I've recently noticed a "winding" sound comming from the front(possibly under the hood) of my 03 Max. It lasts for about 2 seconds. Its not loud enuff to be heard while i'm driving so i've only noticed it when I turn the car off. It comes as soon as I turn the car off. The best way I can think to describe the sound is like the sound a robot makes when it moves its limbs...that bionic, winding sorta sound.

Anyone know what it is? Any kind of ideas/input would be great. Thanks

 

motormount?

 

doubt its the motor mount cuold be a valve, but im not sure, maybe you have a bad belt how many miles you ahve on the car?

 

My parents have a 2000 that does exactly what you are describing -- frequently only heard inside the garage within a few seconds after you turn off the ignition, but almost never when my father is around. Seems to happen more often when the engine is hot.

I would describe the sound as more of a servo-like sound, and I think it went about four times; "whirr whirr whirr whirr".

If they figure out what it is I'll post a reply.

-Peter

 

It's the throttle body closing. Everyone's does that....If you have an intake, it's more noticable.

 

could be just the camshaft turning over, maybe?

 

I have 38K miles on it. It doesn't sound like a "bad" noise. It sounds like a natural operation of the car so I was just curious as to what it was.
Thanks for the input!

 

It also happens when starting the car...when I turn the ignition to the last position before the engine starts...and yes, "whirr whirr whirr" is exactly what is sounds like. Anyone know what it is.

 

I know exactly what it is. It's the ABS module cycling it's valves.

 

I know exactly what it is. It's the ABS module cycling it's valves.



i think this is same thing as this

 

Mine was doing the same thing, mechanic said it was the electronic motor mounts, there is a TSB released by nissan on the subject. But now I suspect my mechanic was not correct, since my ABS has been on lately. Does anyone have any further info on this?

 

I've also been able to hear it when driving at lower speeds w/my window down.

 

I have a 03 max too and i had this problem for a long time (almost 6 months +). I asked the stealer to look at it and they said they cound not find it. One fine morning as i was pulling my car out of the garage, the engine stopped and i felt a burning smell (sort of the ones that come when a chip on a circiut board burns). I towed the car to the dealer and they found that the ECU was burnt. Once they replaced the ECU, i also told them to have a look at the noise i hear from the vehicle and guess what... the sound is gone. I had a feeling that whatever that sound was (i felt like car was trying to adjust something frequently), put a lot of load on the ECU and it finally gave up. Good thing is that i got the ECU replaced under warranty (about 30K miles on the car). So my suggestion is, please try to get prompt attention to this. Good luck.

 

Whats an ECU?

 

Engine Control Unit

 

The computer. Engine Control Unit.

 

Had the same thing last year. It is the electronic engine mount. My dealer replaced it for about $300. No sounds since.

 

Whew, $300 is not bad. It sounded a lot more expensive.

If its making the noise, does it need to be fixed/replaced/or even messed with at all?

 

My car makes noises too when you turn it off. It is a motor vehicle and is expected to make noises. You may be hearing the fuel pump. Don't worry about it. What is with all these hypercondriact (sp?) threads lately. "My car makes a noise", "My Wheel does not spin as well as the other", you car is fine man leave it alone and get another hobby. I guess it is wonderfull that some people have such little responsibility and worries that they stress over a tiny noise their car makes.

 

I understand that a car makes noises. After driving the vehicle for 2 - 3 years, i have a pretty good understanding of what noises a car would normally make, and if i hear a sound that is out of the ordinary, i would definitely try to find out if that is a problem (Which i obviously did not take care of quickly and i ended up with a $1500 repair which ofcourse was covered under warranty). Atleast the thread starter is getting some good feedback for his problem which may help him to get out of this with little expense.

 

noises constantly change with time. As the car ages not everything is new anymore and as quiet and efficient. If it is not very loud or causing any drivability issue leave it be. When something dies like a fuel pump you will know it and there is no mechanic in the world that can diagnose every aging mechanical noise unless the part is almost fried.

 

if a water pump started making noise, would you replace it as soon as practical, or would you wait until if left you stranded, overheating on the freeway?

you ever hear of preventative maintenance?



anyway, find out WHERE in the engine bay its coming from. could be motor mounts, throttle body, purge valve... some cars clean the spark plugs by firing them for a few seconds after the car is shut off.

 

Preventative maintenance does NOT cover listening for any and all noises. You have no idea what you are talking about and should try education for a change. Nissan has their Pre-Maint/Maint schedule listed on their site. Got tell me where is says listen for odd noises.

 

first off, i didnt say that the two were the same, i was just curious if you change your oil or just keep topping it off. by your above logic, you tend to wait for a major failure than to catch something at its early stages. BTW, you didnt answer my first question.

and if you really wanna be picky, 'listening for noises' is covered under 'road test'


and you DONT wanna go there with 'education'

i mean you can, if you want... we can compare.

 

Last night the sound would not stop...it continued even after turning the car off and was still going this morning when I woke up. I took it to the dealer and he said its the motor mount. Hes asking $540 to replace it. Is this covered under any kind of warranty? I have less than 50k miles.

 

You can try the "drive-train" warranty route. Might be covered under that.

 

yup, more presicely its the IACV closing.

 

Well the warranty try didn't work so I paid $520 and picked the car up from the dealers this evening. It still makes the noise as I described in the original post though(from last year)...which in my opinion doesn't sound normal and is probably why the motor mount went bad in the first place. The dealer insists its a normal noise. The fact that it only started happening over a year after I bought the car and the motor mount has since gone bad makes me believe somethign aint right with it. Very frustrating. It sure as hell better not go bad again.

 

try to change motor mount if thats wht u think it is, but i doubt it.

 

Ok, to close this story...the noise was comming from the motor mount. The dealers replaced the motor mount and gave me back the car but the noise was still happening(idiot dealers). I took it back. They wanted to replace the second motor mount!!!!!! I said no, it is NOT the motor mount. From reading the posts on here, I suggested it was the ECU. Four days and several calls later, I got the car back w/a new ECU. The ECU was the problem all along as it was sending faulty signals to the motor mount and they probably didn't want to replace it because it was covered under the warranty. This is the Herb Gordon Dealership in Silver Spring, MD. Never going back to them again. I've found Tischer Nissan in Laurel to be a lot more customer friendly and I bought the car from them in the first place. I just wish I had taken the car in as soon as I heard the sound instead of waiting till the motormount burned out. Coulda saved myself $550.

 

oh cool, this is alittle off topic...but first time i've seen anyone mention Silver Spring, MD.... =) I was born there....

 

To the people who posted on this thread, have you noticed if this sound got worse during the winter? Cause during the initial warm up process when the RPMs fluctuate and ultimately stall the car, I noticed this noise comming up again during the cold start phase.

 

haha it's on a chain with the crankshaft and obviously pistons so once the engine is off nothing's turning
lol that was a wild gess huh?

 

I was always told it was the tranny. I have a 2000 and it does the same thing, and as someone mentioned in the garage its more noticeable which is very true. The trannys are 50/50 electronic/and whatever else....nothing to worry about. And dealer has confirmed its normal.