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If your dealership service department is accommodating, have them call their counterparts at Nissan of Omaha to get the full lowdown. There is a fix. Good luck!
Wonder where he got that from...believe me, if the pistons are slapping something, you are going to have a lot more of a problem than audible knock or rattle.
If I were you, I would have them look at the fuel injection unit. I had that problem a few years back in a Chrysler. Often, but not every time, it would make a rattling noise until the engine reached operating temperature, especially under moderate to heavy acceleration. They replaced the injection pump, and the noise went away.
Just a suggestion...
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.
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.
I suggest that you keep pressing Nissan. The 2.5 S engine has problems...
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
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.
EVERYBODY must fill complain at BBB.org
I don’t know how many complains needed to issue recall.
I hope we will get it soon!
I purchased a 2009 Nissan Altima 2.5 S on March 6th at 31 miles on the odometer. I have noticed a slight puttering noise when the car is idle. I am not sure if the noise is loud enough to be classified as a 'rattle,' but I do know that the engine does not sound clean. I know what a new engine is supposed to sound like and this one definitely sounds like it needs an oil change or something.
I have made an appointment with my local Nissan dealer, Corona Nissan, and I will be taking the car in tomorrow at 9am. I am very cautious and nervous about my purchase now and hope to update this site soon.
If anyone else is experiencing any engine problems with the brand new 2009 Altima's please respond. THanks
I really don't think that Nissan has a clue what is wrong with this engine. Fortunately, in Canada we have an arbitration program that can force the manufacturer to repair the vehicle or buy it back. I have owned Nissans for over twenty-five years, unfortunately, I think I got a lemon this time. I will give the dealer a chance to fix the car and if that doesn't work, I will go through arbitration. I just cannot drive around in a car that sounds like a diesel specially when it has a gas engine.
My engine was replaced 6000 miles ago and the dreaded sound is back. I regret purchasing this car.
It seems those with newer models may have other issues by reading this post.
I am going to ask the dealer to remove the heat shield completely and see what this does. Because of our strict laws on catalytic converters (ie: fire, etc..), the dealer may not be able/willing to remove the heat shield. If that is the case, I will crawl underneath the car and try to remove the heat shield without breaking it. Heat shields are a real nuisance , they rot and fall apart in no time and you have to pay a ton on money to replace them.. They are only there to prevent grass fires in the event that a person parks where there is dry grass, which I never do.
I'm expecting to bring the car in today (about the 7th time) for the rattle. I would be very surprised if the noise came from the heat shield it sounds more like a knocking that a rattle, but you never now.
I'll post as soon as I have anything new.
My experience with Nissan is this....They explain these "noise" issues away over and over until it you give up or it is out of warranty.
Then they tell you its the pre-catalytic converter, your engine will soon be toast and it's not worth fixing. Depending on how soon you catch it, a non Nissan Mechanic can fix it for a few grand, and you can expect it to last as long as the pre-catalytic converter does.....which is apparently a random thing.
It is really sad too, we've had 6 different cars over the yrs...4 Fords, a Chevy, a Buick, and another Nissan. The Altima cost us more money in repairs than the other 7 cars combined!! The Ford I traded in for the Altima was 12yrs old. My Altima lasted me 5yrs. My 17yr old Ford is probably still the better car.
That's just my experience...but I'm not alone. Nissan will not back up their cars. They are a bit like the American car companies back in the 70's.
I will post further once there are new developments.
In addition, my passenger airbag deactivates all the time, even when my dad, who is well over 200 lbs sits in that seat. ANOTHER annoying (and potentially dangerous) thing this car does that dealerships either don't know how to fix or don't want to fix because NISSAN will not reimburse their costs.
VERY disappointing.
That's the characteristic of QR25DE engine with noisy valve lifter.
To answer your question, there is no fix for this problem, it has to do with a bad engine casting. I bought an 09 Altima in October 2009 and when it reached 4,000kms it started making a knocking noise on cold mornings. The noise got to be so bad during the winter that the car sounded like it had a diesel engine. I tried changing the oil to synthetic, adding additives, having the heat shield checked and just about anything you can think of without success. I started a long battle with Nissan Canada and finally got them to replace the engine at 15,000kms. Needless to say that "I was happier than a pig in ????", I'm sure you know what I mean. Well, my joy did not last very long, after 4,000kms on the new engine the noise returned ( @ 10C temperature). I was not prepared to go through a second battle so I traded ( at some loss, of course) the Altima for a Maxima. I am now back to being a happy pig with $10,000 less in my pocket. You are lucky, being in Canada, as you have some remedy. I suggest you check out the following link :http://camvap.ca/ , or you can always choose to live with a diesel sounding Altima. If you decide to keep the car you may want to invest in an oil pan warmer, it is a pad that sticks to the bottom of the oil pan to heat the engine oil and reduce the noise. Good Luck! Ray
Rayval
Our service center is refusing to do anything about this. This is our 4th Nissan we have purchased, and this will be the absolute last if they refuse to do something about what appears to be a very serious problem.
I'm worried that our car is just a couple of years away from its engine failing.
I have always been the type to let things go, but I am UTTERLY disappointed in the response from our dealer along with what seems to be the company line from Nissan itself in this situation, it almost seems like cause for a class action if they refuse to address it in a recall of some sort.
My car has been to the dealership 4 times now to have what sounds like a tire rubbing in front end fixed and they still cannot find the problem.
I will never buy another Nissan.
Usually the vehicles have a mechanism that will not allow them to start if the throttle is put all the way to the floor upon start up....So I would mat the throttle and turn it over a couple times without starting it up. Then when I actually did start it up there was no rattle because the lifters have oil in them. Try that. I'm in California so not sure about how it would work with really cold oil in low temperatures....that makes the oil thicker and even harder to pump up the lifters...
Good luck.
First of all, the engine revving...that IS how the CVT is designed. Especially when pushed hard, a CVT in no way behaves like a "regular" automatic transmission. Yes, it revs, and yes, its normal. Most people who don't understand the technical side of CVT operation think its "slipping" and experiencing abnormal operation. Not true. It isn't. Not only does it rev in a unique fashion, Nissan has also programmed it to provide a small amount of engine braking when you take your foot off the gas - much more engine braking than any normal automatic transmission I've driven.
Also, the jerky operation? Maybe, I obviously haven't driven your car, so I can't say. Mine is smooth, and compared to the 4-spd regular automatic in my other car, this transmission is silky smooth. I don't consider the 900RPM drop-off between shifts "smooth" as the engine in my other car "lugs" itself back up into the stronger part of its torque curve via its automatic transmission.
Nevertheless, I think this is a great application for a CVT - a plain vanilla family sedan. Put a CVT in a sports car, and I'd scream bloody murder.
Go enjoy your Altima, and remember - the CVT is now warranted for 10yrs or 120k miles.
Please let me know how it goes with your letter writing campaign. I have an 08 with 10K miles and notice the same thing when accelerating under 2000 rpms. Took it to 2 dealers her in Denver and 1 never opened the lifter covers to take a look..waste of everyones time. The second says it was "normal" and every car makes it's own noise. Like you..I Call BS and have 1 more dealer to take it to, but I am not holding my breath. Basically, the car sounds like a sewing machine inside when I accelerate. But, after 2000 rpm, car rides like a dream.
Good luck to all who have this problem!
Mike