Well, my wife has been driving our 2000 I30t and she mentioned to me that she heard a "chattering" sound when she accelerated. Today, I heard it for myself and I don't like the sound at all. It is a "chatter" that happens at initial acceleration and also at sustained low-speed acceleration, around 2000rpm. I lifted the hood and was able to place the sound coming from between the engine and the firewall closer to the passenger side. Later, I checked the oil and it reads a little above the H. The same with the transmission fluid. The car has 69,995 miles and I did get the 60,000 mile service right at that interval and included the transmission service too. Today was the first time the Service-Engine-Light-Soon illuminated.

I guess I'll take it to the stealership on Monday morning, but I'd like to hear anyone else's thoughts or experiences relating to what I'm describing here.

 

Yup I know exactly what your talking about. I just chalked it up to normal vibration on cold starts, cuz i noticed it when it started getting colder out, and after the engine warms up its fine. Good luck, going to the dealership, because your car will be warm and they wont hear it.

 

is that what engine knock is?

 

I'm pretty sure this is indicative of something a bit more severe than cold start vibrations or anything like that. First, the engine was warm...we'd been driving for at least thirty minutes when I heard it. Second, the SES light illuminated just as this started.

It does sort of sound like engine knock, but what I'm hearing on my car sound like a really bad case of it. Plus, this car has been the three S's (Silent, Silky, Smooth) since we've had it and this noise seems very uncharacteristic given it's past behavior. I'm pretty ssure there's a problem.

Good thing I'm still covered under warranty.

 

I see you are a 2K. Have you had your coils replaced yet?

 

are the coils faulty in 2000?

 

Well, I bought the car pre-owned, so I'm unsure about the coils being replaced. I know I haven't done it. I didn't know there was a recognized problem with the coils on the 2000. Can you talk to me about that?

 

i would also like to know about this "problem"

 

could be valve chatter (lash), but that does not trigger a CEL. What was the code you got from the CEL self diagnosis?

 

The ignition coils on the 2000 and I think 2001 VQs have a high failure rate. Nissan later released an updated version which have a silver dot on them. Remove one of your coils and check to see if it has the dot.

There is a TSB out on it, but I dont know the number. I think there may be a TSB sticky in the 5th gen forum.

I was getting some intermitant knocking so I brought my car to the dealer and had them replaced under warrantee.

 

Well, thanks for your thoughts. As it turns out, the diagnosis revealed that two of the four oxygen sensors have failed. The tech said that is what "most likely" caused the problem and says he sees it with some regularity on the 2000 I30. The replacement cost? $530. Ow, my butt hurts!

 

Don't pay $530!!! Buy the sensors yourself and replace them... It is not that hard. I changed all three of my sensors with OEM replacements for about $175.

 

I think my car may have the similar problem. But, is that really the symptom for bad oxygen sensors? Already took it to mechanic but he has no idea.

I recorded the sound from my car and posted it in 4th gen a while ago but I guess no one ever really had a case like mine. Mine does last quite long but not like up to 30 minutes....perhaps more like 10 to 15 minutes from cold start. Then, it goes away.

Here's the link...you gotta turn up the volume a little. It sounds like a friggin tank in the recordings but it ain't like that. lol Nevertheless, the sound's quite bad.

http://64.45.19.205/I30/

attomica, let us know what happened after replacing the sensors. I hope mine is just the case of bad oxygen sensors too.

Thanks.

 

bad o2 sesnors will not cause any noise what so ever.

 

I also learned that my wife inadvertently filled the tank with regular (versus premium) fuel. I think all of these things are related problems.

 

You could have a bad KS, and that would explain the knocking noise when the car was filled with crappy ol' regular gasoline....

Check the ECU for ghost codes...

 

I have no idea what that sound is... it is completely alien to me. Check your ECU for codes...

 

Ive heard of people getting a rattle from a loose heat shield, but DAMN!!!

Yeah, thats def not an O2 sensor.

You say the sound goes away after like 10-15? Is there a general area that the noise is coming from? While the engine is under different loads does the noise change?

Oh yeah, and was that clip taken while at idle?

 

we shall wait and see

 

HeHe. Mine made a rattling noise... but not because it was bad. I forgot to tighten it down when I installed my Y-pipe.

 

Yeah, it eventually goes away. It's coming from the driver's side. The noise is always the same no matter what.

And yeah, the clip was recorded while at idle. I have to hit the gas/drive and that's when it starts making noise or that's when hell breaks loose. So, the sound was recorded after I took it for a short drive.

Thanks.

 

was the problem fixed once you tightened it down?

 

Well, I finally got the monkey off my back. Took it to dealer and they found that there was sludge build up in the valves. In addition, the engine oil was totally black and I was like wtf. I still got at least a 1k miles to go till the next service.

So, they flushed out the engine and put new oil in. I got lucky because otherwise I might've ended up having to rebuild the engine or whatnot. I think the previous owner never really took care of the car.

Anyways, no more noise or vibration!!

BTW, the engine's running extra smooth now. I thought it was pretty smooth before but damn, now I realize what I was missing.

Thanks yall.

 

Good to hear you got your problem taken care of.

 

we can now relax and play cards