Hey everybody. Hope all of you are as friendly as those on the mr2 forums 
My daily driven 99 maxima se AT has been making a loud rattling noise when starting. it's not like a clankity clank rattle but a little throatier. I can tell it's coming from the engine but haven't been able to tell exactly from where because this is somewhat intermittant. When I crank the car, it'll make this rattling noise, the idle will fluctuate for a second then the rattle disappears and everything is normal. My co-workers seems to think it has something to do with the valves. I just looked through the service bulletins just in case but couldn't find anything on this. I get no CEL or anything, no smoke, nada. Just the crazy rattle only when starting. It seems to do this after it's been sitting a while. for example, i last drove it friday afternoon and let it sit all weekend (while I was driving my mr2) and started it this morning to go to work.
Any ideas? I really don't want to go to the dealership as I know they will rake me big time. I prefer to do the work myself if it's at all possible. Thanks all in advance.
My daily driven 99 maxima se AT has been making a loud rattling noise when starting. it's not like a clankity clank rattle but a little throatier. I can tell it's coming from the engine but haven't been able to tell exactly from where because this is somewhat intermittant. When I crank the car, it'll make this rattling noise, the idle will fluctuate for a second then the rattle disappears and everything is normal. My co-workers seems to think it has something to do with the valves. I just looked through the service bulletins just in case but couldn't find anything on this. I get no CEL or anything, no smoke, nada. Just the crazy rattle only when starting. It seems to do this after it's been sitting a while. for example, i last drove it friday afternoon and let it sit all weekend (while I was driving my mr2) and started it this morning to go to work.
Any ideas? I really don't want to go to the dealership as I know they will rake me big time. I prefer to do the work myself if it's at all possible. Thanks all in advance.
Senior Member
um sounds like the starter, which is a common problem. Car starts then u here a noise, car stumbles for a sec and then no more sound. If u let car run for a while and restart no problems. It suposedly due to cheap grease in the sarter that gets hard, happens worse in the winter as grease freazes up more. I dunno if there is a TSb, tho if your car is still under warentee they should fix it.
If you're a do-it-yourselfer here's how to regrease the starter (and lots of other maxima maintenance). http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/516
funny you guys mentioned that it might be the starter. During the winter time, it did make that nasty shreaking noise. So i had planned on regreasing it sometime in the summer. Ofcourse, now it's a different noise, but possibly the same culprit? dried grease?