You would be in better shape if you had taken the screws out and used blue locktite on them. I had to do that to my 92 SE.

 

Yeah, that is still going through my mind...wish I had taken them out and used locktite on them. Maybe I'll go through this exercise again tomorrow.

 

 

Well, with the wife being out of town, I decided to go ahead and attempt this tonight. To my surprise, I got the whole thing off and out in about 30 min.

I cleaned the whole assembly (it had oil on it) as well as a little bit of the bottom of the manifold (it had a few puddles of oil there too). Is that normal?

I tried to remove the screws on the PV but ended up slightly stripping the head on both. They would not budge. I tried about 3 different size screw drivers but none would work. I put it back together and hope for the best.

Seems like these came from the factory with some Japanese form of Loctite on them, only a few cars didn't get enough or none at all.

 

Well, I would have thought that Nissan solved that problem by now. If it happened to 3rd gens and they knew about it, it should have not happened to a 5th gen. There was a bulletin on it in 92. The PV had 3 screws in the shaft. It specified using Loctite Threadlocker 290 (green), Three Bond 1303B or equivalent on them.

 

Yep. same thing happened to my car. F*&^%$ Nissan. Cheap mother-f'ers.

I had to go above the service manager, and get the regional manager to fly in and look at my car. He approved the new motor. The service manager still didnt want to replace my motor after I showed him the missing bolt in my manifold. what was his name? oh yah KEN PALMER from Courtesy Nissan.

I love their parts division, Brian's the man. But for service, I drive 20 miles to the Trophy Nissan and have Tim do my work from now on.

 

charlie/Smokin,

Did you guys notice pooled oil inside the intake manifold?

 

Yes, there was some oil inside the intake plenum on my 92. It probably comes in through the PCV hose.

 

I got mine unplugged by squeezing the tab on the firewall side of the plug. It came right off. Maybe you were not holding your mouth right.

 

Just when they thought they were going to get away!

 

The only question i have is what are the chances of this happeing again. After they gave me my car back as I waited for the new engine, I strategically marked parts of my engine to see what they actually replaced. The only thing that wasn't replaced was the accesorries and the intake manifold. I marked my old PV and they gave me a new one. Do you think this new one is "fixed" so that the screw won't come out.

 

The only thing you can do is try and remove the screws. If they come off, Loctite/reinstall. If they don't...just keep checking. I partially stripped the tops off of the screws in my PV last night, so they must be locked in with something.

 

If the Power Valve works on the VQ35's like it does on the VQ30DE-K's, then it's the vacuum diaphragm device which opens/closes the VIAS (variable intake manifold valves). This is a power feature to allow decent low-end torque <3600RPM, and better torque above 3600 (or is it 3800 on VQ35's? either way, it's 5200 RPM on the VQ30DE-K...)

 

Do you think this new one is "fixed" so that the screw won't come out.[QUOTE]

I have my reservation. My mom has "piston slap" in her 2k2 Subaru Legacy and they replaced the short block at 17k miles. Same problem after the new engine. They want to replace the engine again because they didn't put the new "redesigned" pistons in it.

I know that you guys don't want to hear it but it looks like court time. She gave them 19 chances to fix the problem and they didn't. They told her that it's "normal" and to deal with it. She's 62 and does not need or deserve these kind of problems.

 

How long would it take if we were to take this infamous PCV valve off to check for the missing screw? I get a rattling noise but only on acceleration...sounds more like a drum rolling kinda noise and very loud whenever I put stress the engine. when cruising it's very quiet

 

Also, with respect to the Throttle body...where can I find the PCV valve? Sorry...not too familiar with the engine layout.

 

Unless you have a miniature camera, I don't see how you would be able to check the screws on the PV without removing it.

What octane gas do you use? If you're using 87 and getting the "drum roll" that is pre-detonation...use 93 octane.

 

If you read the above post between myself and 2002 Maxima SE then you should be able to find the PV. I believe our discussion starts on page one. with pics.

 

[QUOTE=CJ7]Do you think this new one is "fixed" so that the screw won't come out.
By the way, piston slap happens in almost every single horizontally opposed boxer type engine, and most times there is not real danger or damage. It just sounds crappy...

There have been cases of piston slap that are dangerous/damaging, but they are usually in 90 degree V8's (well, for the most part)...

 

He wasn't asking where the power valve was. He was asking about the PCV...

 

Bulldawg:


you and your dad just become my hero. Good job!!! I cant believe a "certified" Nissan dealer will do something like this. I will definitly file a complaint against them to Nissan USA. The way they handle their business is fcuked up because of their lack of professional attitude and respect. what if this happened to a signle mother with no mechanical background and the maxima is her only car and she has 3 kids to take care of........how she's going to come up with nearly 10k to get her car fixed?

 

Yea, I still can't believe that they tried to get away with it. I just wish that I could of been there with my camera when my dad pulled out the picture. I would have loved to get a snapshot of their faces. Then I could take it and put it on a T-shirt with "NISSANS FINEST" written at the top, and wear it everytime I go in for service.

It just goes to show how dishonest some poeple can be when given the opportunity. So hopefully they learned a lesson. And hopefully everyone here has learned a lesson. DON'T TRUST YOUR AVERAGE NISSAN MECHANIC. always have a back up.

 

Ahh, well i think it is also located in one of the pictures that 2002 Maxima SE posted, but what does that have to do with this thread.

 

It's on the passenger side of the engine.
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...82_48_full.jpg

 

Bulldawg

When it gets warmer around here, I'll check mine too.
Put those cameras to good use people.

 

Thanks guys..will check if my screw is intact by this weekend. I've been putting in either 91 octane or 93 if i can find it. Even the tech guy said it's a little throatier than normal but it could be because of the cold air too