pdchap09

my son's '92 maxima had a really bad clatter coming from
the left front of the engine. after 2 or 3 mechanics said it was valves & would cost many $$$ to fix. after searching the forum,
discovered that it was the vct solenoids & after grounding them,
leaving them permanently on, the noise disapeared & has not come
back. does anyone know what the long term affects might be ?
he's put on well over 1000 miles so far with no obvious problems.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

Since you have this problem, I can assume you have a 92 Maxima SE. You have the VE30DE DOHC motor. The VTC sprockets are a very prone problem with our motors. If you say you grounded the VTCs and the noise went away completely, then you should be just fine. I have never heard of a VTC tick causing actual damage to our motors. They only start to deprive us us horsepower. Now, if you have a tick that doesn't go away when you ground the VTCs, then it's probably a problem you need to get fixed right away. Other than that, a VTC tick is a VERY common problem that I'd say happens in 90% of VEs over 100K miles old. VTC problems are pretty much inevitable. They will happen sooner or later.

To get the problem fixed, you have a couple choices. First off, don't go to regular mechanics. They don't know jack about Nissan motors. They think they do. But don't waste your time. I would try my best to find a mechanic that KNOWS about Nissan motors. If he knows about Nissans, then he knows about our common VTC sprocket problem. Now, you can get the VTCs repaired or replaced. I think you can get a repair kit that replaces the springs and other stuff for under $100. But then, the labor itself will be more than $1000 at most Nissan dealerships. Now, the sure thing (almost) is to get them replaced. The sprockets go for about $400 a piece. You need 2 of them along with some other cheaper parts. Total price to get them replaced is about $2000 at the dealership. And about $1200 to repair them. These are just ballpark figures.

Wow, I am just rambling on and on about this. That just goes to show you how common and complicated this problem is. For more info, go to the 3rd generation forum and check out the FAQs. There are many good sites explaining this.

If you get them fixed by a shop, make sure they follow the Technical Service Bulletin. Any shop can get their hands on it. If they do not follow the TSB EXACTLY, then your VTC problem will come back. Most of VE owners will just live with the ticking until it becomes SO loud that they can't stand it anymore. Then, they get them fixed or just ground them. I hope this helps.

tynant

why spend 2k when you can get a new engine installed for 1400?

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

You can't get a new motor installed for $1400. You MIGHT be able to get a used one with 60K miles and weak VTCs for $1400 if you know someone. You will still have ticking sooner or later.

tynant

sorry didnt mean to imply a "new" engine....just meant another engine....I found an engine with under 40k miles for 550....add labour...

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

Yeah, it's worth to get a 40K mile motor if you have a 250K motor. But all I was saying is that it won't solve his VTC problem. I've heard of some people having VTC problems at 60K miles. And some having it as late as 150K. I started having the problem myself at 110K.

Oh yeah, pdchap09, I'd recommend using only 5w30 oil and make sure you don't go longer than 3K miles between oil changes. With our motors, if the oil gets sludgy and old, it will clog the oil gallies and deprive the top of the motor of oil at initial startup. The VTCs are near the top of the motor and are one of the last components to get lubricated. So, for that second, it's dry and causes the sprockets to wear out much faster. That is just a theory to why VTCs go bad.

To help get oil to the top of the motor faster, I recommend using the oil filter specifically made for the VE. It has an anti drain back valve far better than other filters. This helps keep the oil near the top of the motor for much longer when the motor is not running.

Please refer to the Fluid and Lubrication forum for more information on oil filters made for the VE30DE. They do not make that filter anymore. So, I would suggest using the Toyota filter. You'll see when you read up on it.

Frank Fontaine

I think the moral of the story is to avoid known problems like this one when buying a used car. But when you are the original owner, then you need ways to get repairs done at a reasonable cost. Swedish cars were this way 10 years ago. Many people wanted to be yuppies and found incredibly low prices on Swedish cars with mint bodies but motor issues--then they would spend multiples of 5 grand to get the car on the road. Stuff like V6 volvos and 16-valve volvos were a joke to get serviced, crazy stuff like 7 hours labor for a water pump, several thousands for new cams and chains, tensioners, etc. This VTC stuff reminds of that swedish iron. V6 Bertone Coupé, now that was a car that looked good and proved that a fool and his money are easily parted.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

Well, the VE motors are almost bulletproof. VTCs is just a tick. If you can stand it, it's fine. As for my ticking noise, it's not that bad. It's very quiet when it ticks. And 80% of the time it doesn't tick at all. I have 135K miles.

It's not like the VTC problem will blow the motor up. It hasn't yet for every VE owner. If I had to shop for another car all over again after knowing what I know about Maximas. I would definitely get a VE 3rd gen. But then, I would have probably have gotten a 5spd VE instead. No other way about it. If you look into other motors besides Nissans, you would be dissappointed as far as reliability and speed.