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For infrmation , from 1989 to 2004 only models with the 3.0 or 3.3 liter V6 ( Frontier , Pathfinder , Xterra , Quest , 300ZX , some Maxima) had timimng belts ... all other car models have had timing chains since 1995 ... since 2005 , all Nissan models have timimg chains ...
I have checked to see that the pipe is clear. I have felt the gas intake point and the flapper there swings freely.
Note that I do not have a flapper at the top of the pipe. You know, the thin metal piece that seals the opening to the gas tank intake pipe.
Any hints, tips, ideas, comiserations?
Winter is coming and its a bear to stand in the frigid air while the gas dribbles in and spills on the floor.
Thanks
I'm wondering if anyone else has a condensor problem. Mine is is a brand new Altima with only 400 miles. The front passenger side floor gets wet whenever the A/C is on. I brought it back to the dealer and they cleaned the A/C drain. Didn't solve it...and now they have to get a new condensor from Japan! 2 weeks to get the part and they have to rip the entire dash out! I've only had the car for 4 weeks...but it's been at the dealer's shop for half the time! Anyone else experience this or am I just the "lucky" one? :lemon:
Thanks!
I haven't had a response to my post and wondered if it was a bad or poorly written question or if no one knows the answer. The distributor is a lifetime guaranteed one from Auto Zone. The other replacement was NAPA. It failed in less that a year. Could something else cause the distributor to fail? From reading the other posts I see that tach jumping around (often peging to the right) may be the distributor. It also does this when the ignition switch is on but the car is not running. That seems weird. The action of the tach does not relate to the way the car is running. Also is it possible to replace the plastic connector to the distributor without splicing the wires? I couldn't see anyway of doing it so I spliced them. Definately not the ideal situation. It looks like replacing the whole harness would be a major operation.
Does anyone know where I can a replacement part?
I have a 1999 with the same problem. You can get it from the dealer for TOO MUCH $$. You have to get the whole visor assembly.
I have exhaustively searched online and there is nothing.
The only other option, as the first reply mentioned, is go to a junk yard. I called about 12 junkyards and finally found one for about $30.
Go skins, Redskins that is. Like that new QB. Living up here in the Mtns near the cola mines.
Jim
Don't know the answers to all your problems. But, my 94 had the same oil problem. Caused car to stall when oil got inside distributor. My mechanic drilled a small hole in base to let it drain. No more oil problem.
I had a problem with the coil and it was very hard to diagnose. Some times the car would simply not start. The starter would turn over but it would not start. I consulted the Hanes Manual and tested ignition system with my multi-meter as subscribed. The only thing I could find was the coil resistance drop was slightly out of range. On a Saturday morning I got it started and took it to my Nissan dealer. The tech told me the coil was fine and wanted me to replace the distributor. He also told me that a bad coil can some times cause the distributor to malfunction. Not that I don't trust my deal's tech, but I know he can charge more to replace the distributor. Plus I tested it myself and had a strong feeling the problem was the coil - not the distributor. Therefore, I bought a new Nissan coil for my KA24DE engine and installed it myself. Since then it has started every time.
I have the same problem with the sun visor. My local Nissan dealer wants $120 for the driver's side visor - Yeah not with my budget. Meanwhile I've checked a couple of junk yards and they visors seem to be the first items people take. I'll keep checking back - hopefully I will find one soon.
Sincerely,
Ray Danley
I appreciate the info about the coil. I got two distributors from NAPA and they were both bad. One was bad right off the other failed at 9 months. The Auto Zone distributor has been in for about 3 years. I am not having a starting problem though it cranks a little longer than before. Just wondering if the tach has something with the distributor. A friend had a Dealer do his distributor (new Nissan distributor) and that car has never been as good. At least the Auto Zone distributor is a lifetime and they are easy to put in. Takes about 20 min. including getting the tools out.
I guess the distributor has been the only unusual problem I have had up until recently. In the last year the antenna quit going down. The rear window would go up and down when the car was started (I unhooked the motor). The radio volume goes up and down. Of course the tach is bouncing around. Sometimes it just quits. So the car is now developing some electrical gremlins.
I had thought about trading up but I've heard the early Nissan Altima are the best. I have been reading about all the problems the new cars have and I am afraid of them. I would hate to spend big bucks and end up with worse problems than I have on this old car. What have you replaced on yours? It might give me an idea of what to look out for. I appreciate your help and info. Thank you.
We go to C- Town from time to time. Does anyone ever win at those slots? Good thing they have the ponies. At least we get a chance to watch our money before it is eaten up by the slots.
Thank you,
Sam
An error code says "camshaft position" is the problem. How is this problem fixed and how much does it cost?
Wow! Nobody replied to your message. How depressing. We'll let me be the first to tell you how to fix this. You see I have a 1999 Altima with 152,000 and exactly the same problem. You see, I am replying to my own message as I have fixed the problem.
The solution is as follows:
1. The Evaporation Canister Vent Control Valve got stuck CLOSED. In normal operation this valve should be OPEN. It is only occassionally shut so that the smart engine computer can test for small leaks by creating a vacuum. Regardless, when the engine is off, this valve is supposed to be OPEN.
2. Could buy the part from the dealer for $120-140. No parts store had it available. Bummer. Tried 3 national chains and nothing.
3. First.... find the evap canister. Located under rear driver side bumper. Big rectangular plastic covered with black soot. Your hands will get black on this job.
4. Second.... Find the metal thingy that is screwed directly onto the side of the evap canister. It has 2 10mm screws attaching it. The screws face the front of the car. The metal thingy (aka vent control valve) also has an electrical connection and a small hose attached to it. That metal thingy is the evap canister vent control valve.
5. Third... Detach the tube (just pull) and detach the electrical connector from the vent control valve.
6. Blow in the hole where the tube was connected. Are you able to blow through easily? If yes, then the vent control valve was open and this is not your problem. If you can't blow through real easy then this is your problem. Remember, when the engine is OFF this vent control valve should be WIDE OPEN.
7. Ok, so its your problem. Spray lubricant into the hole and let it sit around in there for a few minutes, hours, days, whatever. That probably doesn't help but its always fun to do.
8. Now grab a good metal flathead screw driver. Insert it into the bottom hole (the one that went into the evap canister) and pry the internal metal piston up about 3 millimeters. Hard to move the first time. Doesn't move much but it is all it takes. Now blow through the upper pipe. (be sure to wipe off your greasy lips later). You might need to pry more or even pry from the upper hole. Keep working at it, use some muscles and you will have it working in a jiffy.
9. how much time? 7 hours. No, not really. Listen... I am a computer geek and not good at cars. I had the vent control valve off the evap canister in 10 minutes. Took 5 minutes to figure out how to get the electrical connector separated (use small screw driver, stick into the connection and gently pry plastic over a small stopper).
So 15 minutes so far. Another 15 minutes to work the vent open and 5 minutes to re-assemble.
10. That was easy. Took only 30 minutes total. Not bad considering it used to take 15 minutes just to put 5 gallons of gas in the car on a cold winter night. brrrr.
11. Also, the fine folks at the parts stores told me I was dead wrong and that the vent control valve should be shut by default. If it weren't for a mechanic friend of mine who told me they were wrong I wouldn't have tried it. Glad I did as I now love my car.
12. Why do I love my car? Very reliable, good 30mpg miles, kind of ugly but not too bad. Want to buy it? Let me know. (I just bought a miata :-) .) Why did I buy a miata? Because I hated putting gas in my altima!
Hope you enjoyed my story and rejoice with me that this thing now works!!!
Jim
http://www.jrbay.com
E.D. in Sunny Florida
I have an 04 Altima, it began idling and shutting off if i did not accelerate while in a neutral position. It then began to shut off while driving down the road and i would have to put it in neutral to coast until i could crank it back up. The problem only gets worse. After awhile, it will not crank back up. Turns out it had a recall on the ecm, but first i had to replace the crank sensor, @$150.00 at the local dealership. Completely solved the problem tho until recently, which brings me to this site for my own problems that may or may not deal with this crank sensor. Hope this helps.
Lane
I got the crank shaft sensor and the cam sensor replaced and it is running fine now. I know the 2002 models have been recalled for the sensor issues...we should complain so they will pay for these repairs (hopefully)...but I am curious...what is the problem you are experiencing now?? do I have this to look forward too?
Sam
Just as everyone else I have been having problems with my Nissan Altima '07. It has been the worst car ever and im stuck with it for the next three years...(by the way anyone has any ideas how can i get rid of it without loosing to much money?) any ways i took it to the dealer because it was rattling and shaking when accelerating and even more shaking when going above 60miles... they changed the transmission mount.. of course without even consulting me... but does anyone know if this is the issue? i thought these repairs were for old or worn out cars...
Thank youuuuu
Is it a 2.5 or 3.5?
when i turn on the blower with the selector on heat, the AC turns on by itself. i talked to the service dept and they said that's ok as the AC is trying to get rid of the moisture. my problem is, it always stays on, doesn't turn off after some time, as i would expect, and more annoyingly, it turns back on even after i turn it off, when i change the outlet selection.. I don't think it's ok for both heater and AC to be running at the same time. is this ok and is there a way to turn the AC off so that it doesn't turn on by itself?
You have not indicated any service history. Has the transmision fluid been changed according to the manufacturer's recommendations? If not, but sure to have the transmission fluid and filter properly serviced. I prefer to flush and change my ATF every 30,000 miles.
You have not indicated the miles on the vehicle. If all of the above is done and ok, then the transmission may be suffering from some common "aging" aliments. With age and heat, the rubber seals inside the transmission begin to harden and lose their seal from time to time. This will eventually happen to most automatic transmissions, if nothing worst happens first. You can add some non-slip additive to the transmission fluid to see if it may help. I have had the best luck with LUCAS Transmission Stop Leak, a white plastic bottle with 24 ounces of red goo that seems to work really well. It is available at almost any auto parts store.
Good Luck,
E.D. ISF
It is up and right to the knob on the dash that controls the dash brightness. It would be in the one o'clock position. It looks like a little speedometer. It is round with a little hand and interval marks and about 4 hash marks below it. To describe it would be.. it looks like a little speedometer or tachometer. I have called 3 dealers, 2 don't know what it is or heard of it, the other said it would stay on all the time to show you were the dash brightness control knob was, well why wasn't it on before now.
Has anyone heard of this little icon? It is not in the owners manual.
Thanks
Bsmart
It is a round circle with interval marks that would be at the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 mark around the inside of the circle, with a little gauge hand, like a tach or speedometer hand and then four little straight marks below the circle.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2007-11-26-nissan-recall_N.htm?csp=34
Don't see what good reprogramming will do for a burnt out sensor.
I had same problem ...... I took it to the Nissan Dealership where we purchased the car - complaining, complaining, complaining. The Nissan Dearlership blew us off. The Altima was (still) riding like a BuCkeT.
Finally, I took the car to a very reputable Tire Store. Guess what - Struts were bad & the Inner Tie-Rod also.
Most of my miles on my Altima are freeway - I currently have 73k Why would the car ride like I had been driving it "Off Road"
So many trips to the Nissan Dealership - Broken Motor Mount, Cat Convertor, Exhaust Manifold, etc. etc. etc. Yes, the Nissan Dealership has repaired all the "Issues" - What a joke. Not only the hassle of wondering when your Altima is going to "break-down" How long the Nissan Dealership will jerk you around - until you insist NISSAN fix your car.
My advise DUMP the Nissan Altima while you can! We are covered until 11/2008 w/ extended warranty. If we could sell our Nissan Altima with a clean conscience - we would.
It has a new battery, alternator, wires, plugs, and cap/rotor. Nothing seems to have helped.
Runs great once it warms up.
Anyone know what is wrong with it?
When it is hard to start, is this in cold weather? Does the engine turn over well and the engine just not start or does the engine just turn over sluggishly?
Is the engine in good general health, meaning having good cylinder compressions?
You made no mention of the fuel system, has the fuel filter been changed? You should add a bottle of fuel additive, like STP Gas Treatment, to the gas tank at every oil change. Are the spark plugs clean and dry and burning with a good color (light tan insulator)? Make sure the inside of the Distributor and Cap stay clean and dry (no oil or water).
If the ignition system is known to be good, I would check the fuel system next. Any check engine lights on? Any diagnostic codes? You might need to clean or replace the Idle Air Control Solenoid, or Throttle Body, or MAF Sensor, or Crankshaft Sensor, or Camshaft Sensor, etc.
These are just a few things to start looking at.
Good Luck,
E.D. in Sunny Florida
Any help or suggestions/reasons this may happen?