So after searching on here for a while and reading some post i took my car into the dealership. They looked at it and called me and said that clicking noise comming from the front passenger side of the engine isnt a big deal and its not worth fixing. To me that makes no sense at all, if something doesnt sound right, it probably isnt right. So i asked him what we can do in order to find out whats wrong and fix it and the service manager said theres no way to find out wait until it gets worse if it gets worse. So i asked him about the tsb's and he said it could be the fuel dampaner. I asked about the timing chain tenstioner and he was like let me call you back and then he called saying it could be it but no way to find out. Does anyone think this makes sense? Also is it worth pulling it apart to find out what the problem is?

 

arent they the ones who work at nissan? they should be telling you exactly what it is or have a experienced mech. available to at least "check" out the problem. sounds like he was trying to brush it off. but someone telling you to just wait till it gets worst? i would ask for that one in writing a new car or matter of fact any car NOT modded should not make a noise obviously something is messed up and theres a starting point and your car is acting abnormal from the usual. so something needs to be done let them know it needs to be fixed!

 

Next dealership please

 

call Nissan USA directly and let them know what they told you. I bet they will call you back with a better answer than wait till it gets worse.

 

what is the number for nissan usa directly?

 

Thought is ws something like 1800 nissan 1. Whne I called aout a problem not much help though. We trust our dealership and then the owner never called me, Good luck.

 

It's a Nissan.

They tick.

 

Yeah I usually drive with the radio on but when I travel with my wife we drive without it on a lot and I noticed a clicking sound at low speeds almost coasting 10-20 mph and it seems to be just above my knee in the dash. Now my wife's car has a lot of clicking and ticking sounds from her A/C but mine happens even when the A/C is off so I am not sure what that is.

Has anyone else noticed that sound before at low speeds? I am not sure if it goes away at higher speeds or if all of the road noise and engine noise just covers it up.

 

every nissan makes a noise but this noise sounds exactly like others with the timing chain tensioner problem, i think porsche is going to do it for me since they owe me for some work i did for them in the past and ill get it done cheaper since they havent paid their bill yet

 

your car shouldn't click. period. idk if it's a nissan etc. it's not an easy fix regardless. i'd call nissan and goto a different stealership well actually i wouldn't goto a stealership at all but..

 

I agree with other take it to another dealership... Get a second opinon and cause HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Is the noise louder on startup in the mornings or when you let it sit for a while> If so, that's the tensioner. It's needs to be fixed preferably while you're still under warranty. It cost me $110 in parts but $900 in labor. That was from a mechanic who is a close friends of my father. The dealership will charge at least $1500. It's a difficult fix, that's why they're giving you the run around. I was told initially that it was the oil primer pump and that all Nissans do it and there is no need to get it fixed. The sound became louder and louder and didn't really go away with driving. It was louder to the point that I was embarrassed to start my car when people were around because of the tractor type noise it would make due to the chain. Then the CEL came on for CAM tensioner or something like that. The timing chain tensioner, guide, and sprockets had to be replaced. The timing chain guide was made of plastic and some of the teeth on it had broken off. The chain was loose, causing the rattling sound.

 

...

 

So which do you mean is the tensioner? because mine ticks immediatley after start up for about 3-5 seconds then it goes away completely...is it the tensioner if it lasts even after warming up or is it the tensioner if its immediatley after start up for a short while??

which brings me to another questions...are these engines' valves adjustable or are they the automatic-plunger type?

 

The tensioner is what keeps the chain taught along with the guide which the chain runs through. The mechanic noted that when the tensioner goes bad, the chain becomes loose and makes that noise. In my case, the tensioner was going bad and the plastic guide (Can you believe it? Plastic?!) had a piece broken off of it. The timing chain assembly has more than one tensioner. The main one cost about $80. In both cases you stated, the tensioner is the culprit. There's a TSB bulletin that they follow to repair it. I'll track the printout he gave me and post it here. Take it to another mechanic to point out the problem so that the dealership will be more willing to do the fix.

 

Subscribing...I have the start up click.

 

subscribing also. I've got some wierd f'ing noises coming from my engine bay. not pretty...but doesn't sound like what's in those videos. I've got a warped PowerSteering pulley...how the hell does that happen? Aren't those cast iron?

I know a mechanic down the street from me that works on Porsches, Mercedes, and Infiniti's that's going to help me replace the pulley...I'll ask him what's going on.

Got a dang gas smell in the cabin immediately after startup too. It's like all of a sudden at 100k miles the sh*t hit the fan...

EDIT: HA! 1st post...been registered here for a year too

 

does this happend when you turn on the A/C??? cuz i've had the same problem for a year now specifically where you mention is coming from(the front passenger side - behind glove comparment). when it first started to click i went to the nissan dealer n asked a machanic who previously worked on my car n he said it might be a leaf or something stuck in the air filter that it should go away soon. a year later it still hasnt gone away, i try to ignore it by always havin music on... so i think it has to do with the A/C or air filter!

 

i also get this sound coming from the engine but its more of a rattleing sound that happens when i start the car or when im driving at really low speeds. i think it goes away at high speeds but bcuz the engine is not shaking as much as it is when idle, i also asked a nissan mechanic about this sound and all he could tell me is that this isnt a big deal n that i should not worry about it. i bought my car used so he said it happens when u put alot of miles on a car... idk wat this could be but im ignoring it also, i dont think it matters that much! if im wrong anyone let me know

 

You are wrong. That's what the nissan service manager told me initially, and the noise got worse. They always attribute it to being due to miles. I had a 95 maxima with 180K plus miles and never had that sound. I'm beginning to smell a cover up. A luxury sport sedan like a maxima shouldn't be making noise like that unless one never maintained the car oil change intervals which can increase the chances of this happening. I bought my car used at 88K and when my mechanic said the guy who owned the car didn't change the oil regularly based on the appearance of the oil. The noise is not normal. Nissan ended up redesigning the tensioner and reinforcing the timing chain guide.

 

Is it the same if there is some kinds of whistling coming from the chain area as well? It happens to me when I start the car and its cold or if it's been sitting for a couple days. It goes away after the car is warmed up


thanks.

 

Usually, the noise is rattling in nature. The rattling noise is the chain running loose. I wouldn't think it's related. Did you have a mechanic check it out?

 

What are these videos? Mine has started making a rattling noise, its kind of like a diesel, only does it now and again. I have about 77K on the clock and use 93 octane in the gas tank.

Slowly trying to track down this noise and decide if I want to fix it or dump the car.

 

I started getting the start-up clicking too. It goes away minutes after the car fully worms up. $hit my warranty expires in 4.5K. I guess it's time for visit 56 or is it 156

 

Do you run synthetic, from what I have read, is this timing chain tensioner avoidable or am I driving a ticking time bomb, I picked the perfect car to decide to quit my job and go back to school, and I don't need a major repair to burden me with all my other bills.

Im at a cross roads with this car, it runs perfect but with all the odd problems that plague this car, do I take what little equity I have left and trade it, Im also at 55k and I can still get 15k for it

 

I have 70.5K miles on it. I have used synthetic (Mobil 1 OIL & Filter) since 8K changing it every 5-7K. I have had "everything" but the engine replaced in this car. Well I guess engine (or some of it) is next.

 

With regular oil changes, the chance of it happening is decreased. I would try to get it fixed if you're still under warranty. I would try to force the issue with Nissan and show them the TSB. Doing so will make them know that you aren't an average joe who doesn't know anything about the car and that they can play around with. The fix cost me about $1100 including parts and labor. This was by an auto mechanic, not Nissan.

 

My ticking was eliminated by ceasing to run full synthetic. The mechanic told me that some vehicles that have been run of synthetic blends for most of their lives don't make the transition to full synthetic very well.

I'm not sure why that would be the case, but by running 10-30, the ticking went away

 

I've had the same problem since my 1st interval oil change from the purchase at 100k miles. (Its pretty obvious the stealership used Lucas to cover it up...) Now at 130k the noise is still there at start up and goes away slowly after the engine has been running for 5 minutes. What kind of problems would one run into if this never gets fixed? Is it safe to just ignore it?

 

ive had this problem since 60K miles...now i am at 125K miles. nothing has happened...i do notice the car burns some oil and the ticking is much less severe and lasts much less time when the oil is full. check ur oil often! put the car on level ground..let it sit for 30 mins or so...at least and dont turn on the engine at all..take out the dipstick..wipe it off..put it back in and read it again. if ur reading near the low line or below..you need to add approx 1QT of oil. if ur not sure...add 1/2 qt at a time and run the engine and check it again later. i try to keep mine more near the high mark. too much oil is NOT OK! u wont overfill unless you put WAYYYY too much oil. but u dont want that. these engines have a tendencey to burn oil..esp when driven hard. so keep check on your level! when ur ticking starts lasting longer during startup (if u have bad chain tensioners) its time to add oil! (and a sometimes fix to the ticking is let the engine run for ~30 sec than turn it off and restart it..most times the ticking will go away right away)

 

I know it's throws out a CEL camshaft tensioner code and becomes excessively loud to the point that the noise remains even while driving for 10 to 15 minutes.