Hello Guys,

I've been having this problem for 6 months now and i've been to three Nissan dealers and no one can figure out what my problem is, and two of the dealers just say "they can't duplicate"

When I drive in general, flat road, down hill, up hill etc; and when I gently press the acclerator while keeping the rpm below 2000, I hear this rattling sound coming from the engine bay area. Click click click, click click click/rattle rattle rattle. It only happens at or below 2000 rpms and when the speed is below 40 mph. Sometimes it happens, while other times it won't.

One nissan dealer thought it was the hood rattle, so they did the TSB but that didn't even work. I have a 2003 SE.
Also, I do use the highest octane gas 93 from Chevron, BP, Shell. I don't use the lowest octane. All the dealers insist that I'm using the low octane gas.

Does anyone have idea what might be wrong? My friend that road with me says that it might be the valves or something like that? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

Do you have an intake or strut bar? If you do, these things might be hitting somewhere in the engine bay. If you don't have any of these, I don't know whats going on.

 

cv joint or muffler, wheel bearing.

 

Yes I have an intake and a strut bar; but that isn't the cause of it. I've even removed the intake and strut bar but the noise is still there. =(

 

The noise is coming from the front end of the car. Like in the engine bay area. I thought the cv joint would cause a squeaking noise and wheel bearing would cause a grinding sound and a strong vibration.

 

Does it match RPMS directly... example can you duplicate it in first, second, third, etc?

We went thru this on the 2k and it only did it when it was cold and the colder it was the more noticable it was. Turned out to be a power steering hose vibrating against a heat shield. IT was most noticable between 1200 and 2500 RPMS sometimes higher and other times not at all.

T

 

I can only hear it in gears 1 and 2. I have an auto transmission. The temperature doesn't effect the sound. Does it in the summer when it's 95 outside and does it in the winter when it's 20 outside. When I press the acclerator harder when the sound occurs, it goes away. Could it be the valves that's loose in the engine and the dealers don't want to mess with it because they have to take a lot of things out?

 

Engine mounts?

 

does it sound like it is electric? what does the sound dound like to you? Like metal on metal, or plastic on metal, or a switch arching..?

Is there any rythm when it happens?

Has your front end had any damage to it?

 

I too notice a kind of "rattle" during some hard acceleration occasionally on my 2k...not that often, but every once in a while (this winter). The sound is alot like what you say above, HerBlue2kSE.....where did you guys find that the power steering hose was vibrating against a heat shield? I'd like to check that out, sounds like it could be my culprit.

 

Imagine a marble inside a round tin can. Now move the marble around in circles. It should have that grinding type sound. Combine that sound with a thin sheet of metal hitting the air as if you're waving it in the air. That's what it sounds like.
Anyone know what loose valves sound like? I wonder if it's similiar to that. Car has never been damaged before.

 

Dude it's your ignition coils. Mine did it when it was cold and kinda went away as it warmed up. It was at the same RPM level as yours. It will do it on hard acceleration and going up hills. Sounds metallic right? Like a can of BB's getting shaking. Of course the dealer can't duplicate it. Nissan is aware of this problem and are trying to get out of paying for it. If your car is still under warranty. MAKE THEM FIX IT! Don't settle for can't duplicate it. Show them the TSB and demand all 6 coils replaced. Also mine never through a code and the SES light never came on. Like I said don't take no for an answer.

 

I had the same sound when accelerating, but I had my SES light on and I knew something was wrong, turned out to be Ignition Coils indeed. Replaced them and all is fine.

 

What does the ignition coils do? Mine will not make that noise during hard acceleration. The sound just goes away (or is it cause my franken car intake is too loud? lol). But it also happens when it's freezing outside or hell like temperatures outside.
My car has been at the dealer for three days now. It's also my 34th time at the dealer ever since I purchased the car new. lol, my service report is one and half inches thick.

Where can I find the tsb for it? 255% sure that it effects the 2003? I bought mine during July of 2002 as a 2003 year so I think I have all the problems the 2002 have lol.

 

Replace the coils. Common problem (TSB released) with the 2k and 2k1 but not with 2k2 and 2k3.

 

Honestly I don't know... but after 11 trips to the deal about this d@mn noise that ticked off my wife we were happy it was fixed.

All of that said and knowing it was a heatshield I believe it's on the back side of the engine (isn't the PS pump on back?) around the exhaust manifold.

 

jcw915, first off all nice color car. lol
Yeah, im very sensitive about the noises that come out of my car.... i've been hearing something similar to you are hearing but in a very low toned sound..... ill check on my ignition coils too... thanks

 

I actually had a similar tinny rattle that turned out to be a piece of the metal around the radiator fans coming into contact with some other piece of junk under the hood. Bent it back a little and it went away.

 

Sounds like ignition coils.

Tell them to FIX those instead of the hood next time.

 

MINE DOES THAT TOO BUT WHO CARES???

YOU KNOW HOW TO FIX IT???
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.BLAST THE MUSIC!

 

Also, if your car idles like crazy and vibrates.. u feel the steering wheel shake.. thats another sign for ignition coils. My friends 2k2 had that problem.

 

Ok here's the story. I just got back from the dealer. The car is still there by the way, I refuse to take it.

I told them that it might be the ignition coils and that female dog looked like me as if i've grown a third eye or if I had an arm growing out of my head. She was like "WELL YOU'RE WRONG BECAUSE YOUR SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD BE ON".

I would love to blast my music, but it's kinda hard to do when my cd player skips like crazy when the weather is under 40. Yes, the stupid refurbished unit skips like a dj.

But anyways, they refuse to believe that it's the ignition coil and I know for a fact that they've already written down the words "Cannot duplicate the problem". What else can I say and do to them? Holding them at gun point with an AK-47?

 

I understood that the '02-'03 Max had "newer" coils and that coil failure was only applicable to the '00 and '01 Max. I would think that if your coils were bad, you'd have other symptoms. Is it possible the noise your hearing is pinging?
I know there are a number of org members who have had or are having pinging problems. When I had my intake installed on my Max it pinged. Generally around 2k rpms...sounds like marbles in a tin can. Not sure if this helps.

Good luck.

 

I give up. They keep on insisting that they can't duplicate the problem. :-(
Thanks for trying to help guys.

 

Call NNA. Explain to them calmly your problem and that you have spoken to a whole lot of other maxima drivers who have had the same issue and it was fixed by replacing the coils, even though there was no SES light on.

Oh, and if she tells you that the coils can't be bad if it doesn't throw a code, tell her she is flat out wrong, because she is.

 

If you can consistantly duplicate it then take the service advisor or tech out for a drive. I did that about 5 times with our problem.

 

That's Nissan's slogan " We can't duplicate the problem " Of course you can't duplicate the problem when you only spends 5 mins in the car trying to diagnose the problem. Tell them they're FOS about not throwing a code. Mine never did as well as a lot of others. If your car has less than 36,000 miles on it. Be very persistant with them and refuse to accept the car back. The problem is the mechanics don't get paid for driving around in your car, only when they work on it. Unfortunatly xome problems are harder than others to diagnose. Like I said be persistant and don't take no for an answer. I didn't chew enough a** and then when the car was out of warrranty and the coils were replaced, they offered no reimbursement even though the car was under warranty when i took it in for the problem. This is the tight a** nisssan way of saving money/.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....kalberti+coils

 

The problem seems to be more common on the 2000 model from my reading a ton on the same complaint. There are a number of 02-03's withthe same complaint. Can the coils be bad on these years, I don't find it hard to belive but as far as I can read I haven't heard of any 02-03" having their coils replaced. If so how did you get Nissan to do the work, we need talking points to go into the dealer with to resolve this ongoing problem. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

Probably ignition coils. My 2000 was doing this same sound (BBs in a can, or like a playing card against bicycle spokes, but a little softer and more metallic). My codes never went off, but the dealer could reproduce it. I changed all coils (order from Dave B and do them yourself to save $300), and problem gone.

For me the problem was generally when going up hill, most often in 3rd gear (5 speed), and always around the 2500 RPM range. It was intermittent, but slowly got worse over time.

It's only covered under your 3/36 warranty, NOT powertrain."She was like "WELL YOU'RE WRONG BECAUSE YOUR SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD BE ON". " Absolutely 100% wrong. Often yes the light will go on from a bad coil. That allows for quick identification of a seriously buggared coil, and allows you the luxury of replacing only one. My light never ever went on, and the dealer confirmed it as bad coils. Given the no light they said I had to replace all 6 (in fact only 1 was probably wrong, but impossible to tell which without switching them up = big hassel). I replaced them and problem gone. With total certainty I can tell you that a bad coil can be in your car and the light may still not come on - and my problem was over thousands of miles.

 

You absolutely, positively, have to take a service tech for a ride (with you driving). Otherwise, they will not ever find the problem (or they refuse to actually diagnose the problem corretly). My dealership was the same way. After I took them for a spin, they completely understood and heard/saw what I was talking about (I had the severe hesitation problem with my 2003 GLE). Finally got them to fix it...

 

Here's the update guys:
I kidnapped the service manager and insisted him to take a test drive with me. This is the story:

It was around 6:50 pm and everyone working there had already gone home. He pulled my car to the front and it was cold in there. The problem doesn't happen until the car gets warmed up and until i've driven it for a few miles. When we got in the car, I pulled on the parking brake, and then slammed on the acclerator while the car was in park. Reved it until 7000 rpm and just kept it there. It was creating quite a noise! Anyways, I left it revving like that for about 30 seconds. The manager was like "What are you doing?" I replied "Well since on the service sheet, it says "CND (can not duplicate), I figured I would duplicate the problem right in front of you." Then I went to N and left the E brake on. Floored it to 6500 rpms this time and shoved it to Drive and peeled out of the dealer.
I think I got his attention now and he could tell that I was ****ed.

I tell him in a clamly mannor "I think it might be the ignition coils. The car was fine until 8000 miles ago and it's been doing that ever since but only getting worse. I know for fact it's not the gas that's causing the noise because I always put the highest octane gas." He didn't believe me, so I pulled into a gas station and told him to look at the fuel that i'm putting in. After putting in like 14 gallons, started the car and drove off in a flat level surface.
There goes that sound again. So I looked over to him and I said "CAN NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM? DO YOU NOT HEAR THAT? I'M PRETTY SURE YOU'RE NOT DEATH ARE YOU? I'VE BEEN DUPLICATING THE PROBLEM FOR THE PAST 10 MINUTES AND YOU GUYS HAD MY CAR FOR TWO FULL DAYS AND COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG?"

In the process, I also pointed out 5 other problems that I have with the car lol.

When we got back to the dealer, he told me to come in first thing Monday morning and he'll put me in a rental car.

I shall post what happens. By the way, that service manager got OWNED!

 

Oh and by the way, the service manager says that it's probably the "spark plugs" or something causing that noise, not the ignition coils. Weird how they refuse to admit that...

 

If they replace the plugs and the noise doesn't go away, you should kidnap the service manager again but this time do it at gun point to let him know that you're about to go postal.

 

I like to call it Nissan's active warranty. You have to activley threaten their A** to get anything fixed.

 

That is so true..... is this all at the same dealer? I finally got our problem resolved after the BBB and a buyback threat thru the BBB and AG office. Tood it to a diff dealer and the prob was resolved.

T