WEIRDEST VQ30 PROBLEM EVER!!!!!!!
01-08-2010, 08:43 AM
#1
WEIRDEST VQ30 PROBLEM EVER!!!!!!!
Hey, guys im to new the forum. I have a 5th gen and 4gen but it looks like my 4th gen is going to die soon. Ok heres the story about 5 months ago i took my 1997 maxima to a mechanic who was going to fix my gasket cover for $80. I told him go for it, i dropped off the car the same day. Next morning i pick up the car with the key under the mat, since he was on vacation. I drive home (about 2 miles) and i realized my car was really sluggish and did not want to move. So i beat the gas pedal like an idiot to my house. I left the car on and went to the hood and i could literally here the pistons hitting each other. i soon turned the engine off, checked the oil and voila 0 oil!!! nothing was in there and smoke came out of the engine when i took the oil cap off. I soon went to my garage and got 3 quarts of oil and added it. I prayed, then started my engine and the noise was evident in the beginning but soon went away. i went back to the guy and he said ooops, "good thing it runs or else i would have had to replaced it with a new engine for free." he took a look at everything and said it was fine. About a month ago again i could here the pitons hit each other, its like a vary loud valve lifter tap. when i would start the car in the morning it would not make the noise, if i drive in the city it still wont make the noise. However, after i drive on the highway for about 20min and get off the exit to a traffic light it makes the noise its awfull, especially since i cant do nothing about it. This problem is intermittent, but this last week it got worse, it sounds like im driving a diesal, but it doesent make the noise when i first start it. Of course now the mechanic is denying anything saying the cars to old and you should expect that noise with 181000 miles. Thats bs my car was perfect before that. I do have my cel light on P0400 the clogged egr code, can that be the reason of the noise? By thee way i tried everything lucas, seafoam, oil treatment, and nothing!
01-08-2010, 08:47 AM
#2
he owes you an engine. your description is that of rod knock, which happens when you drive without oil even for a couple hundred feet.
take it back and reminf him of your earliest conversation where he mentioned he was lucky it didn't need a motor after his faux pas. he needed to put one in then.
take it back and reminf him of your earliest conversation where he mentioned he was lucky it didn't need a motor after his faux pas. he needed to put one in then.
01-08-2010, 09:09 AM
#4
wow this really sucks, the cars heavily modded, i really cant believe this happend. i try to fix a small leak now i have this. Guys i dont know what to do their was no receipt, no date, i know if i take him to court he can deny the whole thing, theirs no paper work what so ever. A week ago i can tell he was trying to hide behind the fence when i brought it up, he said it was a lfter and i was driving it to hard.... thats bs this sucks. Do you guys know how much longer shes gonna last with this noise?
01-08-2010, 09:15 AM
#5
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: chi town
Posts: 6
If that was a side deal which cost you $80 bucks then that's your word againts his, you might have to bite the bullet on this one pimping, if you have a paper work take his A&& to court. Max engine isn't cheap even a use one.
01-08-2010, 10:13 AM
#7
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Minneapolis,MN
Posts: 737
It may be possible to install some new rod bearings and that might be enought to fix the problem.
My car has recently started knocking under hard acceleration. I fear the rod bearings might be going out.
My car has recently started knocking under hard acceleration. I fear the rod bearings might be going out.
01-08-2010, 10:51 AM
#8
similar incident happened to my brother. long story short, he bought a motor for $1200 that was supposedly "like new" motor croked went and told the person he bought it from and made every excuse on the book, finally said he'll fix it with out labor. my brother dished out another $800 for repairs and a couple of days after he got the ruck back the motor croked again. the guy refused to do anything. $2000 down the drain.
my suggestion is call the better busines bueral make a complaint, and do whatever it takes to show that the guy is a bad guy to do business with. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES to make his business look bad because if he screwed you over he probably did it to other people. might seem a little harsh or a little much but what comes around goes around...
my suggestion is call the better busines bueral make a complaint, and do whatever it takes to show that the guy is a bad guy to do business with. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES to make his business look bad because if he screwed you over he probably did it to other people. might seem a little harsh or a little much but what comes around goes around...
01-08-2010, 11:14 AM
#9
without paperwork u r fukd.
I know I sold the green 4th gen I had to a guy who only bought it for the motor, car cost him $350 and he drove it home.
he probably sold the rest of the car for $100 when he was done with it.
best way to buy a used motor, especially on a car as old as ours, is to buy the whole car.
I know I sold the green 4th gen I had to a guy who only bought it for the motor, car cost him $350 and he drove it home.
he probably sold the rest of the car for $100 when he was done with it.
best way to buy a used motor, especially on a car as old as ours, is to buy the whole car.
01-08-2010, 11:25 AM
#10
Member who somehow became The President of The SE-L Club
iTrader: (19)
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 16,033
Did the OIL PRESSURE idiot light come on to warn you that your oil pressure was low or nonexistant? I'm wondering how you didn't catch that?
Pistons hitting each other? Bottom end noise = knock knock
Lifter nosie? Top end noise = tick tick
For the record, the VQ doesn't have hydraulic lifters, it's a bucket and shim design.
I'm starting to doubt the validity of this thread.
my .02 have beed thrown in
Pistons hitting each other? Bottom end noise = knock knock
Lifter nosie? Top end noise = tick tick
For the record, the VQ doesn't have hydraulic lifters, it's a bucket and shim design.
I'm starting to doubt the validity of this thread.
my .02 have beed thrown in
01-08-2010, 02:07 PM
#12
If you drove for any amount of time without oil in the motor, it's fcking toast - either immediately or in short order as the bearings have been compromised and will start eating themselves away. No two ways about it.
Probably not even worth it to take him to court over given the fact that you think you'll have a hard time proving anything. Buy a motor for a few hundred bucks and have a local .orger help you put it in and you're back on the road.
BTW pistons cannot hit each other lol
Probably not even worth it to take him to court over given the fact that you think you'll have a hard time proving anything. Buy a motor for a few hundred bucks and have a local .orger help you put it in and you're back on the road.
BTW pistons cannot hit each other lol
01-08-2010, 03:26 PM
#13
hey guys im going to go tomorow and speak to him again, and no my oil pressure light did not go on. Why? i dont know, the light has never went on even when i was low on oil. I checked oil every week. If people question this thread go for it, they should search other threads and i guarantee many people lost their engine due to low oil without the oil light. The car is thirteen years old, i doubt my gauges are accurate. Is their any one in the nj area that would be willing to take a look at my engine, and maybe fix it? Any idea how long my engine will last if i keep driving it with this sound? One thing i noticed is my power is the same, it didn't decrease at all. It drives the same, but the noise is terrible. Thanks again!
01-09-2010, 05:49 PM
#17
01-09-2010, 06:06 PM
#18
yea, i learned the hard way "the cheap always comes out expensive" i thought i had a good deal for changing the gaskets, but now i lost an engine.... you guys know how much longer my engines going to last?
01-09-2010, 06:28 PM
#19
Define "last". By my definition your motor is already gone. if you are referring to how long you can go before the motor seizes and won't run anymore, then that is incalculable. Keep oil in it and it can run dam near forever on a knock (my old L24E ran for a year on the same oil with the same knock before I junked because of a bad injector o'ring). sometimes, especially with consistent high rpm running, the motor will sieze up in days. Drive nice or pay the price
01-09-2010, 08:21 PM
#20
Why would he have drained the oil to replace the valve cover gasket?
Did you have him do an oil change as well?
Not sure why this is the "Weirdest VQ problem ever", it just sounds like what happens when you don't put oil in your engine.
Did you have him do an oil change as well?
Not sure why this is the "Weirdest VQ problem ever", it just sounds like what happens when you don't put oil in your engine.
01-09-2010, 09:20 PM
#24
sorry guys, should have been more specific, he was changing the valve gasket cover in the front of the engine. He also changed the gasket for my oil pan, thats why he drained the oil. I think this is weird because the the problem is so intermittent. One day it sounds terrible and it feels like its not going to last another 2 miles. The next day it runs terrific, with no evident power loss. im not sure if i should sell the car and tell the new owner about the engine, or just keep it? im worried how much longer its going to last. would anyone in the nj area be willing to take a look at it? please pm me!
01-09-2010, 09:45 PM
#25
Thats BS bro, you need to definately have the guy fix the car. I mean its his fault its messed up. You take it in to have some oil leaks fixed and he forgets to put oil in it! And now you have a rod knock!
You need to talk to this person and explain to him that your trying to be civilized about it and your willing to work with him. You find a good used engine and he puts it in for free of charge, fluids included. I know some of you are thinkin, "Nah he owes you a brand new engine!" well it doesn't work that way, his engine is used and has alot of miles so most places will prorate engines according to mileage so this is why i say you buy the engine and he does the work.
If he tries to give you chit about it then file a claim with the Better Business Beareu, post on Yelp, post on craigslist, etc. Do whatever possible to mess his business up! Thats how i'd do it!
You need to talk to this person and explain to him that your trying to be civilized about it and your willing to work with him. You find a good used engine and he puts it in for free of charge, fluids included. I know some of you are thinkin, "Nah he owes you a brand new engine!" well it doesn't work that way, his engine is used and has alot of miles so most places will prorate engines according to mileage so this is why i say you buy the engine and he does the work.
If he tries to give you chit about it then file a claim with the Better Business Beareu, post on Yelp, post on craigslist, etc. Do whatever possible to mess his business up! Thats how i'd do it!
Last edited by turbizzy; 01-09-2010 at 09:47 PM.
01-09-2010, 10:29 PM
#26
Thats BS bro, you need to definately have the guy fix the car. I mean its his fault its messed up. You take it in to have some oil leaks fixed and he forgets to put oil in it! And now you have a rod knock!
You need to talk to this person and explain to him that your trying to be civilized about it and your willing to work with him. You find a good used engine and he puts it in for free of charge, fluids included. I know some of you are thinkin, "Nah he owes you a brand new engine!" well it doesn't work that way, his engine is used and has alot of miles so most places will prorate engines according to mileage so this is why i say you buy the engine and he does the work.
If he tries to give you chit about it then file a claim with the Better Business Beareu, post on Yelp, post on craigslist, etc. Do whatever possible to mess his business up! Thats how i'd do it!
You need to talk to this person and explain to him that your trying to be civilized about it and your willing to work with him. You find a good used engine and he puts it in for free of charge, fluids included. I know some of you are thinkin, "Nah he owes you a brand new engine!" well it doesn't work that way, his engine is used and has alot of miles so most places will prorate engines according to mileage so this is why i say you buy the engine and he does the work.
If he tries to give you chit about it then file a claim with the Better Business Beareu, post on Yelp, post on craigslist, etc. Do whatever possible to mess his business up! Thats how i'd do it!
01-10-2010, 01:31 AM
#27
im gonna hafta call bs on this one and agree with njmaxseltd, that engine would've been makin some kinda loud *** noise and light would've come on immediatley. sounds to me like you allready had a problem and are tryin to blame an innocent mechanic. my .02 as well put in....
01-10-2010, 08:22 AM
#28
call this b.s? sounds like your ignorant and didn't read my other posts. The car is thirteen years old and the gauges are inaccuare. And heres another thing the whole engine was taken apart to change the gaskets tthus air went into the engine, so when i started their was sufficient air pressure in the engine from air not oil to prevent the light from going on. You're an older member then me but your reply makes no sense im trying to not pin this on the mechanic because i know hes not going to take any resposibility, thats why i asked if theirs any one in the nj area that can help me fix it. Im telling you the truth, im not trying to lie in the forum i don't have time to play jokes. The shop is on oak tree rd. edison nj. its behind a car wash that does oil changes its a mobile one. Thanks for the members who are trying to help me max ride 41 is probably trying to make friends with njmaxseltd by agreeing with him. How about you search, ive searched and found over 10 threads where people lost their engine without the oil pressure light on. njmaxseltd made a post, and i answered why the light never came on and i told him why, now we're discussing possible options, i don't know why you're trying to bring this up again.
Last edited by bgawad; 01-10-2010 at 08:25 AM.
01-10-2010, 03:41 PM
#29
its just fishy sounding, thats all. someone really screwed something up, and i would've checked the oil level before i even started it up, but thats me. simple checks before you drive car, especially after engine work would've saved you alot of headache. hope you figure it out.
01-10-2010, 09:41 PM
#30
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,380
Thats BS bro, you need to definately have the guy fix the car. I mean its his fault its messed up. You take it in to have some oil leaks fixed and he forgets to put oil in it! And now you have a rod knock!
You need to talk to this person and explain to him that your trying to be civilized about it and your willing to work with him. You find a good used engine and he puts it in for free of charge, fluids included. I know some of you are thinkin, "Nah he owes you a brand new engine!" well it doesn't work that way, his engine is used and has alot of miles so most places will prorate engines according to mileage so this is why i say you buy the engine and he does the work.
If he tries to give you chit about it then file a claim with the Better Business Beareu, post on Yelp, post on craigslist, etc. Do whatever possible to mess his business up! Thats how i'd do it!
You need to talk to this person and explain to him that your trying to be civilized about it and your willing to work with him. You find a good used engine and he puts it in for free of charge, fluids included. I know some of you are thinkin, "Nah he owes you a brand new engine!" well it doesn't work that way, his engine is used and has alot of miles so most places will prorate engines according to mileage so this is why i say you buy the engine and he does the work.
If he tries to give you chit about it then file a claim with the Better Business Beareu, post on Yelp, post on craigslist, etc. Do whatever possible to mess his business up! Thats how i'd do it!
01-10-2010, 09:54 PM
#31
Why was the whole engine taken apart to change the gaskets and how exactly would air getting into the engine prevent the oil light from coming on lol. When you lose oil either through a leak or by burning it up then what takes its place.... AIR?
I lost a engine in a mitsubishi to low oil pressure and it was obvious pretty quick that I lost pressure even without the warning light.
Last edited by kingofquartz; 01-10-2010 at 09:58 PM.
01-11-2010, 10:36 AM
#33
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Worcester, MA
Posts: 4,011
idk fellas...ppl usually dont come to the org to make up stories.
I think the OP has a problem and is looking for some guidance.
OP...unless u have the cash to replace the engine then keep driving it. Talk to a lawyer and see what yur options are. Its free to talk to them...and if he think u have a case he will tell u. Honestly im not even sure u wanna go back to the guy to do the work becuz thats a idiot move to not add oil AFTER fixing the oil pan. I mean, he a mechanic...how da fawk u forget that???
I feel for u man...i had an incompetent mechanic screw up on my car before...the back and forth is the worst part cuz they KNOW they did something wrong and try to deny it. Not all mechs are like that cuz my new mech isnt like that at all. But some of those guy are incompetent and crooks. Have to watch out bro...GL
I think the OP has a problem and is looking for some guidance.
OP...unless u have the cash to replace the engine then keep driving it. Talk to a lawyer and see what yur options are. Its free to talk to them...and if he think u have a case he will tell u. Honestly im not even sure u wanna go back to the guy to do the work becuz thats a idiot move to not add oil AFTER fixing the oil pan. I mean, he a mechanic...how da fawk u forget that???
I feel for u man...i had an incompetent mechanic screw up on my car before...the back and forth is the worst part cuz they KNOW they did something wrong and try to deny it. Not all mechs are like that cuz my new mech isnt like that at all. But some of those guy are incompetent and crooks. Have to watch out bro...GL
01-11-2010, 09:42 PM
#34
good news guys, for those of you that believe me, i went back yesterday and another mechanic was their. I told him the date and story of the incident and what happened, to my amazement he told me the the machine that pumped oil was broken that month and was recently replaced. I soon typed up the story of what happened, and had the mechanic sign that the oil machine had a leak. This means my mechanic thought he was adding oil but their was a leak, he didn't check the dip stick when he was done. i may have a case here guys. As for the idiot who says air does not affect engine pressure. How about you walk outside start your car, open your hood, and remove the oil cap. You may be stupid but i hope you will be able to acknowledge that your engine rpms will decrease and your engine will sound like its going to stall. Wana no why? because their is no pressure. Air does affect your engine research b4 you post seems like the some senior members are to lazy/careless to research and are ignorant. thanks for the guys who believe me and are trying to help me
Last edited by bgawad; 01-11-2010 at 09:44 PM.
01-12-2010, 06:38 AM
#35
Member who somehow became The President of The SE-L Club
iTrader: (19)
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 16,033
And heres another thing the whole engine was taken apart to change the gaskets tthus air went into the engine, so when i started their was sufficient air pressure in the engine from air not oil to prevent the light from going on.
For the record:
1) The oil pump pumps oil, not air.
2) The low oil IDIOT light is triggerred by low oil pressure, not oil level as you mentioned as an excuse for your 13 year old car.
This thread is
01-12-2010, 08:36 AM
#36
im sorry genius, so what does the oil pump pump when their is no oil in the engine? And how come when you take the oil cap off an engine (reducing oil pressure significantly) the oil light doesn't come on. If this threads bs stop posting on it. This seems to be the highlight of your life posting garbage. You probably have no job, no life, and no family and spend all day on here since you have nothing better to do with you'r life. I'm going to count how long it takes you to respond because you seem to respond seconds after i post something. Bro you need a life. I'm not to familiar with cars, but you make no sense search how many people lost their engines without the oil light coming on. You'r a joke and i find it funny how the best part of you'r life is trying to prove me wrong and you'r one of the only few on the thread doing so. If you don't believe lets end your posts on this thread, theirs no need for them. Were just going to go back and forth between each other, i'm not trying to fight with you but if you dont believe me don't post theirs no need for it.
01-12-2010, 08:39 AM
#37
if there is no oil, there is no oil pressure. The oil pump is not airtight so it can not pressurize air so there is no pressure in the system.
you can argue all day and it still won't make you right.
I have a cool blue starburst that makes me right
01-12-2010, 08:52 AM
#38
ok.......... i'm telling you what happened i drove about 2 miles with no oil because of my mechanic, whats under my hood i don't know, i thought i could get a little insight on how to prevent the noise, or what to do make it last longer. I don't know why the oil light did not come i swear to all of you it did not go on. I'm just an average joe that goes to work every morning till 5pm. You guys know more then me thats why i'm posting on this forum, i don't know why people are tying to prove me wrong that my oil light did not go on.... i;m sorry but it didn't go on. Now were talking about oil pumps......i don't care about this stuff i just need help with my engine, and what my next step should be. Now it's sitting in the driveway and i drive my 5th gen to work. But i don't know if i should continue driving my 97 or just stick with the other max till i change the engine.
01-12-2010, 10:16 AM
#40
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Minneapolis,MN
Posts: 737
and yes, I believe you when you say the oil light did not come on. The sensor is prolly bad. Now, is it the mechanics fault YOUR sensor is bad? no.
If your sensor was good, you never even would have put the car in gear.
If your sensor was good, you never even would have put the car in gear.