Greets all,

I took a look at a used 4th gen Maxima today and noticed that when my foot was down on the clutch the car sounded fine but when I engaged it (still in neutral) the engine got a little louder and less attractive. This noise wasn't as noticeable when driving it but it was still there a bit, probably just covered up a bit by road noise.

Also, the car hasn't been driven much in the last 6 months.

Could this be a sign that the clutch needs to be replaced? Could it be an indication of something else? Need lube?

Thanks!

 

looks like a bad throw-out bearing, or maybe a tranny component.

 

Thanks for the reply. It is the '97 model. Could this possibly be the infamous input shaft bearing? http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....t=transmission

 

i second the bad throw-out bearing, my cousin had similar symptoms with his gen4

 

Please correct me if I am wrong but wouldn't the throw-out bearing make noise then the clutch is down (not engaged)?

 

throw out bearing makes a noise when the clutch pedal is depressed,,,,ie...when the clutch disc is disengaged....

 

As skeelo34 noted, a bad throwout bearing will make noise when it's pressed against the pressure plate (clutch pedal down).

You could have input bearing problems...does the engine seem to shake like crazy when you engage the clutch?

 

I have 133K on my 5 speed, just had the tranny bearings replaced- made lots of noise even in neutral and foot off clutch. Tranny made a lot of noise in 1st and 2nd, then road noise took over in higher gears. So to pull, repair and replace bearings, clutch, pressure plate, master & slave cylinder, main rear engine seal (was leaking) was $1800. Not bad for my first big repair.......

 

wow, thats a lot of money. How does the car feel now? Bet it runs like a bat out of helll

 

It doesn't shake like crazy but it does make quite a bit more noise. Sounds like the same thing as wilkink describes above.

I know it won't be cheap to fix but I am yet to offer any money for the car yet. Next step is to get it checked by a mechanic. Are there any other things that I should look out for on a max with 90k (miles)?

 

I can only offer my experience as an original owner of a 95 Maxima with 133K on it. It has been very reliable with minimal problems. The only things that needed unsceduled repair have been: starter (easy fix)- lets face it, it does look pretty ah underpowered., rear calipers- emergency brake parts freeze up, and the transmission bearings. Other than that, the car is all original. All with just normal oil changes etc. I do use about 1qt of oil about every 2 k. It is a good car I feel.