smarty666

Hi guys I need your help! Have a 2010 Max SV with just about 8500 miles on it. Since day 1, I have had knocking/pinging/clinging coming from underneath the engine by the heat shield and exhaust area. In all my years having cars from a variety of different auto makers I have never had a car like this Maxima makes such loud/constant knocking/pinging/clinging noises. It does it when the engine is turned off and cooling off and when the engine is on and idling and the A/C or fan does not have to be on to make the noise!

I spoke with a Nissan Master Tech on here who listened to my youtube clips and told me this was normal and that all Nissan do this but that my case, and others have said this too on here, is quite loud and much more intense constant then what they have heard or are dealing with.

I use top grade Shell Premium gas since day 1 and have had Nissan Dino oil put in ath 3750 miles and just recently switched to Valvoline SynPower at the 7500 mile oil change. The knocking/pinging/clinging noises are just as bad and the same now with the full synthetic then they were with the Nissan Dino Oil so it has nothing to do with the oil. I use top quality fuel and lubricants but the noises are just so bad.

I have provided the links below with the quick 30 sec youtube clips of the noise with the engine on and off. I was hoping you guys could possibly recommend some kind of oil and/or fuel addivite I could possibly add to the car to try and at the very least, reduce this knocking/pinging/clinging noises I'm having from the heat shield and exhaust system. I'd love to be able to do that because the noises are so bad, that I've been embarassed on a couple of occasions when freinds and family members heard this and asked if something was wrong with the car. Also, do you guys know if there is anythign Nissan could do to the heat shield (maybe move it, great it, or something else) to reduce the noises? What is funny is, I have a 2005 FX35 that has virtual the same identical VQ 3.5L V6 engine this Maxima has but just with different HP/torque and it never makes these noises, nor does my Acura TL!

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O1brN0Ur50

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

SilverMax_04

You can be certain that this noise is not engine knocking -- so it is not due to low gasoline octane. Also, the oil you are using has no impact on these noises because the noise is outside of the engine.

In my opinion you are hearing metal banging as it is expanding due to seeing increased heat (on the engine-running video) and the same metal contracting as this metal cools-off after being heated (on the engine off video). This is likely the heat shield around the cat converter (or it may actually be the converter itself making these noises).

If I am right, you should no longer hear these noises after you have driven for about an hour and the engine is still running, but at idle speed.

But I am not completely certain about my diagnoisis, so I have asked my auto-engineering friend to listen to your two videos and look at what you have written. I will pass on whatever he says about your situation when I hear back from him. (He is not a member on this site, but I value his opinion very hightly.)

smarty666

It does make sense what your saying because I knew the noises were not coming from the engine itself, because these are definitely coming from below that near the catalytic converter so I think it has something to do with the heat shield as well. I just wish there was something that could be done with the heat shield, either by just moving it slightly, maybe applying a lubricant to it, etc that could at the very least reduce the noises so they are not so loud and constant sounding!

Its just a shame that on Nissan's premium flagship sedan its making noises like this all the time. When I first got the car I thought it just had something to do with the break in period and everything being new that it needed time to burn all off but when at 5k miles and then 7k miles I still had it, I knew it was more than that. Like I said though, my FX35 has the same VQ 3.5L V6 as this Maxima but Infiniti must do something different with their heat shields so their cars don't make these noises. Go figure

Many many years ago, I had cheap ****ty Chevrolet and Buick sedans that would sometimes make these knocking/pinging/clinging noises but ONLY when the car was turned off and cooling off in the garage and even that would not be to the extent my Maxima makes this when its cooling off. But the Maxima is the first car I have ever had that makes the noises while the engine is RUNNING and at IDLE!

I personally could not tell you if it still makes the noise after driving on the roads awhile doing between 50-70mph for awhile because the wind noise would be so great I could not hear anything. I do hear it at low speeds, below 30 mph while driving, while at idle, and while the car is cooling off!

Porky

Major pain - I know how hard it is to locate those annoying maxima sounds - at one point I just gave up and one sound went away on it's own.

Col Ronson

Try using Nissan Ester Oil. Its expensive yeah, but its fixed the pinging problem for 2008 model VQ37s.

SilverMax_04

Motor oil will have no effect on this noise, so that is a waste of time.

I have finally heard from my friend the Auto Engineer (a member of SAE). Here is his reply in full:

"I concur with the heat shield or perhaps even the cat {catalytic converter} itself being the source of this noise. It is hard to tell without being there, but I would recommend using a stethoscope to try and localize the noise."

Hope this helps.

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

It almost sounds like oil dripping back in the pan or something. I hear that noise after I shut the car off and i always thought it was just the oil dripping back in the pan.

I wouldnt expect to hear it while the engine is running though.

SilverMax_04

It is not oil dripping anywhere. It is the thermal sound of metal either expanding from heat or contracting as it cools down. What you hear is your car cooling off after you shut the engine off.

smarty666

I tend to agree with you on that because it definitely has a metallic sound to it. I think the biggest thing I'm surprised about is how loud this noise is while the engine is running! I've NEVER had a car before this, make this knocking/pinging/clinging noise while the engine was running, I have had a few GM products make it when the engine was shut off and everything was cooling off but never when running! Go figure?

Col Ronson

Wow. And yet the Nissan TSB regarding VQ37 knock/ping noise says use Nissan Esther oil. Many in the G37 crowd who have done this have gotten rid of their engine noise, just by changing their oil.

Oil is what lubricates the insides. If there is faulty lubrication, then you will hear noise. Simple as that. Try draining your oil, and starting your engine. Tell me if you hear anything before the rods blow.

smarty666

Well, its an easy thing to do, but just for the hell of it, I can try the Nissan Ester Oil at my next oil change and see if it makes any difference. If not, I can just go back to my current synthetic. If it doesn't work, I have nothing to lose, since cars need oil changes obviously! Personally, I don't think its going to do anything but I have been known to be wrong before!

Col Ronson

I can't guarantee it'll fix the problem. But there is no harm in trying (except maybe like $50 wasted lol). It helped a lot in the G37 crowd, so who knows maybe it'll work for ya.

smarty666

Well, I just had my oil changed with a full synthetic at 7500 miles so it will be a few thousand miles, probably at least 5k until I'll try the Ester. It doesn't hurt to see if it does anything, and it doesn't hurt to try! Thanks again for the suggestion!

SilverMax_04

This thread asked: what was causing the noise? I gave my opinion on that question. I stand by my opinion (which was confirmed by an SAE engineer). But as this engineer said in his more detailed answer, you need to be there when the noise is being made to determine where it originates. He then went on to suggest "using a stethoscope to try and localize the noise." If the noise is actually coming from inside of the VQ engine, then motor oil that quiets this noise is obviously the answer. The noise I heard on the 2 videos sounded to me like the sound of metal expanding or contracting due to heat (or lack of heat).

I too have a 3.5VQ engine in my Maxima. I remember when it was new people commenting on how quiet this engine ran. Now that it has 96 K miles on her, she makes more noise, but nothing like the sounds I heard on these videos.

I suspect that the high cost of this new Nissan motor oil will prove to be wasted, but the only way to prove that suspicion is to put this oil in that engine.

Rods03Max619

iTrader: (5)

Brand Spanking new 2010 with that noise is enbarassing I would go to the dealer and flip on that @$$!!

JwaxMax99

iTrader: (14)

Take the car to the dealer and get the noise problem documented. Then later you will be covered, as pre-existing, if it becomes a bigger issue. (out of warranty)

smarty666

Oh I did take it in to the stealership earlier this week for this and a couple of other technical issues. None of which got resolved. Here is what the service manager and service advisor at my stealership said about the noise. Both admitted they heard the noise and its more intense then in other Nissan models. They checked over the heat shield and exhaust system and reported the following:

"In regards to your metallic pinging/clinging noises, the heat shield and exhaust system were fine and nothing clogged in it when we looked it over. These noises are a normal characteristic of Nissan vehicles."

As usual, they told me nothing new and did nothing about it as I suspected. Apparently, all Nissan's make this unrefined, loud, obnoxious, clinging/pinging/knocking noises from the heat shield and exhaust system because Nissan is too lazy to design one that has enough space to contract and expand without causing noises.

stamar

I have this sound on ALL of my nissans except my 97 sentra

So Ive had a 85 200sx, then a 91 infiniti g20, then a 89 d21 truck then a 97 b14 sentra, then a 98 infiniti i30

This noise was WORST on my 85 200 sx and my 89 d21. CRINK CRINK CRINK

For a long time i thought it was the radiatior. it sounds like a calypso drum sort of.

Ive heard the sound even worse on mazda rx7.

Youre right its the nissan heat shield. Thats it you have a poorly fitted one. It might make the noise because it just works so super great.

i could brainstorm ideas of washers in the bolts holding it down but id be afraid of messing with the function of the thing.

Like I said Ive owned 5, 4 out of 5 made this noise. No other car ive had did.

You understand the problem its not really going away. The heat shield metal is growing too much.

smarty666

Normally I wouldn't care, but when Nissan has 37-39k bucks on the window sticker for a Maxima and up to 41k on the window for a LE Murano, there is no reason why I should be hearing this kind of crappy/loud noise. That is what is the problem.

If I had gotten a base Altima, or Rogue, Sentra, etc I could understand having some noise issues because they are cheaper, less refined models, but when I'm buying a LUXURY PRICED flagship sedan, these kinds of issues should not be present. Plain and simple!

smarty666

Well took my car in to refill the engine coolant today b/c it is just below the low level and brought up my continued problems with the severe/constant knocking/pinging coming from the heat shield WHILE the engine is running.

Service manager refused to fill the coolant telling me its fine where it is, despite the owner manual saying otherwise and told me that there was nothing they were going to do for the noise issues. Told me some vehicles come with poor heat shields and make noise like that, despite the fact I parked next to the exact same Max at the hospital a few weeks ago who was sitting in his car idling it and I did not hear one knocking/pinging noise coming from his car with his engine idling.

Suffice it to say I'm reporting this service manager's poor customer service but it is just ridiculous and unacceptable that a 38k dollar automobile sounds like a popcorn maker when the engine is running. Shame on Nissan!

Dave_Magos

I completely agree. For what was paid for that car, it should be nothing short of perfect. Take the car to the dealer and raise hell.

Rose City Max

I hate techs that blow off your concerns. Stealerships!

smarty666

Oh no, its not the techs, it's the service advisor and especially the service manager. I have a really arrogant/lazy jackass of a service manager who does what ever he can not to do any warranty or maintenance work. I'm in the process of writing a letter of complaint to the stealerships owner about him!