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Nissan Altima Maintenance and Repair

2702 messages,  Last post on May 06, 2013 at 12:49 PM

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What is this discussion about? Nissan Altima, Sedan

    
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Messages Page 216 of 271

#2150 of 2702 Re: Check Engine Light On [yggie] by electricdesign

Dec 27, 2007 (9:44 pm)

Replying to: yggie (Dec 27, 2007 9:18 am)
You did not say how many miles are on the vehicle, but I would guess high since it's a 2003, probably 80,000 or more.
Lot's of things could cause that miss. Here is another possibility:
This symtom could also be caused by engine coolant entering a cylinder, the same thing happened on my daughters 2002 Altima 2.5S, with 100,900 miles. Watch the coolant level in the resivior and radiator, check the radiator ONLY when the engine is COLD. If you mysteiously loose coolant without any apparant leak, it could be the problem. Also watch for steam out the exhaust pipe, AFTER the engine has warmed up. It is normal for most cars to emit a small amount of steam and water out the exhaust pipe when first started, and for the first few minutes while warming up. This is because gasoline turns into mostly water when it burns. It is in the state of steam in the exhaust stroke, then when it enters the COLD exhaust pipe and muffler, it condenses back into water that you can see. Once the exhaust pipe and muffler are hot, the water remains steam and you don't see it, unless it comes out into cold air. If you have coolant leaking into the cylinder, it will often come out the exhaust as visible steam because of the volume of the coolant and it also causes the cylinder to misfire. This may or may not show up in a code, depending upon how bad it is.
These engines are KNOWN to warp heads, my daughters Altima 2.5S head was warped .005" and had to be milled at the machine shop. After rebuilding the head and putting it back on a week ago, it is doing fine so far.
If you want to know more about the work I did on the engine, you can go look in the Nissan Altima Engine Failures forum. There are long discussions there about the problems with the Pre-cats, Catalyic Converters and engines. Use the SEARCH feature.
Good Luck,
E.D. in Sunny Florida

#2151 of 2702 Re: Shifter cover [wbw] by neo_

Dec 28, 2007 (11:43 pm)

Replying to: wbw (Dec 26, 2007 9:03 am)
I can pull mine straight out. give urs a try.

#2152 of 2702 Re: Check Engine Light On [yggie] by raydanley

Dec 31, 2007 (12:02 pm)

Replying to: yggie (Dec 27, 2007 9:18 am)
I'll take a stab at this one: I'm willing to bet its the cam or some times called the crank sensor. Nissan has a factory recall on this issue that started in August of 2006. You can call Nissan at 1-800-647-7261. They will re program the engine control modal (ECM) for free. Low speeds and stop and go driving can cause the cam sensor (located at the top of the engine -inline with the distributor) to overheat. When the sensor over heats it gives false signals to the ECM. The ECM will try to correct the engine timing which will cause the engine to vibrate, which in turn is picked up by the knock sensor (detects engine vibration) - which will shut the engine down before the vibration causes mechanical failure.
 
Please write back and tell us what the dealer tells you.
 
Ray Danley

#2153 of 2702 Door panel removing by ealshin

Dec 31, 2007 (4:03 pm)

How to remove front door panel for Altima 2000? I'd like to replace speaker.

#2154 of 2702 Altima Remote key/Sensor issue by spider441

Jan 01, 2008 (3:42 pm)

All,
Can you please help with this vexing issue? I bought a 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL new from the dealer 6 years back.
  
The remote for our Altima had stopped working. Initially the car used to respond sporadically, but without any sounds (usually associated with locking of the car). But after sometime, it stopped responding completely. I thought it's the battery in the remote and got it replaced. But the problem continues. Never had this problem in the last 6 years.
  
 I, now, suspect that it's an issue with the car sensor. have you guys heard/seen something similar?
  
Thanks in advance,

#2155 of 2702 2003 Manual Gear Box Sticking by bonsigirl

Jan 03, 2008 (10:39 am)

2003 nissian altima 70+ miles ...recently gear box starting sticking ... having problems shifting from park to drive, reverse...sometimes i spend 2-3 mins trying to move it...help

#2157 of 2702 1994 Nissan Altima by thetwins

Jan 02, 2008 (10:03 pm)

I have a nissan altima. We first had some problems with the injectors. Than I was driving the car and it just died. Than it wouldnt start. I am wondering could it be the distrubitor. Or I also was told that it could be the timing chains. We want to get the car fixed but we are afraid that if it is the timing chains the valves could be bent. Does anyone have any ideas?

#2158 of 2702 couple questions by 97alty

Jan 03, 2008 (11:03 pm)

Replying to: thetwins (Jan 02, 2008 10:03 pm)
Did the car made a lot of noise before it died? You sure you fixed injectors right? Sounds like injectors or ignition problem to me.
Timing chains usually last very long time, why would you think it's chains? How many miles you have on your car?
 
Try posting your question on edmunds answers page too...

#2159 of 2702 Re: 1994 Nissan Altima [thetwins] by electricdesign

Jan 04, 2008 (7:57 am)

Replying to: thetwins (Jan 02, 2008 10:03 pm)
You ask many questions about what the problem could be, but the only way to find out is with proper diagnosis, not just guessing. How many miles on this engine?
 
First, what was the problem with the fuel injectors and what was done about it? Fuel injectors ar relatively trouble free. Sometimes they can clog or burn out. If you have bad ones, you simply replace them with new ones and replace the fuel injector seals with new ones. You check the electrical signal to each fuel injector by connecting a "NOID LIGHT" to each fuel injector, they will flash each time the they recieve the signal to "fire" the fuel injector. If the noid lights flash they are recieving the signal. The only other problem that you can have is if the fuel injectors are out of time. They are fired by the computer signals and the computer sends the signals according to the signals it recieves fron the CRANKSHAFT SENSOR and the CAMSHAFT SENSOR. Those sensors should be checked to be sure they are working. If the fuel injectors are working properly, continue to the next item.
 
Second, the distributor and ignition timing should be checked. If the timing chain was off, it would make the ignition timing off. Check the distributor for any leaking oil inside of it, as this has been known to create problems before. If the distributor is working fine, the ignition timing is set correctly, the spark plugs wires are good, connected correctly, and good spark at the spark plugs, continue to the next item.
 
Third, remove the spark plugs, connect a battery charger to the battery and using a cylinder compression tester, test the compression of each clyinder while cranking the engine. You should disable the ignition and block the throttle open while doing this. Write down the compression on each clyinder, the miles on the engine and the date, and keep it for your records. You would need to check the specification for your vehicle to see what compression should be expected. I would expect compressions of more than 140, but check you specs first to be sure. First, look to see how even they are, they should vary by no more than 20%. If the compressions are low on one clyinder, and ok on the others, I would investigate to see what the problems is with that one cylinder. If all of the cylinders are low, it may be because the timing chain is out of time or possibly some of the valves could be bent or leaking. This would require looking into the engine, removing the valve cover and timing cover to check the actual timing of the camshafts relative to the crankshaft.
Good Luck,
E.D. in Sunny Florida

Messages Page 216 of 271

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