2002 Nissan Maxima with around 104,000 miles on it. I have noticed a knocking noise here and there but it always went away. Today I really noticed it when I backed it up to clean the car. Didn't hear it at the rest of the weekend. Oil is clean and have maybe 100 miles on it since oil change.

I have always had a octane ping and this is not a ping. I hear it at startup and it does it when I rev. Doesn't sound good to drive with it at all. I have an ODB scanner and it hit these codes:
P0139
P1146
P0138

I know these are oxygen sensor codes but could this cause the noise I am hearing? It is coming from the front of the engine.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

Video/audio?

 

No...its a very light clicking noise that clicks faster with acceleration

 

I believe he means can you provide a short video with some audio, if it is a ticking noise sound more like a timing chain issue

 

Similar to this clicking/tapping?

 

Passworded, NMex.

I thought ticking was "lifter tick." The timing chain guides can tick?

 

Fixed .. ninja

 

VTC solenoids getting loud? They all do it.

 

No, thats not it.

 

Is the sound much louder inside the car than outside? Try putting a long handled screwdriver (or stethoscope, if you have one...they're cheap) on the fuel rail or those brass spherical things on the rail. Do you hear "CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"? Or a similar noise to the "knock"/tap? If so, you may have crappy dampers, which are a known issue with VQ35DE and sound bad at warm idle...I think since the fuel rails are involved with the firewall, the firewall acts somewhat like a speaker cone with the cabin as a resonator.

 

Hmmm... What's a damper, as pertaining to the engine? That certainly describes what my engine does.

 

Dampers eh?

You might have the more common phrase of engine/tranny mounts/ inserts mixed up w/dampers which is fine since it's just semantics....

So to the OP, a video or audio fine would help.

Spark knock, no, rod knock, we hope not, or is it less of a knock and more of a tap/tick?

 

Check engine light on? I would check your spark plugs and ignition coils. What type of gas do you use basic or premium? Pistons or crankshaft bearings? Have you tried using any fuel injector cleaner? Using premium gas will help prevent any engine knock, and reduce carbon build up.. I would start out by checking the water pump, check to see if your timing belt tensioner is loose, and your air conditioning/cooling system. Good luck.