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Nissan Altima Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • skinsfan3skinsfan3 Member Posts: 78
    REMEMBER YOU ARE BUYING ASIS/WHEREIS.So if you feel that you were not given the full story, should you decide to go to court, you will probably lose. a friend and family often find themselves in this situation. As was pointed out, old is old, so anything may happen on day one. You can best protect your interests by spending the 00 bucks or so for sa mechanic to look it over.
  • ridereddesridereddes Member Posts: 4
    i am going to have boyfriend look over it, he is a mechanic. Thanks for giving me those things to check out.

    it's my first.... not ford lol. My dad only buys ford, so this is a stretch in his dept. But my boyfriend works on foreign cars all day, he says he can check it out. On my explorer i knew what was coming you know? I'll definitely as him on tuesday ( the father-in-law ) if there is anything comin up or if he has done any repairs in the past.
  • skinsfan3skinsfan3 Member Posts: 78
    I hope your bf is licensed. There are lots of stupid judges who, in the event of litigation,would not accept findings. I think yours is a practicably approach. If not the bf, who else can you trust?
  • bsmartbsmart Member Posts: 8
    Hi, Just saw your message, I have a 95 Altima purchased new I now have 297,973 miles on it. Best car I ever had, I have replaced the alternator, battery,fuel pump, water pump, and distributor, has the original exhaust on it.
    I keep the oil changed every 3-4000 miles. Still has great pick up, heat , air work great, I believe the 95-97 altima's were the best made. I also have a 2010 now, but still drive my 95 alot. If this guy kept the oil changed and basic maintenance up, it has alot of life left. My Nissan mechanic has told me keeping the oil changed is the key to life ! :)
  • wildthingwildthing Member Posts: 25
    I had a few scrapes and scratches on my right lower portion of my front bumper so the last time I went to service my car, I picked up one of those double ended paint sticks (colour and clear coat) from the dealers parts dept. Went home, cleaned the bumper area, shook the stick for a couple of minutes and started to apply the paint. My car's colour is the Satin White but the paint from the stick was so glossy white that I thought it had to be the wrong paint. Went back to the dealer and showed the results to to the parts dept...they verified the paint stick was the correct one...they said when I apply the Clear Coat from the stick, the paint match will be a lot closer.

    Well, I tried that but the difference is still very noticeable. Now, I've used these paint sticks on other cars and other colours and I realize that they are usually not a perfect match but this difference was really glaring. My car's colour looked almost cream colour when compared to the paint stick's white.

    Any oe else runn into something like this when touching up their cars ??
  • skinsfan3skinsfan3 Member Posts: 78
    You are playing with a job best left to a reasonably priced body shop. Even da Vinci couldn't apply the paint stick without it running or looking lousy. Beware. There is a "as seen as on TV" commercial that pushes a magic stick that gets scratches out. It doesn't work. You can read all about it if you ever see it on a "complaints" site.
  • ridereddesridereddes Member Posts: 4
    ok SO. DEfinitely not perfect, but for 660$ i think i'll live. the interior was kept up well but it has some dents and dings. Original owner, kept it up well but it's been thru all the kids lol. so it's had some good and bad times, one of the kids did get into and accident, both airbags did deploy, but they have a mechanic that they took the car only to him and he fixed it right up for them. only the radiator was damaged, but it is a salvaged title.

    BUT hear me out, it drives....GREAT.

    the outside is not appealing but it's trans is in better shape than my sister's 2000 escorts's is ( it hardly has a problem ).

    My bf and our buddy john has gone over it, they took out some dents. it's lookin better already. both mirrors were missing (one is kinda duct taped on there) and the tint is bad. and those are about the worst parts about the car. otherwise inside is great, seats are like new, radio works ( suck that its not a cd player, but oh well..) A/C works perfect. Gas Mileage is awesome.

    it only HAS to last about 2 years... but if it lasts longer, i wouldn't mind it around lol :]. i've come to love the thing.

    maybe ill do some before and after pics for you guys, keep yah posted. also im going to changing oil, air filter, drive belt, fuel filter, and oil filter (of course) and......windshield wipers ( they look like they've never been touched!!!) and i think she'll be up to par.

    ALso. something interesting, it did not pass smog for the first time this last feb. so i have to get it pirate smogged but i'd rather see what the code is. because it's recent, it could be an easy fix. i'm going to aamco tomorrow to get the code.

    i just cant wait to give it some luuuuuv.
  • zorlinshapezorlinshape Member Posts: 1
    I need to replace the driver's side mirror on my 2008 Altima 2.5S, and I'm wondering if there's any real difference (in terms of installation) between an OEM part and an aftermarket part (the part number I've found is 68558N).

    The reason I ask is that one body shop told me that for this make/model, the OEM mirror is recommended, but kind of just gave me vague reasons why. I called the dealership and asked them if there was any truth to this (of course I took their answer with a grain of salt), and they said the bolting on aftermarket parts won't fix exactly.

    Any truth to this?
  • ridereddesridereddes Member Posts: 4
    Maybe it has to do with the controls to the mirror?
  • geosulcata1geosulcata1 Member Posts: 3
  • geosulcata1geosulcata1 Member Posts: 3
    We just purchased a new Altima SL Thursday. My husband was backing out today and I was outside the car and noticed a metal grinding noise. Then as he put it in drive, I again noticed the same noise. Both times from the back left tire. I already feel like we over paid (was $23500 a bad deal?) They threw in new all weather mats that we pick up Wednesday. What should I ask about when we take it back in?
  • nursinggirlnursinggirl Member Posts: 1
    My maintenance other warning light comes on and when i go on there it the limit was 250...i don't want to reset it because i don't know what it means by that or what needs to be repaired. what do i do.please
  • newowner10newowner10 Member Posts: 227
    Where is it located on engine. This valve controls the idia speed.
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,272
    Was it a heavy rain night the night before? The metal on brake rotors is so raw that it can get a layer of surface rust overnight if it is moist out.
  • virginiapenvirginiapen Member Posts: 2
    I've been having a lot of problems with my Altima recently, but nothing like this. This problem just started 3 days ago. If I hit the gas to accelerate, I hear a whooshing sound and my car is very slow to accelerate past 55 mph. The sound stops once I go over 60 mph, but the car still feels a little sluggish. Any help would be appreciated.
  • skinsfan3skinsfan3 Member Posts: 78
    I don't know about the wooshing sound, but are you filling up without removing the nozzzle before the cklick?

    Asa far as performance, at the advice of my local mechanic, I go to Costco and pick up the chevron pack of injector fluid. I think they sell it for around 15$ per pack. He assures me that it is a great additive. My mileage and performance have improved. I use it every fill up and sometimes during my driving. Good luck. Oh, my altima is 2003 with closeto 100k miles. For highway driving, my mpg is around 30, Before I used the injector cleabor it had dropped to below 20mpg's.
  • virginiapenvirginiapen Member Posts: 2
    skinsfan3, thanks so much! Now that you mention it, my problem started after I filled up. The nozzle kept clicking for some reason and I had a hard time filling up. I'll try an injector to see if that helps the problem. Thanks again.
  • mtorrcamtorrca Member Posts: 2
    I had a similar problem with my Honda CRV. There is some kind of two-part magnet in the sensor that turns on the compressor, with a really tight calibration. The spec is for it to have an 0.5mm gap between the two parts, and my car had a 1.0mm gap (that is - the out-of-cal condition was too small to detect with the naked eye). Once they fixed the gap, the A/C seemed to work fine.
  • mtorrcamtorrca Member Posts: 2
    We also had a warning that we didn't understand; it sounded similar to this. It looked like a clockface showing 3 o'clock, with what looked like radio waves radiating out from it.

    It came on after stopping at the base of the offramp on the freeway. It also had the letters '1.5 H' on the screen.

    Any ideas?
  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    Interesting. Never seen/heard that one before.

    Try and get a pic if it happens again...
  • jb2266jb2266 Member Posts: 1
    The flashing "service engine soon" light fired on Saturday. Had it towed to my Nissan dealership where the inspected the Altima SE today. Verdict: Cat converter disintegrated and the debris "scored the cylinder wall". The dealership says I need a new engine for $5000. Anyone hear of this problem?
  • skinsfan3skinsfan3 Member Posts: 78
    Like others, this one is new to me. Since mechanics are able to rebuild racing cars, I would think that there may be some way to machine the "scoring". Nevertheless, if you follow your manual on how to proceed under lemon laws, you may be able to get Nissan's ear on this one. I forget what the warranty is on the cat converter so it seems to me that the failure of of a component like that should fall upon the manufacturer. I have a 2003 so I will discuss this possibility with my shop.
  • kat61969kat61969 Member Posts: 1
    Tried to access the link, but it wasn't there.
  • lashleroux15lashleroux15 Member Posts: 11
    Hi everyone,

    I've got a 2008 altima s sedan. It's been good for 32,000 miles so far. But just recently, I ran into a strange issue. Left the car in a parking lot for a few hours (temperature was 45 degrees outside), came out and tried to start the car.

    It tried to turn over once then everything went dead. No lights in the dash or anything. I could hear a clicking sound (like a relay) behind the dash but had no gauges or anything else lit up. Took my foot off the brake, waited a second and tried again. Nothing. Just the clicking sound behind the dash but nothing lighting up and the engine didn't turn over at all.

    After doing this a few more times, I put the keyfob in the slot next to the steering wheel. I tried a few more times and nothing happened. I reseated the keyfob in the slot and all of a sudden, it started just like normal.

    Since then (about 3-4 trips), it's acted normal. Still bugs me though because this wasn't a brake switch issue. The car/dash was dead. My radio lost all it's presets, etc. so it looks like all power was cut off in the vehicle when this happened. And since it won't recreate itself, I'm waiting to hit the dealer because we know what usually happens there.

    Anyone else seen this? Any ideas? I'm thinking some other electronic control/brain in the dash (ECU, etc) but since it hasn't re-appeared yet, it makes it tough to figure out.

    And yes, my keyfobs do have recent batteries in them and I never got a low battery warning for them prior to this incident.
  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    Double-check the battery terminals. Make sure they're tightened down and free of corrosion. Both of these issues could have caused a temporary problem...

    If this doesn't do the trick, there may be a short somewhere that could (again) cause an on-again, off-again issue.
  • cybercoolcybercool Member Posts: 117
    my wife's 2000 altima started giving her problems. I replaced battery and she stills sees airbag, brake lights flickering on & off. Other day she needed a buster. What can it be?
  • taycam826taycam826 Member Posts: 1
    it is a warning light telling you that you have been driving for over 90 minutes. you can change how long u want it to come on. its for people that drive at night and it tells them they need to stop a rest. thats all it is basically.
  • _kristin__kristin_ Member Posts: 4
    edited November 2010
    i've never had a problem with my 98 altima runs (ran) great and driving hometonight the service engine light came on and at the very same sec engine just stopped like a switch was turned off, did not putter or anything , now the lights on dash come on and it makes the turn over noise but its like theres nothing there for it to catch on to turn over. any ideas what happend? I am 5 payments tull paid off :(
  • _kristin__kristin_ Member Posts: 4
  • kpandyakpandya Member Posts: 19
    Hi,
    Have a question, whenever I set my AC to the AUTO option after setting the desired temperature, it always points the AC to the feet(Any help to point to my head), and if I change any of the setting to point to my head, it turns off the auto option, any help with that?

    Thanks,
    K
  • jybanezjybanez Member Posts: 4
    just notice monday just past . i was stop and move notice that acceleration was high before the gear change.1st and 2nd. also low on acceleration steady and change gear. what do think . please i need help just got lay off. mechanic was not available at this time.
  • jybanezjybanez Member Posts: 4
  • av8r78av8r78 Member Posts: 1
    Hey folks, I'm new to this whole forum and would really like some advice please. I have a 1997 Altima with the 2.4 I-4 engine and an automatic transmission. The car has about 220,000 miles on it. The car started to over-heat last week so I waited til the engine had cooled and then added coolant to the radiator directly and to the over-fill too. The other day, the engine started to shake/vibrate kinda hard and was behaving like it wanted to stall out. As it was shaking/vibrating, there was white smoke coming out of the front of the engine but the temperature gauge was on the cool side. This morning, I tried to start the car and it wouldn't do it at all. Not even with jumper cables. I'm kinda at a loss. I know that I need to do a flush/fill of the radiator and probably an oil change too. I don't know when the spark plugs were last changed, but I should probably do those too. Please help! Like I said, I'm at a loss.
  • benbaileybenbailey Member Posts: 1
    sounds like you may have blown a head gasket.
  • ndiboyndiboy Member Posts: 36
    I believe you have a burnt head gasket too despite the temperature gauge displaying normal. It happened to my 02 Altima and once it was changed everything was alright.
    Check the oil after driving to see if there is a milky film on it which shows that oil is mixing with water.
    Chuma.
  • mazda6dudemazda6dude Member Posts: 283
    I really disappointed on how hard it is to change the in-cabin filter in the 2010 Nissan Altima 2.5S sedan. I had no luck trying to get the glove box out so I slid the filter in from the bottom.

    Any one have links to photo instructions, videos or anything else that would be helpful? Thanks!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Remove the glove box assembly.

    Remove the console side finisher RH.

    Disengage the filter cover tab to remove the filter cover.

    Remove the in-cabin microfilter from the blower unit.

    When you open the glove box, there are three screws to take out along the bottom and then it comes out.
  • volcanoclimbervolcanoclimber Member Posts: 1
    I dont believe there is much of a difference with how the in cabin filter is replaced from a 2010 model to a 2007. I have a 2007, I took my car to a nissan dealership to have a few services done. Once the car was done, at pick up I asked if they replaced the in-cabin filter since it was part of the service package coupon offer. They did not, so at the spot a tech came walking up with a new filter and a flat screw driver. All he did was enter the passenger side laying face up, reached under the glove box compartment and using the flat screw driver, pulled out the filter through the bottom and slid in the new one again using the screw driver to help with the process. The filter does need to bend in order to be slid into place. It took about a minute to replace. I was laughing inside because the service adviser when explaining to me about the procedure, stated the glove box had to be removed and a bunch of other bolony. The fact is its really easy and they just make it seem complicated so that you dont feel ripped off by the high price they charge. The only difficulty will probably be that you need to lay face up on the passenger side floor. I recommend using a small flash light to help you see under the dash board. Hope this helps.
  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    I've been told that the cabin air filter is NOT included in all '07 Altimas, but only in the 2.5SL and 3.5SE/SL. Is this true?
  • ndiboyndiboy Member Posts: 36
    Thats a blatant lie, even my 2002 Altima 2.5S with SL package has not to talk of 07 models. Once the car has A/C be rest assured the filter is there.
    Chuma.
  • mazda6dudemazda6dude Member Posts: 283
    This is pretty much what I did except I didn't enter the passenger side laying face up. It was difficult, but I got it done. I did use a flash light. I agree that the procedure with removing the glove box etc. is just way too complicated and too much work for replacing a in-cabin filter. After all, over 10 years, there was no mention of in-cabin air filters.

    How often do you change your in-cabin filter?
  • outboardmanoutboardman Member Posts: 2
    I believe I have discovered the source of all the frustration with the '02 Nissan 2.5 oil consumption. I will start out by saying that I run my own marine repair business, am a licensed aircraft mechanic, and have over 40 years repair experience. However, this Altima engine (my wife's car) is the first automotive engine I have built in 30 years; much different than the outboards I build all the time. I will also state that I am indebted to Hap Lewis at Hap's Automotive Machine in Paso Robles, Ca., and Kenny at Ellis Piston Ring Sales in Shreveport, La. for all of their technical assistance.

    After reading this forum, I discovered I wasn't alone with the head gasket problem, but had yet to experience excessive oil consumption, though, after teardown I discovered I was way overdue. I will try to make this short and to the point, and not bore with the technical details.

    On teardown, I discovered the engine was unusually dirty, a varnish/sludge build up. Upon cleaning the pistons I even had to use a drill bit to clean the oil drain back holes. Although dirty, and with 133K miles, the cylinders showed no appreciable wear: ditto pistons, crank, or rod and main bearings; lubrication was not a problem.

    I had the block cleaned, the cylinders machine honed, decked, and a valve job performed on the head. I ordered parts from both aftermarket suppliers and Nissan. When I had all my parts in order and everything cleaned, I began assembly.

    During disassembly I noted that the oil control ring wiper rails (2) were stuck and had to be pried off the pistons and that both wiper rail end gaps were aligned. While assembling the rings to the pistons (following the factory manual step by step), I noted several things that were indeed odd. First. The manual showed a staggering of the ring end gaps (normal) with the oil control wiper rail end gaps aligned (not normal practice). I was installing Nissan rings, so their markings matched the manual exactly. The top ring was labeled "A", while the second ring was labeled "A2". This was OK, but here is where it gets weird: The upper ring that was labeled "A" was a black ring, the second ring labeled "A2" was a chrome ring... In 99% of installations the chrome ring is the compression ring which is the top or upper ring... I began calling. Both Kenny and Hap said this was really odd, and Hap suggested I install the two upper rings in the order called for in just one cylinder and turn the engine over several times, remove the piston, and use a magnifying glass to check the scuff pattern on the black ring; I did. Hap told me that if the scuff pattern was on the lower edge only of the black ring, then that ring had a tapered face and was a wiper ring, not a compression ring, and was not in the correct position: It should be installed in the second position, not the top position... The scuff on the ring was on the lower edge of the ring face indicating a wiper position, not the compression position.

    In my opinion oil consumption in these engines is caused by 1) Nissan OE piston rings being incorrectly labeled with the result that the ring that should be in the #2 position (wiper) is installed in the upper position (compression) (which it clearly is not), and 2) The manual calling for alignment of the oil ring rails such that the ring end gap is not staggered (industry standard) but, rather, in alignment, thereby causing a direct leak path bypassing a portion of the oil ring assembly, and possible flooding the second (scraper) ring with excess oil which it could in no wise handle since it was installed in the wrong position to begin with, being the compression ring, not the scraper (as noted above).

    Let me be clear: The rings are each designed for a specific purpose: The upper ring to seal compression, and generally having a molybdenum face or a chrome face for long life and heat resistance, and the second ring which is a wiper ring to assist in a "squeegee" effect of keeping the oil from bypassing into the area of the upper ring, and thus into the cylinder and being burned and discharged into the exhaust. If these two rings are interchanged in position the softer scraper ring will not withstand the heat and pressure nor seal the cylinder, and the chrome faced upper ring does not have the necessary taper to effectively wipe the oil off the cylinder wall. With the foregoing incorrect installation you must necessarily experience oil consumption.

    Obviously these engines were assembled per the manual using factory parts mislabeled and with piston ring end gaps incorrectly aligned (per industry standard), thus the oil control/consumption problems people are complaining about.

    On this rebuild I will not use the Nissan rings. I have chosen to use Hastings piston rings (made in the USA) and will align the ring end gaps per industry standard and anticipate no further oil consumption problems!

    Lessons learned: Do not use Nissan factory ring sets for this engine, and do not use ring installation guidance as proffered in the factory manual, which, by the way, is excellent in all other aspects.
  • skyfan1skyfan1 Member Posts: 37
    I have a 2010 Altima that I bought new last August. A few weeks ago, the battery would not start and I had to have it jumped. I was able to drive it to the dealership the next day, but they said the battery needed to be replaced. The car had about 3,000 miles on it. The service guy could not give me an explanation for this. He said he replaced a 3 year manufacturer's battery with a 7 year battery. Can anyone tell me if you have ever heard of this happening and if you have any idea how a new battery could go bad this fast??
  • ndiboyndiboy Member Posts: 36
    Coould anyone diagnose this problem for me. I changed the mass airflow meter of my 02 altima at 105,000miles but before then the mechanic felt it was the fuel pump that made it not to start. The fuel pump was later returned but they've already tampered with the fuel filter housing the pump and cut and replaced some of the pipes inside the gauge, pump and filter component.
    The problem now is that I have to start the car twice before it starts and I can't seem to figure out what the problem is. Should I change the filter pump unit or what? I need the car to be starting once like before.
    Thanks, Chuma.
  • melcot04melcot04 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2001 Nissan Altima with 122k miles. Had the car for about 8 weeks. After about 4 weeks, the check engine light come on. Had it check and the code was P0400 which is suppose to be EGR valve. I took it apart and cleaned it, light came back on. I replaced it and light came back on. During this time, about 300 every miles, the car looses power, and intrument cluster stops working. My wife had been pulling off the road, sitting for about 20 minutes, starts the car back up and everything goes back to normal. Recently I was driving the car when it done this and I put the car in neutral and back to drive and the car returns to normal expect the cluster does not work. Cut the car off for about 10 minutes and cluster starts working again. It appears to be doing this a little more frequent now and do not understand why you can shift into neutral then back to drive and car runs normal. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,272
    I have an 03 with 62k. The car has always been extremely reliable and run fantastic for me. A few weeks ago, I had the crank position sensor replaced after the service engine light came on. This addressed the light and the car felt fine for a few weeks.

    Over this weekend, we had very heavy rain. The car sat all Saturday and most of Sunday. When I started it on Sunday night, it was running very rough and was missing when revved. After a minute or two, the SEL flickered on.

    By this morning, the rain had stopped but things were very wet still. The car felt fine when I started it but by mile 4 of my 5 miles commute, it had started running rough again.

    The issue is obviously related to the rain and probably related to the new sensor. Does that sensor have a boot or protective covering that might be missing? What should I be considering?

    Thanks in advance
  • latonyasharpelatonyasharpe Member Posts: 1
    My climate control knob is broken on my 2005 Nissan Altima. The fan is blowing on high. How do I take the knob off without breaking it?
  • mel01mel01 Member Posts: 1
    I read several other posts at other forums that suggested removing the header, cleaning out the builtin catalytic converter with a long screwdriver, then bolting the header back on. But won't the "service engine soon" light stay lit, even after a computer reset, due to the readings from the sensors? One forum said that you can fool the computer by using a different sensor at the bottom of the front cat. Would that actually work?
  • clean52clean52 Member Posts: 1
    Wife got a 2010 on New Years Eve, on 5-13 battery totally dead at work I jump it. we go to dealer and they replace a sensor. 2 weeks later same thing. Dealer has it now over Memorial day weekend and he calls and says we are not driving it enough to charge battery!!!!!!! Wife works 7 miles from home. Are you kidding me Anyone ever hear of this. :confuse:
  • onlamonlam Member Posts: 13
    edited June 2011
    Could be a bad switch. It's a switch that activates the startup when you step on the brake.

    Read Link:

    http://www.nissanclub.com/forums/2007-nissan-altima-discussion-2-5-3-5/317417-in- - termittent-startup-failure.html
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