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Sedans Nissan Altima Nissan Altima Engine Rattle
99 messages, Last post on Dec 08, 2009 at 10:53 AM
You are in the Nissan Altima Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: pat (Feb 17, 2008 8:31 am)
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Replying to: 2007altima (Mar 29, 2008 4:46 pm) The definition of piston slap... The condition caused by too much clearance between the piston and the cylinder walls . The piston rattles or slaps against the wall of the cylinder. It makes a hollow, muffled, bell-like sound. Is this what it sounds like to you? On modern engines, this should not be an issue as engine tolerences are much tighter. That is why we can run 5W-30 oils instead of the heavier oils run 30+years ago without adding oil every 500 miles. I would be very suspicious if this was an explanation given to me. In any case, save all your service receipts, as you may need them later. |
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Replying to: 2007altima (Mar 29, 2008 4:46 pm) |
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good luck everyone! i probaly want be back on here since i dont own a altima anymore!!!!!!! loving my malibu 
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Replying to: annie07 (Apr 02, 2008 4:06 pm) The Malibu does look like a huge step forward for GM. The styling was a big negative for my wife and having only a 4 speed automatic on 4 cylinder is unacceptable to me. If it were my money, my second choise would be Accord or Sonata. |
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Replying to: mfarina (Mar 20, 2008 7:37 am) |
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Has anyone found a solution for a loud rattle coming from the engine compartment of a "08 Altima 2.5L". It sounds like lack of oil to some engine components and is more pronounced when the engine is cold and under higher RPM's. The dealer says no bulletins have been issued on engine noise problems and advised me to continue driving it until it gets bad enough they can pinpoint the problem. I've had it back two times and they haven't found the problem. The next time I go back I would like to have some suggestions I can throw at them. If that doesn't work I'm taking the problem up Nissan's ladder.
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Replying to: warthog10 (Feb 20, 2009 9:14 pm) I suggest that you keep pressing Nissan. The 2.5 S engine has problems...
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Replying to: warthog10 (Feb 20, 2009 9:14 pm) business bureau guess what they said------------- because the car was still drive able they would not do anything i had 3 mechanics look at mine and said it was internal in the engine!! got tired of missing work trying to deal with mine so i traded it off i have had my malibu 5 months and i have not had a problem. i wish you lots of luck |
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I have the same problem in my 2003 2.5L Altima. Of course mine in out of warranty so I have not brought it in to be looked at as of yet. I’ve been doing some research before I do that. I have read many posts on this and have a little automotive knowledge. First off I know without a doubt it is not the heat shields. Nissan must have idiots for mechanics because if you listen to the engine you can clearly tell that it’s the valve train and not a rattle from a loose shield. In some vehicles this can be the case but I have read post after post of people having these shields replaced and the sound is still there. What does Nissan do? They change them again and end up with the same result. My engine makes the sound only when the engine is cold and goes away when the engine is at normal temperature. In the summer, I hardly ever hear the noise after the engine has had a cold soak (sitting over night). Now in the winter when it’s cold out is when I hear this noise at its worse. Another interesting find is that the noise is only when the engine is under load. At idle it’s very quiet and you can even rev it up without hearing the clatter. A heat shield would rattle if it were lose regardless if the engine was idling or under load. The theory is that once the exhaust heats up the shield expands and becomes snugger eliminating the noise. I have a 5spd and soon as you put it in gear and start to accelerate I can hear the noise and like I said, it sounds exactly like an engine with no lubrication to the camshaft and valve train. I changed my oil filter to a high grade filter thinking perhaps the oil filter bypass valve was not functioning and was starving the engine for oil at cold temps. This makes perfect sense. Oil filters have a oil bypass valve in them because when it’s cold out the oil is very thick and too thick to push through the filter medium. So when the engine is cold, the pressure from the oil not getting through the filter medium causes the bypass valve to open and allow oil to circulate throughout the engine. When the engine gets warm and the oil gets thinner, the pressure will drop and the bypass valve in the filter will close. Then the valve shuts and the oil is able to begin going through the filter medium. I also used thinner oil to help in cold weather and that and the filter change did not resolve the noise. So this brings me back to the valve train. Nissans have what is called a “cam timing solenoid”. This is a valve that controls the cam shaft timing sprocket, it changes the oil pressure to the sprocket for cam timing, and if it loses pressure it will cause the sprocket to rattle. It seems to be a problem when the engine is cold. I have come to the conclusion that this has to be the problem. |
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