Oil Consumption / rattle with Dealer response
11-08-2005, 09:30 AM
#41
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 2
I just took my parent's 2003 maxima with 24K miles into the dealership after the car started burning oil and letting out lots of white smoke when cold. Without taking any of the engine covers out, simply by looking at the dipstick and oil caps, they blamed my parents for not doing oil changes every 3500 miles. This is before they even knew how often they do it. They simply said that the oil was dirty, it had turned to sludge and therefore, it must have been lack of maintenance. They claimed that the engine is ruined and we need a brand new one at a cost of $9K. It's ruined because the sludge has plugged the lubrication ports inside the block, which caused the valve's seals to dry up and let the oil into the combustion chambers. They refused to go any further. I should mention that there is also a small amount of engine knocking. I also noticed a considerable loss of accelaration power.
To proceed with any work, they want my parents to show all receipts of all the maintenance + oil changes since they got the car. A tough task indeed since most of us don't really keep these things around in an organized file. It is going to take us a while to find them all and meanwhile, we have 20 days left in the car's original warranty. I believe this is really the reason for asking for the receipts. I think they want to stall until after the warranty expires.
My questions are: Has anyone experienced a similar engine failure so early in the car's life? Are there any recalls or issues regarding the engine's lubrication? Is there any truths to their claim that if you don't do the oil changes at exactly 3500miles the engine will get damaged?
Thanks.
Roger
To proceed with any work, they want my parents to show all receipts of all the maintenance + oil changes since they got the car. A tough task indeed since most of us don't really keep these things around in an organized file. It is going to take us a while to find them all and meanwhile, we have 20 days left in the car's original warranty. I believe this is really the reason for asking for the receipts. I think they want to stall until after the warranty expires.
My questions are: Has anyone experienced a similar engine failure so early in the car's life? Are there any recalls or issues regarding the engine's lubrication? Is there any truths to their claim that if you don't do the oil changes at exactly 3500miles the engine will get damaged?
Thanks.
Roger
11-08-2005, 09:58 AM
#42
Im a bit confused as to who is correct or not. My situation. Have owned the car for about 22k miles (a bit over a year), rattling started a few months ago around the 2000-3000 rpm range. No sign of oil loss. I change my engine oil every 3000 miles with Castrol GTX 5w30 and use Mobile 1 M1-105 oil filters. As mentioned the rattling occurs around the 2-3k rpm range under load. I do not notice/ can not hear rattling when the engine is revved any lower than 2k rpm. Is this rattling still the precats or the timing chain tensioner? I still have mileage under my power train warrenty as well as my extended warrenty up to 100k. What should I do and which problem is it? Thanks in advance to all.
11-08-2005, 11:31 AM
#43
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 202
Originally Posted by roger_northeast
I just took my parent's 2003 maxima with 24K miles into the dealership after the car started burning oil and letting out lots of white smoke when cold. Without taking any of the engine covers out, simply by looking at the dipstick and oil caps, they blamed my parents for not doing oil changes every 3500 miles. This is before they even knew how often they do it. They simply said that the oil was dirty, it had turned to sludge and therefore, it must have been lack of maintenance. They claimed that the engine is ruined and we need a brand new one at a cost of $9K. It's ruined because the sludge has plugged the lubrication ports inside the block, which caused the valve's seals to dry up and let the oil into the combustion chambers. They refused to go any further. I should mention that there is also a small amount of engine knocking. I also noticed a considerable loss of accelaration power.
To proceed with any work, they want my parents to show all receipts of all the maintenance + oil changes since they got the car. A tough task indeed since most of us don't really keep these things around in an organized file. It is going to take us a while to find them all and meanwhile, we have 20 days left in the car's original warranty. I believe this is really the reason for asking for the receipts. I think they want to stall until after the warranty expires.
My questions are: Has anyone experienced a similar engine failure so early in the car's life? Are there any recalls or issues regarding the engine's lubrication? Is there any truths to their claim that if you don't do the oil changes at exactly 3500miles the engine will get damaged?
Thanks.
Roger
To proceed with any work, they want my parents to show all receipts of all the maintenance + oil changes since they got the car. A tough task indeed since most of us don't really keep these things around in an organized file. It is going to take us a while to find them all and meanwhile, we have 20 days left in the car's original warranty. I believe this is really the reason for asking for the receipts. I think they want to stall until after the warranty expires.
My questions are: Has anyone experienced a similar engine failure so early in the car's life? Are there any recalls or issues regarding the engine's lubrication? Is there any truths to their claim that if you don't do the oil changes at exactly 3500miles the engine will get damaged?
Thanks.
Roger
11-08-2005, 12:03 PM
#44
if you open a case before the warraty runs out, it will still be valid post the expiration period. if you open a case now, and start looking for receipts and working on it, it's good. make sure you call nissan north america and document everything. open a claim with your dealer, and proceed looking for receipts. make sure your give nissan na some sort of proof that you brought this issue to your dealer's attention before the warranty expired. this way you can go to court, and win, if they try to say you are out of warranty.
11-08-2005, 12:19 PM
#45
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 2
Unfortunately, we're not the take-to-court type of people so I want to try to resolve this in a different manner. For example, just reading this forum, I've found that some engines are burning/using up a bit of oil, with a reader saying 3qts in 4000 miles. It does sound like there may be a deeper issue. I just want to hear if other people have had a similar experience so I can go back to the dealership/Nissan and bring it up as a counter argument to their maintenance argument.
It is good to know that if I open the case now, they will still cover us even after the warranty has expired. I can tell you that was not the experience we had with our only Ford car. The AC pipes kept bursting (>6 times) and while under warranty they had no problems charging Ford but the day it expired, they claim I was out of warranty, even though they hadn't gotten down to the root cause of the problem.
Any more suggestions or anectodes are welcome.
Thanks.
Roger
It is good to know that if I open the case now, they will still cover us even after the warranty has expired. I can tell you that was not the experience we had with our only Ford car. The AC pipes kept bursting (>6 times) and while under warranty they had no problems charging Ford but the day it expired, they claim I was out of warranty, even though they hadn't gotten down to the root cause of the problem.
Any more suggestions or anectodes are welcome.
Thanks.
Roger
11-08-2005, 06:49 PM
#46
Originally Posted by Mizike
Im a bit confused as to who is correct or not. My situation. Have owned the car for about 22k miles (a bit over a year), rattling started a few months ago around the 2000-3000 rpm range. No sign of oil loss. I change my engine oil every 3000 miles with Castrol GTX 5w30 and use Mobile 1 M1-105 oil filters. As mentioned the rattling occurs around the 2-3k rpm range under load. I do not notice/ can not hear rattling when the engine is revved any lower than 2k rpm. Is this rattling still the precats or the timing chain tensioner? I still have mileage under my power train warrenty as well as my extended warrenty up to 100k. What should I do and which problem is it? Thanks in advance to all.
I'm in the same boat.
11-09-2005, 06:59 PM
#48
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Lakeland, FL
Posts: 1,587
roger, the place where you had the oil changed should have the record on file.
i too would get nissan NA on the phone. in order to have excessive sludge buildup after only 24K miles would take some talent and/or stupidity. like only topping off the oil and not changing it... at all.
who did the oil changes, and at what intervals?
i too would get nissan NA on the phone. in order to have excessive sludge buildup after only 24K miles would take some talent and/or stupidity. like only topping off the oil and not changing it... at all.
who did the oil changes, and at what intervals?
11-09-2005, 07:34 PM
#49
Not to add more crap to this thread but I too have some oil burning issues. Right now, I'm in the process of determining if it's the Mobil1 or just burning oil. I switched to Mobil 1 from Castrol Syntec and I've been using about 1qt/1500 miles. Dealer changed the PCV valve and did an oil change using my oil and filter. I go back in 500 miles for them to look @ the dipstick. I'm covered by an extended warranty and I have all my receipts. I really don't want a new motor @ 50k but it shouldn't burn this much oil.
11-09-2005, 08:53 PM
#50
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: the OC & Silicon Valley
Posts: 2,586
Originally Posted by kobalt
My rattle is GONE! 3rd day with no rattle - I just chaged the oil to Castrol GTX 5W-30 and used the Mobil M105 filter instead of generic. Give it a try it worked for me.
11-09-2005, 09:23 PM
#51
I dont lose too much oil but about a 1/2 a quart or so between oil changes. i also use mobil synthetic 5w30 with a nissan filter. The only difference is i still change my oil every 3K. I know synthetic doesnt break down as easily but i still dont like the same oil in there for 7.5K, have you tried changing you oil every 3K. Another thing do you notice blue smoke coming out the muffler that can tell you that you are burning it. Try switching over to a thicker weight like 10w30 regular only for month see what happens. about the rattling issue my Max is sitting at Nissan getting the two pre-cats on the manifolds put on because they have broken free inside and are rattling. They only rattle at about 1800-2500 rpm its pretty annoying and at first made me think i was starving of oil. By the way i have 64K on my Max and have gone through two trannies but no motor. I will ask my dealer if they have had any of our motors come in for these problems and at about what mileage.
11-10-2005, 09:44 AM
#53
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: the OC & Silicon Valley
Posts: 2,586
^^ you need to provide us with a little more in-depth explanation than, "one type of oil got rid of the rattle." it may have coincidently worked out that way but it certainly isn't a very good solution seeing as this is a very common problem with these cars that isn't remedied so easily like your scenario..
k2max, how the freak have you gone through 2 trannies already?? so you're on your third????
k2max, how the freak have you gone through 2 trannies already?? so you're on your third????
11-10-2005, 01:28 PM
#54
Why have i gone through two trannies? two words MOUNTAIN RUN!!!
Alot of second to third back to second and first. this third one has lasted me a little longer than the second cause i am now using a tranny oil cooler and i powerflush my tranny at work every oil change
Alot of second to third back to second and first. this third one has lasted me a little longer than the second cause i am now using a tranny oil cooler and i powerflush my tranny at work every oil change
11-10-2005, 05:35 PM
#56
9E000 filter is NOT the right filter for a 3.5L Maxima, that filter was used on 95-00 Maximas, 98-01 Altimas, 00-02 Sentra 2.0Ls, VG33E motors in the trucks and Quest. 01-06 Maxima calls for a 65F00 filter. Good luck with your adventures on getting the engines repleaced, they don't like warranty. It brings up their warranty index up and they get on the **** list from Nissan for too many claims. If a dealer is unwilling to look at your problem go to another dealership.
I have a timing chain tensioner rattle at start up for 1 second, but with my bad fuel pump this isnt an issue anymore. My fuel pump doesn't hold pressure good and takes a bout 1-2 secs of cranking the engine over to fire it up, after that the engine runs good and I have no problems. So by cranking it over for 2 seconds I build up oil pressure to the tensioner and I don't get any rattle. I am going to adress the timing chain tensioner in bout a year when I change out my water pump and install some aftermarket camshafts- around 200K miles. I have 133K miles on my ride now with no oil consumption what so ever, been using the 65F00 Nissan filter since new, with Mobil 1 synthetic since 1K mile oil change, and I do my oil changes right at 3K miles. I guess I got me one of the good ones
I have a timing chain tensioner rattle at start up for 1 second, but with my bad fuel pump this isnt an issue anymore. My fuel pump doesn't hold pressure good and takes a bout 1-2 secs of cranking the engine over to fire it up, after that the engine runs good and I have no problems. So by cranking it over for 2 seconds I build up oil pressure to the tensioner and I don't get any rattle. I am going to adress the timing chain tensioner in bout a year when I change out my water pump and install some aftermarket camshafts- around 200K miles. I have 133K miles on my ride now with no oil consumption what so ever, been using the 65F00 Nissan filter since new, with Mobil 1 synthetic since 1K mile oil change, and I do my oil changes right at 3K miles. I guess I got me one of the good ones
11-10-2005, 05:52 PM
#58
Originally Posted by GBAUER
Actually you got a really bad 3.5! You're .5 liters short on displacement! 
I still think I got one of the good ones
11-11-2005, 06:23 AM
#59
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 14
I have a rattle around 2200 rpms, and only when my A/C is on. It almost sounds like an engine ping or a noisy lifter. In addition, it occurs only when I'm giving it a little gas, but goes away if I give more gas. Is this the rattle thought to be caused by the timing chain tensioner? When I asked a Nissan Service Rep about it, he told me he owned a 350Z and was experiencing the same thing. He also told me it was normal, and I shouldn’t be alarmed. As for oil loss, I experience a little, 1/8 of a quart per 3000 mi. Should I be concerned at 40,000 mi?
11-11-2005, 06:48 AM
#61
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 14
It’s been like this since I’ve owned the car, and hasn’t gotten worse. I thought my car was running super lean, so last summer I increased my fuel mixture at the low throttle position with an S-AFC II. It went away, but returned when I reset it for the winter. I’ve since returned it to the adjusted position and haven’t experienced it since. Winter in AZ is nice, and I haven’t had to use my AC. But next week it’s going to be near 90 degrees in Phoenix; I’ll be using it then and we’ll see what happens.
11-22-2005, 08:09 AM
#62
Originally Posted by MiniRX7
Okay guys, let me clarify.
With the rattle between 1500-2000rpms, this is the rear precat failure. The parts inside has broken up and rattled inside. If left unchecked bits of these things can be sucked back into the engine (2k4 maximas were recalled because of this).
I had this problem at 30K and had the rear precat replaced. Now it came back at about 65K. So i bought Cattman GEN2 headers to get rid of these $hitty *** precats.
With the oil consumption:
there is no solution to this. I blieve you may have possible compression problems. It took nearly 9 months to get this problem resovled for me, and it appears to be internal engine damage. I had my engine replaced under warranty at 77K after being processed by NISSAN NORTH AMERICA for months on end. I had my oil change done every 4,000kms on AMSOIL synthetics before i noticed significant engine oil loss.s
Nissan really does suck.. This problem isnt just VQ35DE's in maximas, its in G35's., 350Z's and Pathfinders. Not to mention the issues with the QR25DE's as well (altimas are coming in alot for engine replacements)>
I swear to god, this is the last nissan product i ever buy again after 3 maximas (99 SE, 2k2 SE, 2k3 SE).
With the rattle between 1500-2000rpms, this is the rear precat failure. The parts inside has broken up and rattled inside. If left unchecked bits of these things can be sucked back into the engine (2k4 maximas were recalled because of this).
I had this problem at 30K and had the rear precat replaced. Now it came back at about 65K. So i bought Cattman GEN2 headers to get rid of these $hitty *** precats.
With the oil consumption:
there is no solution to this. I blieve you may have possible compression problems. It took nearly 9 months to get this problem resovled for me, and it appears to be internal engine damage. I had my engine replaced under warranty at 77K after being processed by NISSAN NORTH AMERICA for months on end. I had my oil change done every 4,000kms on AMSOIL synthetics before i noticed significant engine oil loss.s
Nissan really does suck.. This problem isnt just VQ35DE's in maximas, its in G35's., 350Z's and Pathfinders. Not to mention the issues with the QR25DE's as well (altimas are coming in alot for engine replacements)>
I swear to god, this is the last nissan product i ever buy again after 3 maximas (99 SE, 2k2 SE, 2k3 SE).
11-22-2005, 09:49 AM
#63
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 274
Want the fix? Here it is:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=418752
I haven't tried this yet myself, but as per many who have tried it it seems to be the solution to the problem.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=418752
I haven't tried this yet myself, but as per many who have tried it it seems to be the solution to the problem.
11-22-2005, 12:20 PM
#66
Originally Posted by Sizzo718
Want the fix? Here it is:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=418752
I haven't tried this yet myself, but as per many who have tried it it seems to be the solution to the problem.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=418752
I haven't tried this yet myself, but as per many who have tried it it seems to be the solution to the problem.
So what do you have to do with the oil that gets "caught"?
I am thinking about doing this..
11-22-2005, 12:58 PM
#67
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 274
Originally Posted by Nismo3112
So what do you have to do with the oil that gets "caught"?
I am thinking about doing this..
I am thinking about doing this..
And also, I've been experiencing the same issue in regards to the loss of oil. Just changed my oil over the weekend and noticed a loss of one quart. It kind of makes sense if you think about how the oil is leaking into the intake manifold, which thus causes the pinging sound to occur. I would honestly try fix provided from the link. It's worth a try.
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