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Rattling while under acceleration

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Old 10-18-2005, 08:13 AM
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Rattling while under acceleration

I understand that there's a timing chain as opposed to a belt so I'm also wondering if there is a tensioner or other pulley that would be at issue here.

It's an auto tranny T edition.

Here it goes: When under acceleration (light to heavy) I hear what sounds like a chain dragging the pavement. It is coming from the front passenger side (& there are no chains dragging the ground).

I've tried coasting along in neutral and don't hear it, I've tried revving it from the engine bay and don't hear it then either.

It seems to happen only accelerating under load in a drive gear and not while in gear and coasting.

I thought about valves too but it's not valves. I run 93 only and when I don't ...then, I occasionally hear valves.

I recently had both axles replaced and only began to notice it since then but it may have been happening before.

I've shaken the exhaust system around while hot & cold and can't locate the source. I've inspected the work (as best I can) of the axle replecement and can't see any issues but might know what to look for.

It runs fine and accelerates with no performance problem.

Thanks for your suggestions or experience.....
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Old 10-18-2005, 12:02 PM
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Doubt its the t chain tensioner... if it was you would be hearing it all the time. My guess is that it is a valve clearance issue. How many miles do you have? If those shims in there are worn down, you could be getting a God awful amount of racket.
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Old 10-18-2005, 02:12 PM
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that sound can be comming out from inside the muffler, i have had similar situation, took me 2weeks to figure it out, but after changing the muffler the (dragging)sound went away
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Old 10-18-2005, 03:23 PM
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I've also been experiencing this rattling sound during acceleration.... particularly accelerating uphill...hmm now I gotta think about changing the muffler. Let us know if you have any updates with your car Double E
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Old 10-19-2005, 09:45 AM
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I'd be very surprised if it is the muffler based on where it seems to come from but I'm open to the possibility. (!25K miles on the original muffler.) I'll have to take a ride with someone else driving and do the dog out the window routine to see what else I can tell.

I'll think about taking it in sometome soon and get it looked at for ideas too.
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Old 10-19-2005, 11:23 AM
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I know some of the newer VQ's have had some rattling caused by a loose heatshield on the exhaust, so that would be cheap and easy to check out.

You might be getting some knocking if it only occures under acceleration. I know you said you run 93, but it could also be ignition coils or maybe a faulty knock sensor.

I would imagine we have hydraulic lifters and if one or more of those was leaking (shouldn't happen till well after 100k) you might get some valve clatter, but the beginning stages of that usually only happen at or near idle.

Like DS said, how many miles are on your engine? Is there a general area you hear this from? Is there any kind of vibration associated with the sound?
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Old 10-20-2005, 09:43 AM
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NewLove,
Thanks for the note. No vibration is present. It has 125K miles and the rattleing sound like it comes from the front passenger side. I hear it best with the pass. side window open, only while accelerating, light or heavy.

With either rate of acceleration, the rattle is the same in tone and volume. I do not think it has gotten worse since I first noticed it. The exhaust system is a plausable place to look at closely. Thanks again....
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Old 10-23-2005, 09:45 PM
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Transmission!!!
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Old 10-24-2005, 05:48 PM
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Originally Posted by rjb22
Transmission!!!
Transmission is on the drivers side. If his location of the noise is indeed correct, then you are incorrect.
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Old 06-10-2006, 06:54 PM
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My old Sentra used to make a rattling sound on accelerating and now my Maxima is doing it after I've crossed 50K miles. It sounds like it could be the muffler...meaning the muffler needs to be changed?

Another thought was that it might be pinging. Can someone describe what pinging would sound like. Thanks.
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Old 06-12-2006, 10:25 PM
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Originally Posted by i30ds
Transmission is on the drivers side. If his location of the noise is indeed correct, then you are incorrect.
Damn.. I was hoping the noise that I was hearing was not that. Got a rattling noise coming from my driver's side and I thought it was something loose in the strut tower. Sheit... I know I have a bad 02 sensor that should be covered under a known TSB but if my issue is with my tranny, anyone know how much it might cost me to fix?

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Old 06-13-2006, 05:27 AM
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currently i have the same problem, a slight rattling under the car while acceleration, doesn't sound major but who knows, i think, i'm not sure what you call it, it's the piping for your muffler. It's the round thing that looks like a mesh right under the front seats.
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Old 06-13-2006, 05:41 AM
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Originally Posted by bi30
currently i have the same problem, a slight rattling under the car while acceleration, doesn't sound major but who knows, i think, i'm not sure what you call it, it's the piping for your muffler. It's the round thing that looks like a mesh right under the front seats.
We are hearing the same noise and suspecting the same cause of the noise. I'm just guessing its the muffler b'cuz thats what it sounds like. Is your conclusion based on anything stronger? Also, have you figured out how to fix it? I have not looked under the car so I don't know.
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Old 06-13-2006, 05:59 AM
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OMG! Slow down, transmission is an obvious choice, but before you throw your money away try cleaning your throttle body. I had similar problem. Rattling under acceleration around 2500-3000 rpm up the hill and on even pavement under heavier load. I was doing regular maintenance and decided to clean my throttle body. to my surprise, as a side effect I guess, the rattle has gone away, now I floor that ***** without any problems . So try that before anything else!
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Old 06-13-2006, 06:59 AM
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i30ish, how do you clean the throttle body.
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Old 06-13-2006, 10:31 AM
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http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/517
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Old 06-13-2006, 10:38 AM
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Since I started this post, it's gotten a little worse over the last few months. I'm also at 137K miles now.

I'm planning to do the TB clean out. There's a decent write up on it one one of these threads, but I have no idea where it is.

The rattle occurrs only under load, not at idle and quiets down a little after it's warm.

If the TB clean out doesn't do the trick, I'm thinking chain tensioner. I had another contributor offer that up as a strong possiblity and they appears knowledgable that it was the cause. They also seemed to indicate that the replacement of the tensioner was a simple process but there's more to take off and reassemble than I feel like doing.

Should the TB clean out not do the trick, I'm probably going to choose to be on the boat & let the shop assess the situation & handle it. (Always like to play around with the free loaners anyway.)

In any case, I'll let all know what the deal & damage was.
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Old 06-13-2006, 10:54 AM
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how about lookinhg 1 post up?
wow, i didn't notice that the thread was from 2005, so i'm guessing search function works.............
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Old 06-13-2006, 12:00 PM
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Fine. Here ya go. http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=474727
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Old 07-12-2006, 11:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Double E
Here it goes: When under acceleration (light to heavy) I hear what sounds like a chain dragging the pavement. It is coming from the front passenger side (& there are no chains dragging the ground).

I've tried coasting along in neutral and don't hear it, I've tried revving it from the engine bay and don't hear it then either.

It seems to happen only accelerating under load in a drive gear and not while in gear and coasting.
Its pinging.
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Old 07-12-2006, 12:15 PM
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Not pinging. I know what pinging is & this isn't it.

Unfortunately though, I still haven't been able to work on the issue yet.

I'll keep hacking away at making it happen soon though ...and will post back on the results.
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Old 07-18-2006, 06:33 AM
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I have a similiar noise on my 2000 I30, additionally it has

the check engine light on. I had it diagnosed and it's the front cat. converter that needs to be replaced. Prior to this I used to have a very loud bangin noise on the car when it drove over holes. Almost 1500.00 later and 3-4 mnths I had that issue resolved. REplaced an engine mount, replaced all four shocks and strut tower mounts which still didnt solve the problem. Turned out it was a small suspension part (cost about 40.00 at at the dealer) Also, remember that noise travels and though you may hear it coming from a particular location it may not ALWAYS be so.Good luck !
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Old 07-19-2006, 07:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Brudda Bob
the check engine light on. I had it diagnosed and it's the front cat. converter that needs to be replaced. Prior to this I used to have a very loud bangin noise on the car when it drove over holes. Almost 1500.00 later and 3-4 mnths I had that issue resolved. REplaced an engine mount, replaced all four shocks and strut tower mounts which still didnt solve the problem. Turned out it was a small suspension part (cost about 40.00 at at the dealer) Also, remember that noise travels and though you may hear it coming from a particular location it may not ALWAYS be so.Good luck !
Hmmm...interesting. This sounds almost pretty much what my car is doing. My CEL is on and whenever I go over any type of bumps/holes I hear a clinging/clanging sound, sounds HORRIBLE, like I'm driving a hooptie with a dragging muffler....sorta sounds like there's a broken hanger on my exhaust, but they're all on still, brand new and perfect.

So you say it was the front cat. converter...what exactly is making the front cat. make this bangin noise? Just old and rusted or what? What part did you buy for $40? Please elaborate some more...
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Old 07-24-2006, 12:10 PM
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Max,

It could be your b pipe banging around. My friend with a 96 had a muffler put on and the manner in which the shop welded the brackets onto the muffler made the b pipe sit in a way that it would bang around when ever he he drove over bumps.
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Old 07-25-2006, 06:11 AM
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Does the rattling occurs when driving from 50 to km an hour?

My car does the same and I already replaced the kock sensor.
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Old 07-27-2006, 09:18 AM
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Ah hah!! Finally, at last. It was a combination of things...

First off the rubber hangers were to big so the B pipe had plenty of room to pop up and down. Second, a screw came out from my rear passenger side bumper and that kept moving around, causing the license plate to rattle. Third, was loudest and hardest to find...my rear driver side brake pads were loose. The clip broke so there was a ton of play for them to slide back and forth against the rotor and so forth.

Now all I gott do is take care of my squeaky rear strut mounts that I got from Ben...
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Old 07-27-2006, 08:41 PM
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Hi

My I30 does a ratteling noise too when i go at 2000 RPMs and becomes progresivly faster when i go higher in the RPMs, this happens when i am driving but not when i am accelerating in neutral, please help.

P.S. i think it is the valves because it comes from the engine block
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Old 07-28-2006, 07:27 AM
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Adria,

It does sound like valves in your case. Try a tank full o' 93-94 and some injector cleaner (Techron is great) and see what difference you get.

Mine is still the same as the original posting & I still have not had chance to address it. I do know that it isn't a loose exterior item on the car but I have yet to fully investigate. (I always run 93 or 94 octane & never have valve knock.)
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Old 07-29-2006, 01:56 PM
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Thank You "Double E"
I did try the Injector cleaner and it doesn't make a lot of difference, and i do use 92-93 octane. In case it is the Valves how expensive would it be?
My SES light just came on and i checked it and was a O2 Sensor and MAF sensor ill change them and hope that was the problem.
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Old 07-29-2006, 06:37 PM
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If it really was valve lash (I doubt it is unless you got like 200k+ on your engine) new shims would have to be installed in the valve train (because the old shims are worn), and I have never seen any one on this site have to do this to their VQ. Expect it to cost over $1000 from any reputable shop.

My guess is that your issue is something else as valves don't really rattle they more or less click or tick with a kind of flutter noise added in. Plus with valve lash noise, you can always hear it... at idle is best. You could have an exhaust heat shield loose or something. You're going to have to get creative an find the source.
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Old 07-31-2006, 06:21 AM
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Thank You

I will look into it, and will post the progress.
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Old 07-31-2006, 09:18 AM
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Nope, not related to this.

Try a new thread for help with that.

(BTW: It sounds like throttle positioning sensor needs adjusting but I'm not 100%)
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Old 07-31-2006, 09:48 AM
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Don't piggy back again.

You just have to get to 15 posts to make a new thread. Go check out some other posts, make a postive comment or two, maybe help someone else out with their problem... its not that hard.
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Old 08-01-2006, 07:50 AM
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I feel your pain brother.

We just want to you to get the most relevant responses in the most efficient way possible ...and reduce the non-related info on a continuing thread.
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Old 08-01-2006, 07:58 AM
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rattling sucks!
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Old 08-01-2006, 09:56 AM
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Its apparent you never read the rules in here or in the general maxima forum.
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Old 08-01-2006, 11:19 PM
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I have the same problem Double E has on my 02 I35 with only 40k miles... =(
The sound is not very noticable, and only occurs randomly. Any updates on this issue? Is hard to believe it is the values with this mileage when I use 92/93 and the muffler should last longer..?

Should I check with dealer and see if it is a "known" issue? I still have warranty... will keep you posted but suggestions needed.
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Old 08-02-2006, 04:44 AM
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I would grab more info before letting the dealer have it.

For example, take notice of when it happens at randon...cold starts, warm starts or doesn't matter.

Only happens when engine is starting out under load or while driving and in an auto-downshift situation to accelerate...or doesn't matter.

If it all points to "doesn't matter" and it's that random, I would seek out times when it does happen and try to repeat it on the same patch of road and start narrowing down locations to check...or suggest to the service writer.

(Odd that perhaps I'm getting used to it on mine ...or it's getting better, but I don't think I have as much rattling going on anymore.) I'm still going to have to take it in for a once over anyway. I wanted to play with a dealer demo for the day anyway.
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Old 08-02-2006, 09:14 AM
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How loud of a rattle are we talking about? Just barely noticeable, or very noticeable?
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Old 08-02-2006, 11:25 AM
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I would say barely noticeable. This morning on the way to work I had my full attention but did not hear it...

Engine sounds fine & smooth on cold starts and when reving in N. Sound usually comes on for ~ 5 seconds at most in motion and does not matter how hard I push... In fact, I think it happens most around 2000 - 2500 RPMs

I will try to reproduce it and let you all know.
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