with his 91 SE. it was a MT, and when the clutch was engaged, it was quiet, but when it was disengaged (it was up), there was a very faint whirring noise. his car had 147 K on it, so we decided to rebuild the tranny, not knowing exactly what was causing the problem...but after rebuild, all was good, no noise at all, and it ran like a clock

Gary95

I do have an MT, but this sound happens no matter if the car is moving with the clutch engaged or sitting idle. It is strictly isolated to the engine RPM's. It's a whining like sound (like a turbo, or turbine) that can be heard approaching 2k RPM and continues to increase from there. It began about 4 months ago and has gradually increased in intensity to the point where its really obvious now. Must be something that is wearing out. Just don't know what is worn. Could be a chain tensioner. Maybe a camshaft bearing. Who knows... probably something that will require partial engine disassembly and cost a fortune.

Nissan is continuing its examination tomorrow. I have no doubt other people have had problems that stumped Nissan service stations... I'm hoping if I'm not the first org member to have this particular engine problem, that someone could post what they turned up as the cause.

cscm094

Couldn't be something simple like a bad alternator?

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Danial B Martin (where are you buddy?!). Get yourself a length of hose(garden hose, rubber tubing etc) and hold one end to your ear and the other to any suspect areas. Worked for me when I diagnosed an aternator bearing whine. But I thought it was from the power steering pump. I bet this method will work better than those idiot mechanics.

Gary95

Thanks for the suggestion, Jeff. They did do a sound test. In fact, they disconnected the belts to see if the alternator was causing it and no luck. According to the manager, the earlier 4th gens had a slightly different internal configuration. Something to do with timing chain tensioners... they don't get many high mileage cars in for service (I'm at 132k), so that may be why they're a bit clueless on this one. I just hope Nissan HQ techs have a write-up on this and that it isn't a labor intensive fix. I'll soon see...

maximaseefu

iTrader: (4)

interesting problem.....my 5 sp 95se is doing something similiar. i have noticed the whirring has increased over the last several months and is just about to the point where i may have to do something about it. keep us posted on cause and solution so that i may not have to take car to $$$tealership

Gary95

So, here's the outcome from my *3rd* service visit:

Option 1: Nissan HQ tech says - take the engine apart and examine this list of items from a related TSB, etc.

Option 2: Dealer service is betting that Nissan is wrong, and that the culprit is really the water pump, despite the fact that the noise is not eminating from the area of the water pump (they suspect the noise is "traveling"). But the water pump is driven by the timing chain, and thus labor will be formidable.

Cost for option 1: $1500+ in labor
Cost for option 2: $400 in labor, parts extra

Well, ain't I just bent over and ready to take it in.

I know the VQ30DE has a fantastic reputation for reliability. I guess I'm just f*cking unlucky. I change the oil regularly and don't abuse the engine at all.

I'm going to seek out a 2nd opinion. Maybe a non-Nissan marque service station that specializes in Maximas, if I can find one not too far away.

henock

goto infinity, i heard they're 342323x better

btw, do you have a system in your car? ground cables maybe? or is it not that type of sound..

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Geez! You can buy a whole used motor and put it in for that! Just for your reference, here is the water pump procedure for the vg30, VE30 and Vq30 engines. I would grasp the pump's pulley and see if it wobbles more than a miniscule amount. If yes, then maybe they are right. If it's tight and no leaks, I would doubt it.
http://www.cybrrpartspro.com/Chilton...61CH03_10.HTML

ds03

If this was a 3rd Gen, I'd say it sounds like it could be some kind of exhaust leak. Had one of those myself (bad manifold studs), and it sounded exactly like a whirring / slight whistle sound that changed with the RPM's. Got louder as it got worse as well. Maybe...

Gary95

Hi Jeff,
Yep, those labor prices are insane. Even at $400 for the water pump, I'll do it myself. I'll check that pulley first before I do anything else. Thanks for the link--I was looking at it when you replied! I figure if I go this far, I might as well do the chain tensioner bit. Do you know if there's a kit specifically for this problem? I see a tensioner part listed, but then there's 3 guides--which one or all are needed?
Thanks for your help.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Gary, you gotta consult one of the 4-gen gurus. Imma 3-gen guy.