Hello,
I have an 03 I35 and have noticed a new noise over the past month or so. Basically when the engine is under load, light accelleration mind you, the car is beginning to sound more like a diesel car. I am not sure how else to describe it at this point. It is sort of like a clanking/grinding sound but defintely like that of a diesel motor. The car appears to be shifting fine (AT mind you) and has power. I do not get any sort of lag from the motor or shifting hesitation/grinding at all. I recently had the tranny fluid changed (5000 miles ago roughly). I did it then as it was starting to create this sound. I have been running premium fuel in the car the entire time and have synthetic oil in it. The car has about 85K on it at the moment. I am wondering if this is a case of engine knock maybe or what. I have no check engine lights what so ever. The car does have a cai (cosmo) on it. Other than that, just some springs/struts. anyone have any ideas? I am thinking of having it looked at but am not sure where to even start with telling them what I am hearing.

I meant to add that I have heard other Maxima's making this same sort of sound while out on the road so I am sure that others may have experienced this same event.

 

I am coming up on 90k so I am assuming that I will need to get some new spark plugs as well here soon. What are you guys running? Anyone know what the spark plug gap should be? I like to try to do as much of the basic work on the car as possible myself so I am curious what all a dealership would typically be replacing on a 90k service. I don't want to be spending money that is not needed mind you as I already know that I need to replace my front rotors/pads and maybe even a ball joint on the front pass. side. ( I will pay for someone to do the ball joint as that is a little above my apptitude/tools as well).

 

Sounds like a timing issue. The noise you describe is often called "Pinging". Are you running Premium?? If so maybe the computer is stuck in some program that is advancing the timing unnecessarily. Or maybe your getting some chitty fuel. Maybe try some Octane booster, if it goes away you know you've got too much timing advance for the fuel your running. But I guess you still won't know why.

Sorry just reread your post saying you were running Premium...

 

yep, running premium. I will try to run some octane booster through it and see what happens. I have not had the timing advanced as many others have at this point though I have thought about getting it done. Would running a cai cause this to happen with their being more air coming into the engine now? I would think that would be considered running the car lean (more air than fuel) right? Other than that I really have not done anything. Don't get me wrong, I have run lower grade octane in the past but not for quite some time. Wonder if the car some how switched/compensated for that and is now stuck there or something. Maybe I will try to reset the ecu as well and see if that does anything.

 

Wait a minute. I had the main belt replaced a while back. Is this the main belt that they set the timing off of? if that is the case, would there be a chance that perhaps they could have messed up? Dang it, if that is the case I am going to be PO! I would like to say that the sound was occuring before that happened but now I can not remember.

 

My 03 Maxima used to make a rattling noise too which I only really noticed when accelerating or driving next to a wall or other large stationary object.

To make a long story short I was using 87 octane gas but following the manual religiously when it came to engine oil, (5w30).

When I changed to 91 octane gas the noise wasn't as bad, but it was still there. When I changed my oil to 10w40 it disappeared completely. Btw I change my oil on a 3000 to 3500 mile schedule. So I would recommend you try changing your oil to either 10w30 or 10w40 instead of the preferred 5w30 if that's what your using.

For the record, on my last oil change I used Pennzoil high mileage oil 10w40 and also added a bottle of STP oil treatment. Page 9-5 of the manual says "Nissan does not recommend the use of oil additives." But I used one and my engine rattling is totally gone, now you make the call.

 

Yea go buy a quart of oil and put about a quarter of the bottle in it. Take it out for a drive and see if it does it again. The 3.5's in atleast the 5th gens are know to sometimes burn oil. Mine made a sound similar to what your describing and a bit of oil fixed it. FYI if you use Jiffy Lube they will top it off for free if you are a customer anytime you come in.

 

90k and original plugs is getting up there. Be prepared and get a rear valve-cover ahead of time, order it for an '05 maxima since it's cheaper and has been rumored to have better plug seals. more than likely when you pull the rear coils out after pulling the plenum off you will find that one or more are soaked in oil from leaking plug seals, which on 5.5 gens are built into the valve-cover and can't be replaced seperatly. I've yet to see a vq35 with over 60k that didn't have oilly rear coils.

oh and as for plugs, get them from Nissan as well

timing is based off of sensors that are not related to the serpentine/accessory belts in any way, but you could have some noise coming from your tensioner pulley, belt, or anyother accessory, but those usually tend to be audible while free-revving as well.

 

Thanks for the great advice given by everyone on here. I have the same problem.

 

Does anyone have the part number from Nissan for the rear valve cover as mentioned above?

Thanks a bunch for the advice. I tried the octane boost and I can say that the sound is quieter though still there. Definitely an improvement. i will give the oil a shot next since I was planning to change it this weekend anyway. Will also try an additive in there as well.

Do we have a sticky on here for changning plugs on the vq35 or is there an online manual available for our car?

 

Sorry, I mean, I have have changed plugs before on other cars jut not this one and simply trying to read up on it before I actually try to do it and run into something that I would have never thought of.

 

here is a link
http://www.greghome.com/Greg's%20Garage/2002MaxSE/SparkPlugReplacement.htm

 

When I first read this, I thought it said driving into a wall or another large stationary object.

 

Man this is great! I printed out the whole thing and will be ordering some plugs and a gasket today.

Even though there are quite a few parts that need to be disconnected/reconnected/removed, it is still looks like it will be easier than my Subaru. You had about 3" to work with on one side of the engine near the wheel well. What a PITA!

Thanks so much for the link! thanks to Greg for an awesome write up!

 

I had to change the plugs in my sisters Bonneville, talk about a PITA...

 

Changing sparks plugs and replacing gasket is not going to solve the engine knock/ping.

I had the engine knock/ping recently, and decided to change my spark plugs as well. Turned out I had oil in spark plug chamber #6. I installed a new rear valve cover from a 6th gen and also changed the gasket.

It help reduce the engine sounds but it's still there. It's most noticeable at around 1700-2000 rpm.

 

[quote=DamSedan;6655768]Does anyone have the part number from Nissan for the rear valve cover as mentioned above?

Here you go DamSedan, these part numbers are for an 04 valve cover assembly, gasket and gasket rocker. I also bought a new plenum separately based on Dave's recommendation. My total was $101.60, broken down as $72.85 for parts and $28.75 for shipping from Tx to Ks. I placed my order on a conference call with Dave and my mechanic while I was on vacation. My mechanic's parts supplier was trying to charge him 03 prices for the 04 part, so be aware of that scam.

This is straight off the invoice:
13264-7Y000 COVER ASSY-VALV
14032-8J10A GASKET-ADAPTER
13270-8J102 GASKET-ROCKER C

Daves number at South Point Nissan in Austin Tx is (888) 254-6060. I have an 03 Maxima 6 speed and these parts are for an 04 Maxima and were way cheaper than the 03 parts. Good luck.

 

I have now changed the oil to 10w30, run octane booster through a tank of gas, went and filled back up with 93 from Sunoco and reset the ecu last night. Go figure, the ping/knock is back with a vengence today!

I have not done the plugs and figured that it would not solve my problem. Sorry for the confusion on that one. I am doing the plugs as I have my doubts that it has ever been done and the car has about 86k on it, I am not the original owner btw. I just figured that was something that needed to be done anyway.

I am rather bumbed out at the moment! I have no idea what is causing the sounds. I have tried all the basic stuff thus far. Running the octane boost in the car helped to quiet the sound but it was still there though very faint. Today however, seemed as loud as ever! Quite embarrassing when rolling next to a brand new 08 Audi S5!

Yes, the sound does occur around 17-2100 rpm for me as well. I could really hear it from a dead start today while under normal (traffic) accelleration from light to light. This just sucks. Why does all this crap happen once you have a car paid off! Then again, is it ever really paid off?

 

Sorry for the rant but I just wanted to say thanks for the part numbers and a heads up on the cost of 03 vs 04. I will be looking into getting them ordered by the end of the week. I also need to get the rotors resurfaced or new ones for the front as well as pads. So I really need to prioritize this at this point. At least gas prices are falling.

 

im not a maxima guru, but could a rattling sound upon acceleration be due to a defective timing chain tensioner?

 

It could be but we were trying to check other possibilities as this would be clear mechanic- only item in his case.

[DamSedan]: I have no idea what is causing your sound but it might help for someone else reading this if you could answer couple questions:
does your car makes this sound when in park and you just rev the engine to the same rpms?
Does it make it if you put it in drive holding car with brakes and slightly revving the engine (just to put some load on it, not to damage your TC)?

I'm trying to find out if you can hear it when car is not moving. If you won't be able to hear it in both cases then it must be something with your brakes/suspension/etc but not the engine.

 

Have you tried changing your air filter? Try putting in a K&N one if you haven't changed it within the last year.

 

1. The car does not make the sound while in park and reved to the same rpm
2. Will try with brake later today and post.
3. My intake (Cosmo) is less than 3 months old and there was a KN on it before that.

This only seems to happen when the car is under light load as mentioned previously and of course I was always driving at the time. It can be heard when cruising at say 60-65 or when starting out from a dead stop. If you lay into the throttle more than your normal accelleration (normal driving) then you can't hear it at all. the thing about it is that it does not sound like a rattle at all. It sounds like a clanking or more than anything, a Diesel engine. I don't know how else to describe it. I may be running by my buddies shop this afternoon to take him for a ride in it and see what he thinks.

 

The 1700-2000 RPM "pinging" is a common problem. My '03 has done it more or less since new. It is now about 5 1/2 years old and has 80k miles.

93 Octane helps, but it doesn't completely get rid of the noise.


.

 

My brother baught my mom's 2000 Max which had been pinging as well.
No stored codes.

He got a tip from a mechanic to change the MAP sensor - problem solved and his MPG went up.

 

Anyone have an idea of a part number or part number for a MAP sensor? Where is it located? I think I am getting confused with a MAF sensor at the moment.

 

MAP= Manifold Absolute Pressure MAF= Mass Air Flow Nothing confusing there. Not trying to sound like a ****.

 

so has the proble been identified. I have had the same s*&* going on for over a year. I have no idea what the hell it is.

 

i think alot of people have the pinging issue, what have you doen to try to resolve it?

 

I have the same issue with mine. I have an 03 maxima. I changed the plugs and used premium gas but nothing has changed. I was told to change my oil to 10w30 instead of 5w30. But I see above that even that didn't work. So maybe I will try 10w40. Would this affect the engine in anyway? I did notice that whenever I do an oil change that the rattling noise goes away, but then reappears after a while. I always use a can of BG MOA as well.

 

My noise just went down a good bit. Not gone, but not very noticeable. Here's what I just did:

1. Replaced spark plugs. (old ones had 80k miles on them, but they were in great shape)
2. Replaced old gaskets with the NWP phenolic spacers.
3. Cleaned out UIM and LIM during spacer install. (very dirty).

I'm not sure which of the above 3 things (maybe all 3 together) reduced the noise, but it is a very big improvement.




.

 

So I went to the mechanic today so he can check it out for me. He had me in the car while it was up on the lift. I reved the engine for him as he was under the car as well as other mechanics. According to them the noise is coming from my headers and y pipe. I had changed my oil this morning to 10w30, but still got the noise. And I noticed I only drained two qts of oil :/

 

it is pinging, you can try to get spacers and reduce the heat, that might help. but the problem has plagued these engine since new. no proved solution has been found

 

That is true. I have spacers on already. That didn't do nothing with solving the noise. I think my next step is to change out the entire exhaust system with performance parts.

 

you can try colder plugs, is your timing advanced?

 

Yeah I have colder plugs. How do I go about getting my timing advanced?

 

I have the noise too and i think it's kinda nice, I like it, Sounds like a truck =O)

 

try runnign a bottle of chevron and see if that help. you would want to reatrd your timing

 

if my car started to sound like a diesel and i didn't know what was wrong it would be in the shop(kevs) asap. if your car ever starts making 'bad' noises get it fixed immediately and stop driving it. but hey that's just me.

 

my car kinda sounds like that aswell... mechs have told me that a bunch of maximas sound like that and it seems to be common but it will continue to run fine and theres not much to do or worth paying for... so i left it alone.. its not that bad.. im more intune with my revs since i can hear it so clear LOL but oh well