Nissan Altima Maintenance and Repair

sandman46 · February 2005

The wife has the car out and won't be home till later tonite. Will post all that was done, parts and labor, tomorrow after work.

Right now, no leaks and except the power window switch, the car is working great. If we decide to keep the car, I will get the switch replaced and the black passenger side mirror painted in Titanium Frost to match the car. Hate to spend any more $ on the car if the wife wants something newer.

Will know more after the Ft. Lauderdale Auto Show next month.

The Sandman :-)

jaspreeth · February 2005

Thank You for your response....please let me know the labor and any new part u had to purchase so that i spend accordingly. The oil leaks somewhere new the front tyres...what do u think it could be , the same prob as u had??

sandman46 · February 2005

Let me list what we had done on our '01 GXE.

(1) replaced oil pressure switch.

      part-$13

      labor-$30

(2) replace valve cover gasket

      part-$7.13

      labor-$24

(3) replace front crank seal

      part-$6.30

      labor-$120

(4) replace lower oil pan gasket sealer

      parts-$8.98 (oil pan sealer)

            $3.67 (spark plug tube seal)

            $7.00 (4 quarts oil)

      labor-$84.

After all this was done...NO MORE LEAKS! We are thrilled, but the power window is bumming us out!

Hopefully, this will help with your problem.

The Sandman :-)

dalebidge · February 2005

I have a 99 Altima GXE. About a month ago I left the lights on (no warning beep) and drained the battery. Got a jump, and things went back to normal except that my remotes will no longer work, and if I get out of the car with the engine running the doors automatically relock. (locked me out twice before I started leaving the door ajar, very inconvenient since I make deliveries, and started carrying a seperate set of keys so I wouldn't have to crawl under to find my hide-a-key.)

Is there a code that I can reset to make the remotes work again, and perhaps incidentally keep the doors from relocking?

I appreciate any help.

newnissanowner · February 2005

So I just got out of my 1999 Ford Ranger with 120k miles, and into a 2001 Nissan Altima with 20k miles on it. I bring it home, drive it around for a night and the next day, the engine is bucking. When I'm in park it idles very high, then very low, when I'm driving it wants to stop, then go faster, and I can't get it to go more than 45-50 miles an hour, with the pedal to the METAL, and the car is jolting when it switches gears (automatic of course, I KNEW I wanted a standard) Car is of course still under warranty, and I will take it back on Monday, just wondering if anyone has any insite as to what this could be, or if it has happened to anyone else, because I REALLY want to keep this car. I've fallen in LOVE with it, but don't want to keep a junk car that has all these problems with it.

newnissanowner · February 2005

And I forgot to add that the check engine soon light was flickering for about 10 minutes then stayed on steadily.

alcan · February 2005

"a junk car that has all these problems with it"

One problem, several symptoms. The only way to determine the cause is by retrieving the stored diagnostic trouble codes, but from the description I'd suspect the mass airflow sensor or a leak in the intake ducting.

gregoryc1 · February 2005

At the present time we have a 2003 Honda 4 cylinder automatic Accord that is 24 months old with 44,000+ miles on the clock. The vehicle has been excellent in terms of quality, and my dealer is outstanding. NOW FOR THE ISSUE! The "A" pillars to the left and right of the windshield block visibility when making a left turn into a street and / or waiting at a stop sign, and looking for on-coming traffic from the right. Since the vehicle will be paid off in Feb. 2006, (with about 60,000 miles on the clock), we are considering purchasing a 2006 Nissan Altima. Does the Nissan Altima have this visibility issue? What is the quality of this vehicle? What kind of treatment can we expect from the dealer and / or the factory if we have a problem with the Altima? Is the Altima as good as, or better than, the Accord?

newnissanowner · February 2005

I sure hope it's something along those lines. I was thinking more along the lines of a problem with the transmission, since it bucks and almost stalls when I stop.

Having more time to drive it this morning to the dealership, I figured out that if I drive it with the overdrive off, it runs a whole lot better, but I still have the same problems. It's in the shop now and I have a loaner, so I guess I'll just wait and see what it was.

I guess saying "a junk car that has all these problems with it" was a little harsh, it's just that this is my first time buying a car from a dealer, I'm a single mother and this was SCARY. To think I paid $11,000 for a car and it's broke, is something I would rather not have going on. Thank GOD it's still under warranty.

Thanks for your help!

alcan · February 2005

With the computerized controls on newer vehicles, sometimes a problem with one component can cause a host of seemingly unrelated symptoms. Post back and let us know the outcome.

gsemike · February 2005

I've got a 2003 and can't report any visibility problems. The car has a raked stance, so the back is higher than the front which can make things disappear when backing up but it's never given me a problem once I got used to it and developed instancits for it.

Just under two years and I'm still happy with mine. I very much like the people at Koeppel Nissan in Jackson Heights, Queens. I previously had a Civic from Paragon Honda up the road from them, and was pretty underwhelmed when I went in there as a returning customer with an expiring lease.

Everybody raves about Honda dealers but I found Paragon to be arrogant. I think that dealer experience can really vary from site to site so I don't know if you can really get good info on that from an internation message board.

peachykeen · February 2005

i have the same problem as the person who wrote this email. the only difference is my car was parked and the told me that i flooded my engine. it happend before and they replaced the starter saying that that was the cause of my car not starting. so my question is" how do you flood your engine when the car sat overnight" no one was driving it we went out to start it and it didn't for two days. then they called and told us there was nothing wrong and we could pick it up.

please some one explain it to me.

gsemike · February 2005

With efi, you're not supposed to be able to flood it at all.

cbnlnk · February 2005

about 2 weeks ago i had my gas level real low in one of those -14 degree nights. The next day I noticed the check engine light had come on and my car would buck when idling. The bucking occurs randomly but on a daily basis. The auto shop suggested dry gas blah blah blah (which i had already done). Said he couldn't read the codes but that it had something to do with the cam something or other and i should take it to a certified nissan dealer. I'm waiting for my appointment with this guy, but in the meanwhile any ideas what this could be?

covenant10885 · February 2005

If this happens to you make sure you get official Nissan squeak free tape. The faux-silver trim around the HVAC has a tendency to shift around near the back (or the top of the CD storage cubby as it were)

After a month straight of fiddling with it I finally have a rattle free car. Thank goodness, as coming from my '02SE Rattle-trap, this car is like driving a tomb! Love it. Yes, all the reviews are correct in saying there is too much NVH, and it is harsh over bumps, but like one other postee.. if you're coming from a sports sedan, the ride feels plush.

One other note, with only 850 miles on my odometer, you really still can't feel the 175HP yet. My buddy had the same car in a rental version with 18,000 miles, and for a 4 banger it flew! Even roasted the front tires a bit when stomped on.

matt_from_bh · February 2005

2002 Altima - Halogen headlights.

Is replacing the bulb a weekend mechanic job.

Or are special tools needed making it job for my dealer

tommyqua · February 2005

i replaced it myself. don't follow the instruction

in the user manual. just stink your hands behind the light bulb sockets and begin turning.

if you are not comfortable doing it yourself, buy your bulbs from Pepboys they will install it for free.

gsemike · February 2005

I've got an 03 2.5S. It took until about 5,ooo miles when I noticed that it felt much quicker than when new. I'm up to 21,000 miles and it still feels good. You'll get there.

toast1985 · February 2005

The problem is that the car will not drive over 60+ mph, and I'm quite sure that it has nothing to do with the transmission. I believe it is electral, but I'm not sure what is wrong...please help send all comments to "toastxixi@aol.com" thanks in advance.

16521 · February 2005

Anyone here own a new 3.5SE Altima? I love the car except that it has alot of road noise. The stock tires, Bridgestone Turanzas, really howl at high speeds. Anyone else have the same problem? Thinking of already replacing the tires with quieter ones.

[Deleted User] · February 2005

Don't do email and this may be totally unrelated. But, I had a 1981 Regal bought brand new. Car would not go over 50. Spent two weeks in dealer service and had to call in a field rep who helped design the new electronic ignitions for GM. Somehow a metal washer on the distributor shaft was interacting with the distributor by creating a magnetic field and canceling out the distributor and having it cut out. Put a plastic washer on the shaft and no more problems. Sounds crazy and the technical details may not be 100% accurate, but that is what happened. You may not have the washer problem with the car already being several years old, but it may be distributor related.

Ken

sahpec30 · February 2005

Nissan will not replace my pre-catalytic converter under
warranty. I thought this part was covered for 80,000 miles.
> I had this part checked 5/12/2004. I took it to them again on
1/5/2005.
Now its bad.
>
> This is the recall check they had to perform.
>
> Repair Order 410936 - 5/12/2004 ENGINE EXHAUST PIPE HANGER PIN AND
PRECATALYST

bgw28405 · February 2005

try reprograming the remote i think you can get the procedgure on line some were it shouldnt be hard . for the bcm's fob to forget the remote you must have deepcycled that battery good if all else fails call the nissan shop and ask the person in the parts dept if they can help

dball · February 2005

YES, YES, YEEESSSSSS!!! I have my tires road force balanced at four different places including two Nissan dealers and FINALLY they will be replacing them tomorrow. Nissan refused to replace them so I went to Discount Tire, had them road force again, which didn't solve the problem, and now they will replace all four tomorrow. The tires are the Continental Contitouring with about 6K miles on them. The car is an 02 alti with 28800 on it. Bought it pre-owner with 23k on it and the tires were brand new.

dball · February 2005

UPDATE** The tires only have 5500 miles on them. When I called Continental, (because my sorry Nissan dealer wouldn't) they told me they would replace the tires and gave me a file number. They asked what tire store I wanted to use and I had them call Discount tire. I called Discount and they told me Continental only wanted to pay for 77% of the replacement cost! I called Continental back and told them that I was "disappointed" with that since the tires only have 5500 miles on them. They agreed to do a full replacement AND pay for the labor. I will NOT be putting more contis on due to all I have read and I'll probably go with goodyear or michelins instead. After all I've read here, I'm nervous as to whether or not these tire will solve the problem. Even if they do, it looks like this car (02 altima) has some sort of suspension problem that causes this issue to reappear. Mine also seems to use a little bit of oil and I figure I might as well sell it instead of putting up with a piece of junk. Sad thing is, I LOVE this car! Here is a list of all that has been fixed or replaced in the three months I've owned it.
1. crank position sensor
2. muffler clip
3. drivers side seatbelt that squeaked
4. Manual gearshift boot
5. one wheel/rim (with maybe three more to come)
6. all four tires

That's a long list for a car I've had three months that had 22000K on it when I bought it.

pawlik1 · February 2005

I have the 2003 altima and I am having a very similar problem where the car will not start on the first try and I am also experiencing some cutting out while driving does this sound the same?

1legend · March 2005

Over the last two months I have had the following problems with my 2002 Altima (has 49,000 miles and has been well maintained since being both in 2002):

1. Car stalled or shut off on cold starts starting in around November 2004 (this happens when the temperature drops below 40 degrees or so). Also, rusty noise (noise goes away after about 10 minutes) comes from the drive belt/alternator area shortly after being bought in 2002.
2. In December 2004, battery/electrical system went dead after a long drive. Battery boosted to start the engine.
3. One month after the battery dies again.
4. New battery bought, however, cold start stalling problem/shut-off continued.
5. New battery completely dead after one week. Could not be jump-started.
6. New alternator put in. Cold start stalling/shut-off and rusty noise from the belt/alternator area continued.
7. I am told the stalling problem my be the Idle Air Control Valve.

I will have to take it in to the dealer to have it checked out. Before I do, however, has anyone experienced any of these problems with your newer brand Altima (2002 onwards)? If yes, how were the problems corrected. Please reply ASAP.

1legend · March 2005

Definitely. On cold starts the car doesn't start and at times struggles then shuts off. In terms of "cutting out while driving" what do you mean?

nissanbad · March 2005

I just bought a 3.5 SE a week and a half ago and I am having that same problem. There is a TSB out from May 6,2003 Ref. No. NTB03-048 showing the only way to turn it off is by turning off the fan and the ignition. The region 10 representative contacted me, his name is Aaron and said that the owner's manual 14-4 shows that the A/C automatically goes on if the temp. is greater than 36-37 deg. F, which I said is a poor and stupid design. But, I asked, the manual doesn't say how to turn it off does it(I didn't have the manual with me when he called me)? And, he didn't respond. But, the way to turn it off is in this TSB and I wouldn't have bought the car if I knew that. So he said, would I have wanted to see all the TSB's for the car? And, I said, but this is a really stupid feature that Nissan put in the car. Anyway, I have bought tints, ordered front seat covers and a dashboard cover. I think I want my money back for the car and all the stuff I bought for this stupid "Design" Hawaii's temp. only goes down to 36 deg. F on two of it's islands at about 9000 ft. during the winter!!! That's just BS if you ask me. I said Nissan should inform it's customers of this. I'm very upset about this!!!

nifty6 · March 2005

The following from the sales boucher 2005 Altima 2.5S with the SL pkg.

"Automatic Climate Control"
Set it at 80 degree F when your cold, or 68 degree F when you are hot. Altima's available Automatic Climate Control will maintain the temperature you select by adjusting fan speed and redirecting the vents to the appropriate location inside the vehicle.
The 2.5S shows just Air Conditioning. Manual as far as I know.

No mention of coming on only when the temperature reaches 36 to 37 deg.F
As for turning it off, no idea, don't own one, but looking at the moment.

doyin · March 2005

Hi guys,just got myself a used 97 GXE.Has a new transmission.Here's my problem,i live in Nigeria and car dealerships are REALLY expensive plus i dont have an owner's manual.The check engine light is on and though i suspect it's the fuel tank cap,im wondering if the codes can be checked by the owner and whatever advice or help u guys can render will be greatly appreciated.I HAVE NO IDEAS WHAT AND WHERE THE SENSORS ARE!!

alcan · March 2005

A scan tool or code reader is needed to retrieve stored trouble codes.

doyin · March 2005

Most likely a bearing on the a/c compressor.It's not ur transmission.

doyin · March 2005

That's gonna be difficult for me to get my hands on here.

pbarnard · March 2005

I have a 99 Altima GLE, the odometer has stopped working properly. It ocasionally turns for a few miles. But mostly nothing. The speedo works fine. I need to repair it and hate paying megabucks to mechanic. Any ideas on my at home options?

gabby4 · March 2005

Not sure if you got your problem fixed, but that is how my car started having problems eight months ago. I spent time every month at the dealer. Finally they are putting in a new engine and catalytic converter. From reading others thoughts, it seems to be a faulty converter that breaks apart, melts and sends crap into the engine. keep pushing them.

gh7818 · March 2005

I also have noticed the road noise but do not consider it to severe. I have a question for you. The SE is supposed to have a 20 gallon tank but I have never been able to put in more than 15 2/3 gallons when on Empty. I had the dealer replace the sending unit on the gauge to no affect. Are you expereiencing the same with your SE?

gh7818 · March 2005

My 2005 Altima SE has the same problem with the gas gauge. Did you ever resolve your problem?

gh7818 · March 2005

I noted your complaint about the fuel tank capacity and have the same problem with my 2005 SE so they obviously have not addressed this issue. Did you ever get a resolution to the 20 gallon tank issue?

mazda94 · March 2005

Hi,
I'm starting to have the same problem. It's happened when the car was parked and just this morning, while I was driving. Have you been able to isolate problem?

Thanks

altiman · March 2005

I've never been able to squeeze more than 16.5 in myself. I asked Nissan -- no answer. I'll bet there's a 20 gallon tank with a very conservative gauge, but I'm not risking it!

altiman · March 2005

Nope. I lost interest. I only know that I hit the pump about 10 times a year more than I have to because of it!

santo1 · March 2005

Did you ever resolve this problem??
I have a 2002 Porsche Boxter...I had the brake pads changed about 5 months ago...since then I've had this weird high-pitched screaming sound coming from the right front tire...it starts at about 35-40 mph, and braking has no effect, then as the car decelerates, around 25 mph the sound winds down and stops...the car has had the brake system on that tire relubed, clips and tabs checked, and then the pads changed completely, then the rotor replaced, still the sound persists...I'm going crazy...and what does the dealership say, replace the pads, rotor and brake sensor, $650, please, which my hole-in-the-wall mechanic, whom I trust, says there's no need to change the brake sensor, the calipers are fine and the brake line is releasing fluid correctly...
nightmare...
js

vincewy · March 2005

My 95 Altima was running perfectly this morning, later today when I get home from work, all the sudden the tranny (automatic) is acting up for no reason, on certain spot, the first gear seems gone, but if I keep on driving, 2nd and 3rd gears will get a choke (large increase in RPM) and returns to normal, even the 4th gear is gone with this problem.

Keep in mind that this problem occurs especially if I make a full stop on the street and try to go again, I'll have to shift to parking and move to D for the car to move, very frustrating, especially when tranny problems are perceived gradual, on certain spot of the transmission, it runs perfectly on all gears.

I know this will be expensive to fix, should I take it to dealer or have a good private dealer to fix it?

bobcat4ever · March 2005

Hello All -- Am brand new to this kind of thang; hoping someone out there has some helpful info to share. About 4 months ago i bought a 98 Altima from a private party. It's run fine until a few weeks ago. Sometime after having a tune up and the fuel injectors cleaned (the plugs were gunky and the mechanic suggested this), the engine started bucking. First just a couple of lurches, then some days later the same thing. Then, last week, the bucking started and would not stop. It began after i had driven about 15 miles. I brought it to a highly recommended shop - they tried but could not reproduce it in the shop as it's a standard and needs to be under a load to show the prob. So i towed it to the Nissan place where they charged me nearly $100 to tell me the distributor was failing. Brought it back to the neighborhood shop, they put in a refurb distributor and it ran fine for 2 days. It started up again after i'd been on the road last Friday, in a snow storm, in slow moving traffic, in the left lane! I just bucked all the way along the 10 miles or so of the 20 mile trip -- it waited til i was good and stuck in traffic. Now i'm 50 miles from the mechanics, the service engine light is on all the time -- before it only came on when the bucking started; and the bucking starts at cold and seems to go away as the engine warms up but it's not running right. Ok so this is a thesis. Sorry. Anybody out there have any ideas???? Thanks

alt94 · March 2005

I have a 94 Nissan Altima. The problem is that sometimes my car will not start. When I put in my key it won't turn over or make any kind of noise at all. It is as if the battery is completely dead. However, it is not the battery. I have lights and the battery is brand new. I replaced the distributor and distributor cap. I had both the alternator and starter checked and they were fine. I had an engine diagnostic test and that came back fine. Two weeks ago I had an engine tune-up. I am convinced that there has to be a bad connection somewhere electrical. I think it may be the ignition switch because sometimes my car is very hard to push. When the car won't start I can't even move the gear out of park. After several tries sometimes only twice the car will start. Please help so I don't have to keep wasting money?

vincewy · March 2005

It might be the transmission cable too short, when you do some types of repair, it might knock off the cable a little bit, just wiggle the transmission and see if the car will start, this happen to my car where I had transmission work done and sometimes it won't start, turns out earlier Altima models have very short transmission cables.

cgallo · March 2005

I just purchased a used 2005 Altima 2.5S - it has just under 21,000 miles, with an automatic transmission and still has factory warranty. Just days after buying I noticed that whenever I came to a stop I heard a clicking noise coming from the dashboard. It sounded like something I had in the little storage area was moving forward when I stopped. I removed anything that could move (cell phone, cds) and started trying to isolate the noise - per chance, I had my hand on the gear shift and could feel (and hear) that the noise was coming from that area.
I took the car to the dealer and the mechanic said that it was the gear locks (?) engaging so that when I reached a very slow speed (under 8 mph), I would then be able to shift to park or reverse. He said that he (and his co-workers) had never heard the noise before, but this was normal. Okay, if they've never encountered this before, how can they be sure it is normal? Why would a car manufacturer put out a vechicle that makes a descernible noise every time the car stops? Any insights would be appreciated!

nifty6 · March 2005

Been test driving 2005s with the 2.5 and 3.5
I have noticed that the 2.5 has a slight rough idle. One that I drove was a salesman car with only 7,500 miles on it. When idling in drive the idle was rough enough that you can feel the vibration on the floor and into the seats. I found this to be annoying and not exceptable to me.
Also tried new ones about 3 of them with zero mileage and found the rough idle in drive. The new ones were not as apparent, no vibration to the floor or seats but still slightly rough. Is this common for the 4 cylinder? The 6 cylinders is smooth as silk, don't even notice the engine is running. I have a 4 banger Cavalier with 50,000 miles on it and this so called crappy GM product, idles in drive like the 6 cylinder Altima.
So will the rough idle get worse as the car ages?
Anybody notice the same with their car?
Have tried other brands with 4 cylinders and no rough idle or vibration.
Thanks

tdiemer · March 2005

I have the same exact problem, have you gotten any responses? If so can you please let me know at UFDiemer@aol.com I seriously appreciate it.

Nissan Altima Maintenance and Repair

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