Hey gents, recently i became aware of fluid leaking from my engine. About a week or two ago i noticed a minor puddle under my car - im almost positive that it is coolant due to its consistancy, taste, and the fact my coolant res was nearly empty. After adding a bit more, ive been having small puddles appear every other night or so, with the coolant res grtting lower and lower. Its certainly a slow leak.

After doing some homework im led to believe its my water pump seal. I noticed that one of the two access points on the timing chain cover (one closest to the front of the car) appear to be moist and grimey, and the coolant drips from right next to my oil pan - where the two splashguards under the car sort of form a corner to be more specific.





I also noticed that this sensor directly above the seal (cam sensor? Excuse my ignorance) appears to be a tad grimey - not sure if this is normal, due to the seal below it, or a seperate problem.



Now, heres where i am concerned:

I noticed within the last few days that my engine is making an unusual noise. It is more prevailant when my engine is still warming up, and happens only under load. It seems to appear around the 2.5k rpm range, but not in neutral. I tried rolling my car down a hill in neutral and revving but i didnt notice the noise then, however that could possibly be because the car was warmed up fully. Not sure.

The noise sounds almost like how tv static would be, except quieter and not anywhere near as harsh whatsoever. Sorta like a very mute scraping noise but not distict enough for me to confirm thats indeed what it is. It is worth noting this noise is definatly localized to the passenger side of the engine, which is why i believe the water pump seal may or may not be related.

I would like to add i have no codes, my oil level seems fine (cant ever get a great reading with the stupid dipstick but i did an oil change about a month ago and put the correct amount/type in), and i do not see any evidence of coolant in my oil - although i havnt drained any.


Sorry for the long post, just a bit worried over this noise. As for the water pump seal im waiting for my new credit card to arrive and will be buying the parts and having it repairs soon as possible. Thanks guys!

 

Is your car a manual or auto? I had what I would think is a similar noise on my 4th gen and it ended up being one of the bearings in the trans.

 

No doubt you have an external coolant leak. It's good that you verified you do not have an internal coolant leak at the same time (coolant in your oil). When you buy your new water pump I would suggest getting an extra set of o-rings in the event you damage one when installing the water pump. Its cheap insurance for the few bucks that they are. And if you don't need them you could probably unload them in the F/S section.

Your noise could be the water pump going through self-destruction mode or maybe its from the trans/drive train if you didn't have the noise while in neutral. You will probably have to take more notes of when the noise is present and when it's not and report back.

 

The car is a 5 speed. Im really hoping its not my tranny going as im already hurting from this water pump, and labor costs on a rad support and new axles that i have waiting in my closet. Im not well versed with the inner workings of the tranny and engine components, would this hypothetically in your opinion need a full tranny replacement, or is it more so a "disposable" component along the lines of a clutch, throwout bearing, flywheel etc.

However, if it was indeed the tranny, wouldnt it be more localized on the drivers side rather than the passenger side? Its very distinctly coming from the right side of the engine bay. As for the water pump, im not quite sure its the pump itself, from what i read the seal usually fails long before the pump does; however i suppose that could be the culprit although i dont know why it would only make a fuss under engine load.

To be a little more specific, it happens around 2.3-2.7Kish rpms, only while in gear. Its more noticable in 1st-3rd gear, however it could be the case that my engine simply drowns out the noise (full exhaust minus headers and injen intake). I tried revving in neutral numerous times and couldnt make out the noise. I also tried going down a hill in neutral to see if it was coming from the wheels or axles, but it only occured under load once again.

Any and all opinions are welcome, if anyone knows ways to isolate or further narrow down the possibilities im all ears. Im just really worried that my engine is going to explode or something crazy and im WAY too invested into this car for that.

 

I have a similar issue to this at the moment im trying to figure out...

Colder the engine is the louder the noise it. Sounds like it is coming from the passenger side. For me it is around 1200 rpm. But i have been noticing recently as im driving. Like a buzzing or exhaust leak sound. I tried to get a video but yeah... just came out like white noise/static.

Noise stops when shifted into neutral, even if i rev the engine. Comes back when put in gear.

What i have been searching for is tensioner/exhaust leak/trans issue though have not found anything spot on.

 

Yes very much so, except not as harsh or loud. It sounds like we have a similar if not the same issue, the only difference is the rpm range. I too was thinking perhaps it is the timing chain tensioner as its on that side, and is known to fail.

How many miles on your car, and 5spd or auto? It would be cool if we can figure this out together, ill be getting my water pump done along with my tensioner and belts so if the noise goes away ill certainly let you know.

 

+1 for watery pimp




That is all.

 

is everyones phone auto correcting to water pimp? this is the 2nd or 3rd thread ive seen with watery pimp in it

 

No, but considering i nearly spit coffee everywhere from reading that other thread i figured it was a term worth continuing.

The nissan maxima, the only car that comes stock with a watery pimp in the
engine bay.

 

Lets see

95 fed spec auto w/ 148k

I think I'm heading to the yard this weekend to grab a tensioner to test. Though from what I have read I have to either get one off a 95, or do a full replacement as the part for mine was discontinued/redesigned.

I do wonder though since shifting to neutral the sound goes away...

 

I put in a different tensioner this evening. Went alright... But didn't resolve my issue. There was a pretty significant clanking of the tensioner after replacement which subsided with a drive.

So... Oil change, diff filter and new tensioner and still a "static" noise on low rpm/acceleration, but only in gear.

So... More searching for me.

 

Coilpacks. I guess the stactic sound was a miss? Im not sure but swapped a coil out and the noise is quieter. Think I have to find one more.

 

We might be having different problems then. Bad coil would be extremely noticable, the car would be misfiring and stuttering. I was dealing with a misfire earlier this year so im sadly well acquainted with how that sounds lol.

Regardless, car is in the shop getting a new watery pimp and tensioner so we'll see hoe that goes.

 

of all the other threads i saw - noise in the 2-3k range all seemed to indicate the tensioner. Best of luck, i hope it resolves for you

 

Watery pimp made me lol