I just bought my 04 maxima last week, and every time i start it up when the engine is cold, i get a almost grinding ticking like noise for about 30-45 sec. i had it at the dealer, and they say that other maximas have had this problem and its nothing to worry about. i did a pretty good amount of searching on the org before about this..and couldnt really find a straight answer. ive found some stuff but i think there talking about a different rattle..that i had in my 2k2. i am gonna take a sound clip of this tomorrow and upload it.

 

It doesnt even bother me...I think its normal though

 

lol everytime i start the car though when someone is around..im almost imbarassed..they look towards the hood and there like...whats that? whats wrong with ur car?

 

Wow, that's a new to me. I hope this doesn't start to happen on mine.

 

I have a 2004 bought with 90k and it sounds like that but after worries of my own I realized that I had to get used to the "overhead cam" noise. It does go away quickly but I am not used to it. All is OK!

 

but ive had 3.0 and the 3.5 in the maxima and never had any kind of noise like this.

 

I do have a different noise coming from the engine on start ups, however this is only when the engine is already warm. For the first minute or so after I start up, the engine almost has a whirring noise similar to a diesel engine that goes away after I drive it for a bit. It is pretty loud and embarassing if you have passengers in the car. I like to just drown it out with music.

 

funny you say drown it out with the music...thats what the salesman did when i went to buy this car and went for a test drive..he blasted the stereo than had turned it down a min or so later. i guess thats why. lol

 

you know what iv got the same problem....and it is hella annoying. it only happens when the engine is cold. showed it to the dealership and their reply to that problem was that the noise is normal because the maxima has a high performance engine and i was ohhh really...i didn't knew that.

anyways after looking deep into it, iv decided its some kind of solenoids that open and close, im really not sure if that whats causing the noise but im still trying to figure out how to solve this problem.

wanted to post this issue here but had to wait till i get my self recognized here.

 

OK new info now. Got the car back from the dealership...noise doesnt really happen anymore. but theres a little oil drip by the filler cap that wasnt there before. think that the oil was low and because they filled it the noise stopped? I only say that because others said they got this sound around 2-3K and than realized oil level was low...hmm maybe ive got an oil eater on my hands.... :/ my other 2 maximas ate some oil but still ran buttery smooth after 130,000 miles never added oil in between and used synthetic...

 

Y2k2maxse...>> im pretty sure the ticking noise would come back, oil is not the issue. atleast not on my maxima. im going to get it checked by my old mechanic who once did a swap on 1 of my honda.

 

Yeah i wanted to show it to another mechanic too..but i never have time because the engine needs time to cool before the noise will come back. well Ill see what happens. Still suspicious as to why there was oil by the filler cap after i got it back from the dealer.....

 

You can sometimes get noises on cold start-up because of a very short-term lack of lubrication. Once the motor oil circulates, the noise goes away. This is why I like to use synthetic motor oil -- there is always a thin layer of synthetic oil, even when all of the motor oil drains down into the oil sump.

As far as oil burning, the new VQ 3.5 is reportedly better at not burning oil than earlier 2.5 versions. Each engine is somewhat different, and depending on how an engine in a used Max was treated by the earlier owner, it may burn more or less than the average.

I've owned my 04 from about 50 miles on the odometer (it was driven from another dealer in CO). And until it was broken in, it burned about a quart in about 2,000 miles. When it was broken in the oil burning decreased to about a half quart in 7,000 miles. Over time, that has decreased to about 1/4 of a quart in 7,000 miles -- I now have 55 K miles and use Mobil 1.

If you are burning motor oil, my first suggestion is to go from 5W30 weight to 10W30 weight. The slightly heavier oil will not burn as fast. I would not go heavier than 10W40 weight. Another way to slightly reduce oil burning is to use dino motor oil rather than synthetic. The synthetic of the same weight seems to burn faster (probably because it can more easily slip past the worn parts into the cylinder).

 

I got my '04 at the end of March, no noise like the one explained here. Except for some running water I hear every morning as I accelerate after startup. Weird, anybody else with this?

 

That's air in the cooling system.
There is a post on how to get rid of the air (I have it but have not bothered) -- I believe in the stickies.

 

hello people,

wazzup, hope the nismos are keeping you occupied. well i did not know where to post this concern of mine, but this thread looked close to what i have on my 06 maxma SL. Here is the deal....

One day accidently i revved the car when in park and it made a low squeaking ( sometimes rhythemic) noise from under the engine area, or maybe near the rear motoe mounts...but definately somewhere under the engine. I took it to the dealer and enquired about this squeak, ad he said that the rear motor mounts for maximas are fluid filled, and they all make that squeak when they get activated...activated??? anyways, it s a brand new car and i have full warrenty, so i asked him to replace the mount, whcih he did but the problem still persists. Now Im thinking it was not the mounts, and the dealership screwed up as usual. I was thinking of the drive belts causing the squeak, but i heard for the maxima SL, they are good to go for like 100k miles, mine has only 11k miles on it. Can anyone here in this forumn help me with some advise as to how to go about this. IM so frustrated that I wanted to trade in my car for a 07 SL, but i know it s nt worth it, moreover i wanted to go for the 09 maxima later...is there anyone with a similar problem..

I dont know if the low squeak happens when i m driving and accelerating, as i cannot hear it, but if you park the car and rev it, you can hear it ..its not loud, but it s surely a squeak. Friends, please advise...

 

Guys its been a while since i had posted in here, could anyone please be kind enough to post a reply to my questions...also, im a new member and hence i could not start my own thread...hence resorting to posting in topics concerning noises...no offence to anyone concerned..pleae help me out...

thanks

 

I was told that noise was the timing chain. Again, it does go away once warmed up. Had it in my 02 Max SE too.

 

That's because IIRC, the tensioner receives oil pressure so at startup, it may take a second for it to 'prime' or pressurize....I'd still keep regular track of oil changes and any abnormal loss of oil in case some of you have a warranty still and may need to deal w/the dealership (if things get worse)...

Jeremy

 

SOS -- I don't have a good explanation for this sound. It could be any number of things.

Have you tried opening the hood and have someone else step on the gas. This should help you better pin-point where the sound originates. You should also see if you get the sound when you first start up the car in the morning and whether you get this sound after driving for an hour or more (everything warmed up to normal operating temps).

 

OK, so now Ive had the car for 3000 miles approx..and first of I checked the oil and its still very near the full mark..which is very good. I still get the ticking sound, doesnt matter if the engine is cold or warm, if the car sits for awhile, itll come on startup for like 30 seconds. I dono...I dont think it's a problem but its SO FRIGGEN annoying. Sometimes I dont wanna start the car near a lot of people because it sounds like junk for 30 sec.. did not have any problem like this in my other 2 maximas.

 

silvermax, thanks for the reply...well it does that squeak when warm or cold...however, i will try and get someone rev the car and check under the hood....ll update with what i find...thanks a bunch

 

P.S. Silvermax...I almost forgot...i did take it to the dealer and asked him abt the noise...and he said that it was the rear motor mount...which had flud in it and each time i rev'd the engine...it would get activated or some crap like that ...and that was the reason for the squeaks...i have like 11000 miles on this car whihc is fairley new...8 months old..and i really didnt buy what he said...esp abt mounts making that noise...but anyways, since its all under warrenty..i got the rear motor mounts replaced...but hey..guess what..it still makes those squeaks...

to top it off...the dealer said that even if i changed the mounts...it would make that noise...im pretty sure...not all maximas are doign this and its not somethig that is normal...i was thinking more of the drive belts etc...from what i gathered in thie forum..but even with them..i thought they are good for a good 100k miles...my car being brand new...adds to the confusion...anywyas, just wanted to inform that replacing the rear motor mounts didnt help much!!!

 

i'm at 105k miles and when I bougth it with 50k, the dealer told me the same thing.... that its normal.

I'm use to it by now and it goes away after a few minutes. It gets to me when people are looking at my car and asking "what's wrong with your car?"

 

i KNOW i hate when people turn their heads like dogs and there like duuude what the hell is that noise? than ya gotta go into the whole oh im gonna fix it (yeah right) it only lasts for 30 sec....

 

Seems like everyone beleives the "DEALER" take it in to a couple if possible 3 and get diferent oppinions. Nissan told me a rattle under my hood was normal.... I thought otherwise..... I went back and forth from dealer to dealer... and finally some one not trying to BS me told me it came from my tranny.... He fixed it and bam noise gone..... so to my point ... dont just beleive one persons "mechanics" decision... he can be wrong... and in the mean time your car can be getting worse...

 

Would you happen to know exactly what they did to fix it?

 

The torque converter and the maybe friction plate.. or something like that... lol.... but that was my noise.... Also a few months earlier another rattle was coming right from my exhaust that ended up coming from the spot where the exhuast connect to the engine... a piece that cost about 70 dollars. Other than that thats been all my rattles...

 

I have an 05. I havent had that noise per say. But in my old accord. When the doors locked there was a loud noise that attracted alot of noise like you all describe. It ended up being a solenoid gone bad.

With my Maxima I had a noise sounding like keys dragging on the ground when I accelerated from a stop. I took it in and although my warranty was up they replaced my catalytic converter for free. Something about some weld being loose.

 

The warranty on the cat converter exceeds that on the rest of the car -- I believe it is covered for 100 K Miles.