theherdmaster

Hey fellow org members. I'm looking for some advice here.

So I recently purchased a 2000 SE, and I'm trying to get her back into good mechanical order. I've already done new front rotors and brake pads along with a tranny drain and refill with Redline MT-90 75W-90 GL-4 Manual Transaxle lubricant (longest name for tranny fluid ever). The brake pedal was. . juddering, is what I think the word is. Basically my front rotors were warped and I wanted that fixed first. The shifting has felt a lot smoother since I swapped the fluid, it was pretty notchy when I bought the car. From what I hear on the website though this car has a fairly notchy feel to the shifting regardless. But I digress.

Basically now it's on to the engine to get everything straightened out. I have a whine coming from the engine, which at first I thought was my alternator, but now I'm thinking otherwise. I tested the voltage across the battery posts, and I read 14.29 Volts running, along with 12.02 Volts under load (with a ton of electrical stuff on). After doing more research, it's seeming like it could be the alternator, but it could also be the battery. I haven't had any issues starting the car, it starts up well every time with only a couple cranks.

So as I continued to research, the more it looks as if I actually may need a new crank pulley and/or idler pulley. Both of which aren't terribly expensive, and I figure if I'm going to get a new crank pulley I might as well get a lightened one (Cosmo sells one for $61.50). I think I'll steer clear of an underdrive pulley. Anyways, it looks like an idler pulley would run me around $40. Both aren't too expensive. The symptoms I have also seem similar to the ones found in this thread - https://maxima.org/forums/5th-genera...requested.html, because occassionally I get what sounds like power steering whine, but I've checked the high pressure line and there aren't any leaks; plus my power steering reservoir levels are right where they should be.

I'm not very good at making long stories short, and my apologies for that. What I'm getting at here is that I'm on a pretty tight budget at the moment, and in a week or so I'll have the money to replace what is necessary. Fortunately, I have an interstate battery that I just bought here in August for my old car that I'm selling, so tomorrow I'm just going to swap that battery in and see what kind of voltage reading I get (to help determine if the alternator is going out or not). If the alternator does need replacing, I figure that's something that I can wait on for the moment, because the car isn't having any issues starting. Of course the voltage reading I get with a new battery may change that.

I'm just thinking that once I have the money next week, I'll take the drive belts off and give all of the pulleys a spin to see if I can diagnose what's good and bad. With the engine running, the crank pulley is wobbling ever so slightly, and I'm wondering if the two pieces are beginning to come apart, as a lot of others have experienced. The symptoms I'm seeing (basically as in the sounds I'm hearing from the engine) lead me to believe that the bearing in the idler pulley may be going bad as well. The sound coming from my engine sounds as if a belt is rubbing on something, which I think may be from the possible separation of the crank pulley. It kinda sounds like the power steering belt is rubbing on something, but I can't see it rubbing on anything when I've looked under the hood.

So what I'm wondering is this: am I correct in thinking that replacing the crank pulley and/or idler pulley should be #1 on my list of things to do? I obviously want to prevent any damage that I could do to the engine by continuing to drive the car and therefore I think that those two things should be what I tackle first. On an entirely different note, this car is definitely in need of some new struts and possibly some front/rear engine mounts, along with a few other non-essential things (i.e. quieting squeaking sounds on the dash, oh my word) but those are all things I can definitely wait on. I just want to make sure I'm going about this in the right order, and any advice is appreciated.

george__

iTrader: (1)

Get ready for the non-stop repair bills to come due to the age of the car...

TDotMax

iTrader: (1)

This is not true with a 2000 (can only comment on that year). I barely spend on repairs for my car, just regular maintenance that ANY car would need.

When there is an issue, honestly go all out. I had a similar scenario as you. Just remember therm "preventative maintenance" and you'll be ahead. When my alternator went, I checked everything and they checked out good. But I mean for the age and costs, things would go and our cars are easy to work with and you can save huge on labour. When my alternator went, my belts, pulley's, starter all checked out. I not only changed the alternator, I changed all belts and even the starter knowing it was original with over 280,000kms on it. Preventative will save you money in the long run. I just think of it this way, If I broke down close to work, I'd have tow to a mechanic (labour + towing). If I fix all things myself, I save on that plus the labour. Or just look at age, my wheel bearings were fine, but I changed it anyways to save the hassle.

If the crank pulley is $40, then do it. This, is how you save yourself from constant repair bills.

colt149

iTrader: (1)

You can use a 3/8 rubber tubing around 2-3 ft long, use this like a stethoscope to specifically point out the source of whining sound.
Check the drive belt, pulley, alternator, compressor and radiator fan.
Might be the timing chain guide. Always check the level of oil. The ideal way to check it start the engine, drive it for 30mins, turn off the engine. Wait for 10-15 minutes, pull out the dipstick and check the level. I recommend Castrol GTX 5W/30.

Check the engine support (passenger area), let someone to press the gas pedal and you observed for excessive movement of engine. I have the same issue luckily when I replaced that said engine support the whining stop.

theherdmaster

Unless there's something seriously wrong internally with the engine, I don't shy away from car repairs. I can't stand the prices of labor and mark-ups on parts that most shops and/or dealerships charge. Plus I love cars and I enjoy doing work on them, so fixing my own car up is a win-win. I do believe in preventative maintenance (pretty much everything I'm about to do is preventative, nothing has broken yet) but I'm also a broke-*** college student. So I'm going to try and save where I can.

I did a ridiculous amount of research into this year, make, and model before I bought it. My previous car was a '97 Subaru and was a nightmare, so I was determined to never be under-informed about a car I purchase again. Time and time again people have said (along with respectable car reviewers) that Nissans and the VQ30DE engine are fantastic if treated well. They're spirited, reliable, and they don't destroy your wallet if they need repairs. That's why I bought one. Notorious Nissan fixes include ignition coils, window motors, engine mounts (after lots of wear and tear), crank pulleys separating, and other relatively minor things. I can afford to fix these things, but I can't afford to re-build the engine. Which is why I went with this car, the manual tranny and the engine are known to be solid! As I'm sure most of you very well know! I learned the hard way why this is extremely important. So I'll agree with TDotMax on that one. I may just replace the crank pulley and idler pulley at the same time.

Thanks for the advice on listening the different parts that could be causing the issue! I'll definitely have to try that, I'm sure I have some 3/8 rubber tubing lying around. Weird though, I've never heard of an engine mount causing the symptoms that I have. Could you expand on that fix?

dcam0326

Bought an 01' 2 years ago. So far I've done;

• alternator
• brakes+rotors
• exhaust (including catalytic converter, muffler and Y-pipe)
• 3 ignition coils
• MAF
• radiator
• speakers (they were horribly blown)
• Wheel hub + bearing
• 1 caliper

I also have the rusted radiator support problem, but my trusty local shop said there's enough good metal to last me, in which case I might see if a welding shop will fabricate something for cheaper. That said the car I bought was a lemon, so my situation is not typical.

Donkeypunch

I have a 2000 that needed a lot of things because it was neglected.
Only thing now is the axle seals but yea, it needed allot of maintenance.

Should go another 15 years who knows. smooth, and doesn't burn oil, no weird ticks.
201,000 miles.

george__

iTrader: (1)

Neglected or not the car's 15 years old, so OP should be ready for a lot of repairs... Wear and tear plus regular maintenance

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

Drivetrain first.

I'm not reading those novelas.

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

This! Is expected wtf i know we want shiet to last forever,but damn 12-15 yr later everything on that list is expected

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

Can you elaborate on the repairs you speak of ?

Wear and tear yes ,suspension,bearings,calipers,accelerator cable,maf,o2,coils,plugs ,filter ,engine mounts ,all maintenance.

The alt,starter, and iacv(ecm)are the only repairs some need...

Donkeypunch

Putting in gas counts as a repair.

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

lemon gas yes!

george__

iTrader: (1)

You never know when something could randomly decide to go sh8t. May end up having to pay for towing to a mechanic, call in late for work etc.

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

That's just a chance I'm willing to take,(knock on wood) ...but if he's asking the right question and putting his eyes on the fsm perhaps investing on a volt meter,nds2 and usb cable he can have lots of fun preventing his ride from sufferings, instead of slapping a mechanic and the tow guy with his wallet,

…: http://youtu.be/JYi6yoOSVEM

theherdmaster

This. I knew that the car needed some care when I bought it, but I bought it anyway. I do have fun doing my repairs on my car, and as chance would have it I already have a voltmeter! I got the car for $2300. Pretty cheap if you ask me, and the guy wanted $3000. I explained to him that the car would need a little work, and I bargained him down. So I knew that this car would need a few things, it doesn't scare me!

theherdmaster

And my original question (am I going about this in the right order?) still has not really been answered. I'm mostly looking for mechanical advice here.

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

Yes. Take off the belts and listen for your noise....get a ud crank pulley(ftw) (just not the obx)and check out the classified sec i think someone has a couple idler pulleys for sale...


Is your brake and battery lights on? This is a sure tell tell sign of a bad alt...

george__

iTrader: (1)

Ignition coils

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

I don't think he mentioned codes for the coil packs, so If it ain't broke why fix it...

george__

iTrader: (1)

I'm pretty sure that's what's causing my TCS/ABS and SLIP light...

Changed ABS module, ABS sensor, alternator, battery etc but always came back... Then the new ignition coils, tried a bunch of brands and ultimately settled on the rear 3 being brand new OEM and front being aftermarket. Entire last year the lights have stayed off but came back recently -_-"

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

Interesting G.

I've done some research for a friend that just came up with this lights and i think maybe fouled plugs or coils packs....is gonna be it

G get oem coils on the front dude

Sorry for thread jacking.....

george__

iTrader: (1)

^
All 6 OEM would be almost $1,000.00 in Canada

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

But you only need 3 to replace the aftermarket kind

george__

iTrader: (1)

Still lots of money

theherdmaster

I didn't mention it, but there is a coil pack issue as well. The car runs fine though, so I'm waiting to address it until I have the money to buy a coil pack and then go through the work of putting it into a cylinder, seeing if it gets rid of the SES light. Yes, there is an SES light, code p1320. Unfortunately that's the only code so I'm unaware which coil pack has the issue. However, there aren't any other lights on other than the SES light. No battery light, no brake light.

Yesterday I swapped in the new battery that I recently purchased for my other car. Sometime soon I'll test the voltage across the posts and see if the numbers changed at all with a new battery.

Nestorlugo, thanks for the advice. I will look into the classifieds for a crank pulley. But I'm cautious to go with an underdrive pulley. If I can find a reasonably priced lightweight pulley, I'll go with that. I'm not sure if I like messing with all the different torque and power ratios with drive belts. Plus it's a bit of a pain to get the right sized belts with a UD crank pulley.

george__

iTrader: (1)

^
Replace all three rear with brand new OEM

theherdmaster

While I might be able to do that sometime like this summer, there's no way I could afford that right now. The car runs fine, so I'm not going to touch the coils for now unless I start having misfires or something along those lines. Right now I'm trying to fix what I need to fix. I.e. the crank pulley, the belt tensioner, the belts, the alternator, or any combination of those. I'm trying to fix what really needs fixing first.

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

Try removing your coilpacks and try cleaning the spring inside the boot with a wire brush(mine had some build up) ,you can also spray them down with CRC maf cleaner then flip the spring and re install them applying some dielectric grease,just make sure you use it correctly

Get some ngk coppers while you at it...

TDotMax

iTrader: (1)

You got robbed lol

george__

iTrader: (1)

I bought locally ><

~$180 * 6 = $1020 + tax = $1220.40

Mateen995

holy ****... I paid half of that for my hitachi ones

Donkeypunch

I paid over half of that for logic level race coils.

theherdmaster

Now there's some good advice. I wasn't aware that you could troubleshoot the coil packs without immediately doing some replacement. I've seen all kinds of prices for coil packs so far, but nowhere close to $1000 for 6. That's insane.