well...the valve knock started about two weeks ago, so i parked her. I've got 178K on the car, and know that there are a lot of miles left on her.

upon investigating the valve knock i found a front & rear main leak...and that makes me even more frustrated.

i don't have anymore patience with my car, and don't want to do all the work myself anymore. I've already replaced/repaired soooooo many things on the car.

if i took the car to a local mechanic that was familiar with the VQ30DE's how much do you think i'd be looking at to get it fixed?...i've already removed the valve cover and after taking measurements i believe it's the driver side intake valve on cylinder 4 that needs a new shim...but i'm not the expert :/

i don't have the cash to swap a VQ35, nor the extra cash to even swap a VQ30...i just want the knock fixed then i'll decide what to do with her after that.

can she be driven safely with the valve knock...or am i gonna kill her?

 

No way to really answer your question without tearing into the top half of the engine. It seriously might be cheaper in the long run given the miles on your car to source a lower mileage used motor, assuming you need major head/valve/cam work.

Have you taken it by a mechanic or two for an estimate?

 

since i can't create a new post hopefully this will work. I was changing my belt with my neighbor when he twisted the belt tensioner until it snapped and broke the tensioner. My question is,

will a 04 tension fit on on 03? I found one for sale but it is from a 04 maxima.. i know the model changed.. any help is greatly appreicated

 

vq30s go for an easy $300 or less these days.

swapping in the same thing would be pretty easy to do in a weekend.

 

thats why there is a "NOOB THREAD for asking questions" up in the stickies.

and yes it'll fit...nice thread jacking.

 

Are you sure that this is related to valve clearance/s? What was the valve clearance or clearances that you checked? Excessive valve clearance can generate louder than normal "clicking" or "tapping", but I don't think anybody would describe it as "knocking". How quickly did this "knock" develop? Was the engine ever run low on oil (considering that you mentioned oil leakage)? The parts involved (the cam surface, the shim, the bucket and the valve stem) all have very hard surfaces which means that with normal lubrication they do not wear, or the rate of wear is very, very slow, so a sudden change in valve clearance noise is not normal and can only be caused by rapid wear of one or more of the parts above. If it's only wear of the shim, or simply changing a shim or shims to adjust valve clearances........that's relatively easy on the VQ 30. Is the idle kinda lopey or is it missing? As far as the front and rear crankshaft seals go, the front seal only requires removal of the crank pulley for access, but the rear obviously requires removal of the tranny. How bad is the oil leak or leaks and are you absolutely sure that you've found the actual source/s?

 

a sould clip would work
not sure what you mean by valve knock tho
new tappets might be needed to eliminate the clicking noise

 

well...i've already started to pull the tranny to put in a few new seals, and a new O-ring. I've got a cherry picker ready to go so i can pull the engine if i need to. I"ve purchased a new top end gasket set. I'm motivated to do all the work now, i was just pissed in the beginning, lol. I've pulled the tranny once before to check the differential bearings and races, still looks brand new...but i think i damaged the O-ring on the output shaft when reinstalling it. So i'm replacing that...and painting the trannny. i wanted to do a small seal and gasket overhaul on the engine and paint it Nissan Orange/black/and silver while i've got it out! I've got new front and rear main seals ready to go in, but still need the oil pan gasket. I also am planning on installing the Energy suspension Motor Mounts, or fab-ing up my own engine damper.

I also want to install the Cattman y-pipe, and remove the resonator. However i don't know how it will sound to have the resonator replaced with a cherry bomb.

i'll have recheck all the gaps and post them here for both the heads, i've only got one exposed right now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d02XOlQfQ48

 

that doesnt sound good.
theres one guy that the variable intake butterfly valve screw fell into the engine had simular sound tho.

 

i remember that guy...but both of the screws are there and look brand new!

Mine sounds similar to the video clip, but a not as loud...thank God!

I found that the original driverside and rear motor mounts are completely shot! So, Energy suspension would come in handy right about now!

Also, the O-ring that NISSAN sold me for the output shaft doesn't look the same or fit the gap snug at all :/ i'm probably better off just getting a generic from Kragen, HAHA!

 

-- the knocking developed quite rapidly...at the end of a 15 mile trip to go see a movie.

-- the engine was not running low on oil AT ALL...if anything it had a 1/2 quart too much...i did drain out a little extra.

-- the idle seems to skip, but you can only really notice it if you put your face next to the tailpipe and listen for the "blip".

-- i'm sure the oild leaks are the front and rear mains...the last time i had the tranny off i noticed the rear main leaking very very little, but didn't care to fix it.

-- I installed an oil catch can on the rear(odds) valve cover to manifold line....when i heard the knocking i popped the hood and noticed that the hose was completely collapsed...and the upper IM PCV feeds right to cylinder 4 just not my night to go see a movie

-- the knocking/ticking is consistent with the rotation of the cams, and goes faster upon RPM increase...however, when the RPM's are increased the noise seems to smooth out and disappear

 

Does anyone know why the idle would skip? Ive already used the BG Fuel Injector kit (Fuel Injector cleaner, Throttle Cleaner, 44K fuel treatment) and still get that "skip" in the throttle.

 

don't be a thread thief bro ...but to answer your ? scan your ECU maybe.