This morning upon starting my car, i get a weird pinging /clanging noise , like a somebody dropped a screw in my engine type noise. Another thing i notice was that the idle was fluctuaiting between normal and like it wanted to cut off. I shut the car off then turned it back on again.....the noise got a little less noiser but still was present.

I noticed over the past few day , when ever i would try to start my car , it would make a snapping or faint popping sound like somebody was snapping there fingers type of sound then cut on...

My oil was filled to the normal level,tranny fluid is to the normal level to.I have 103k miles and was just about to change my spak plugs and oil again. I changed my sparkplugs at the recommended 60k miles with OEM plugs. Change my oil religiously , i noticed no metal shavings like there was metal to metal contact, although this is what i am hearing.

Is there any electronic componenent that could have failed , coil pack,etc, Is it posible one of the sparkplugs could have gave out early and i am running on 5 cylinders5(which it sounds like)?????

I appreciate any advice from you all. When it gets to be daylight i will try to get to a few of the plugs...

 

Nevermind, i took the advice of my pops, i let my car idle for about 5 minutes and the clanging sound went away. All it was was my oil didn't get all the way through the engine.... he asked what weight of oil i am using during these summer months, i told him i am usuing 10-30. He said that is the problem...to light of a weight for Fl heat.........when i do my oil change this weekend i will go with 10-40 or maybe 20-50 weight.

Thankful that all it was....whew!

Thanks again anyway....

 

Oil's not the problem. No oil is too thin for start up. Only an oil that too thick cause oil starvation at start up. Too thin an oil that cause problem is only when oil is up to operation temp.

 

Given your spark plugs are OEM platinum, they should be good to go for quite some time yet! Do not use 20W50 oil in your Maxima!

 

Also 10w30 and 10w40 have the same cold viscosity only a different upper temperature range.

Stay away from 20w40. Just a FYI the recommended oil is 5w30.