Nissan Sentra Repairs

2

Comments

  • rberusrberus Member Posts: 25
    My 2000 SE didn't get off the lot without a problem either. Key was stuck in the ingition, the safety interlock wouldn't release it. Simple adjustment.

    I'd imagine the parts delay is because the Sentra's are still a new model, another bad reason to buy a car in the 1st model year.
  • baltychenbaltychen Member Posts: 50
    This message is to respond to #36
    I think the problem on Nissan alternator is the location they design. The alternator is too close to the exhaust manifold. Mine is no more 1". Guess what? The high temperature from the exhaust manifold just COOK the alternator daily. That is why the after market one just doen't last. I think the new one from manufacturer has heat preventive material on the electronic components.

    So, the only thing I survive is to send my car to Pep Boy. They gave me life time warranty alternator and from the day on if any thing happened to my alternator I only pay for the labor cost.
  • baltychenbaltychen Member Posts: 50
    There is a trick to detect the bad alternator before you got strainded in the street:

    1. When you found out the radio volume is out of control. It looks it has its own mind.
    2. Your windshield wiper works slow than regular speed.
    3. Your battery voltage(no engine running) is under 12 v.
    4. At night driving you found out the low head light beam is brighter intermitently. A sign of over charge or Voltage Regulator in the alternator gone bad.
  • fishbookfishbook Member Posts: 5
    hi all!

    i'm not an experienced driver who have learned a lot from your responses. thank you!

    my 2000 gxe has been doing fine during its first thousand miles. just one thing confuses me. everyday on my commute to work i drive through a segment of highway, about a mile of which forms a 30 degree slope going up. whatever my initial speed is, the car will gradually drop to 50-55 mph even when i'm flooring the accelerator and the engine is about to explode. at the same time, i'm frustrated to see many small cars with less power pass me from behind. to make myself look more like a fool, my last car, a 88 honda civic had exactly the same problem.

    first i tried to dodge this problem by keeping the overdrive off, but no effect at all. is this the characteristic of nissan? appreciate your advices.
  • nothappy2nothappy2 Member Posts: 1
    I have problems with my air conditioner on long trips with my 2000 Nissan. My dealer has explained that it's a problem with the placement of a sensor in this new design and that Nissan has known about it for a while and they're looking for a solution. NOTHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT NOW. I'm seriously considering parking my car at the dealer. I've talked with people at 1-800-Nissan1 and have been told twice that someone will call me shortly. I'm still waiting (very angrily). I drive A LOT, and would have liked to have known about the problem before I bought the car!!!
  • moore8812moore8812 Member Posts: 1
    My '97 Sentra has about 70K on it and today the subject indicator came on when I was 80% of my way to work so I came on in worrying what the cause might be. My manual says it incicates a 'Malfunction'. Any more details? Should I rush down to the dealer to get it repaired? Thanks!
  • jomamjomam Member Posts: 2
    I have a White 95 Sentra LTD that has 2 small areas (side door and around windshield) where the paint is flaking off. I assume it may have started from nics but I am curious if there is a paint problem with this year or color. I have never seen this happen to a car only 5 years old.
    Thanks
    Joe
  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    <51</A>>

    I hope you've gotten this taken care of... if my car was at the dealer while still new for 49 days, I would call it a lemon and demand a new one. In FL, the law is 3 repairs for the same defect in 1.5 yrs or a total of 30 days under repair for the same problem.

    In almost all cases there is a 30 day out of service rule... get a new one...
  • 95sentra95sentra Member Posts: 4
    I have a '95 Nissan Sentra GXE. It has 82K on it. And today I found its battery warning light on during normal driving. It kept on and off for a while. Then it's always on.

    I checked manual. It talked about possible generator belt loose. I drove it to a dealer and was told alternator is bad.

    Dealer asked $525 for a new alternator. Is it right amount?

    I saw a couple of posts regarding '93 Sentra. Its alternator was too close to exhaust pipe. Is it fixed in newer '95 model?
  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    $525 for an alternator?????? my god man..take it somewhere else.

    That is pure highway robbery. For that price i would expect labor in it, but it shouldn't be that much...damn.
  • md_techmd_tech Member Posts: 84
    The price for the alternator was probably added in with parts and labor.. They also sometimes need to change the wiring harness on the alternator because they have a tendency to go bad.. Did they mention the wiring harness when they stated your alternator was bad???

    Kristina/co host Our Turn
  • toyota4x4toyota4x4 Member Posts: 2
    check the egr valve. I had a car that would stall or idle, or the tach would bounce around when I would slow down to stop or slow down for corners. It was a sticky egr. It's worth a try anyway.
  • generationx56generationx56 Member Posts: 2
    100,000 miles. When driving the car around home and to work on short distances of less than twenty miles, the car does not use any oil. However, when driving longer distances on the highway(200 miles) at higher rates of speed, the car uses approximately 1.5 qts. Does anyone have any solutions to this problem?
  • sentrafansentrafan Member Posts: 40
    Based upon previous posts I've read, the 95 Sentras (and perhaps 96-99 as well) have a history of bad alternators. The dealer replaced the alternator in my 95 GLE at 70,674 miles. The total cost, including a new belt, labor, and tax, was $368.55. Still expensive, but not as much as your dealer is quoting you. I'd shop around.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Check the PCV valve and make sure there's vacuum there with the engine running, and that it rattles when you shake it with the engine shut off.
  • abe1234abe1234 Member Posts: 1
    I bought a 2000 Sentra GXE with the convenience and luxury packages. I really like this car except that whenever I drive above 70 mph the car also makes a loud whistiling/wheezing sound. The dealer claims that the speed is too high for any of his technicians to drive and duplicate the sound. The Nissan people at the 1-800 number agree with the dealer. What can I do ?
  • mcbreartyhmcbreartyh Member Posts: 3
    We bought a 2000 Sentra in April. We quickly realized (living in Florida) that the air condition would freeze up after about an hour of driving. We brought it to be repaired several times and they said they could not detect any problems. We then took a picture of our frozen pipes, they finally acknowledged a problem. We are very disappointed with 800Nissan and the dealership. They refused a rental car aqnd flat out told us they didn't know how to fix problem and we would just have to wait to figure it out. We didn't have our car for about 15 days and when we did we didn't have air. After filing complaints with Better Business Bureau and lemon law, Nissan fixed the problem.

    So they can correct the problem now, be persistent!! There customer service is soooo poor!!
  • shy_guyshy_guy Member Posts: 2
    I saw something about the ac and whistling windshield problem.
  • shy_guyshy_guy Member Posts: 2
    yup!
  • cazic_thulecazic_thule Member Posts: 1
    hi, I once wound up in a pretty deep puddle on night when it was raining heavy. my sentra stalled and i managed to get it started and slowly pulled out of water. my car was only doing less than 1 mile per hour out of the puddle and I had the accelerator floored. after I got out of this puddle i held the accelerator all the way down and white smoke poured out of the exaust. I figure it was the water turning to steam, anyway I think i over reved the engine and now it makes a ticking noise that speeds up with the rpms. my car has not lost any power and still has good acceleration but the noise is driving me nuts. sounds like I am driving a mack truck hehe. what do i need to have fixed in the engine? and how much do i need to spend? i have a 1991 sentra with 83k miles on it and other than the transmission sticking in gear when i get to the red lights it runs fine :).
    btw whats making my tranny get stuck in first gear? its a auto transmission with 4speed overdrive.
  • uboneubone Member Posts: 1
    My check engine light went on for a week an then went off. I had my brother a mechanic change the oil last week and he said he smelt gas fumes in the oil. He could not diagnose the problem electronicly but suspected a faulty 0-2 sensor. any one with similar problems out there in TV land?
  • pat455pat455 Member Posts: 603
    We've talked about this subject extensively in Check Engine Light (Topic #76). You can use that link to go there and read through the posts. Maybe you'll find something helpful.

    Pat
    Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
  • carlton100carlton100 Member Posts: 1
    Looking to buy 1993 XE with 108,000 miles. Runs great but when engine reaches operating temp (3-5 minutes) brake and battery warning lights come on. There seems to be no mechanical problem with brakes or charging system. Any suggestions?
  • francesca93francesca93 Member Posts: 1
    Yes I can tell you exactly what this problem is! Its the altenator, since the sentra has no warning lights (or mimimal) the combination sugests the altenator, I had the same problem, didnt take care of it fast enough and my car died, I paid about $170 for mine at Autozone. GOOD LUCK!
  • fpm2fpm2 Member Posts: 13
    I just got my Sentra SE last night. I noticed
    that the right side of the passenger air bag is
    slightly lifted from the dashboard. Has anyone
    else noticed a similar problem and was is remedied?
    Either way, I couldn't be happier with my
    purchase. For the price that I paid (15.8K before
    tax - SE, 5-speed, sunroof, PP), the car drives
    great.
  • beli30beli30 Member Posts: 1
    I recently traded in my 1995 200SX for a 2001 SE with a performance pkg. My 200SX had a quiet, 1.4 L, 115 horsepower engine - from inside the car, you could not hear it when it was running and it was almost as quiet outside the car. The 2001 Sentra SE is not as quiet (I have had the car for 2 days) - is this typical for a larger engine, more horsepower car? Also, what kind of inspections (if any) are done on the car before you drive it off the lot? Is the dealership supposed to provide you with some kind of check list of what they have inspected?

    I don't mean to sound so paranoid, but this is my first brand new car... I was going to get a Honda Civic EX, but I could not find any 2000s and did not like the 2001s. Initially I did not want a Nissan as my 200SX was a money pit (from the age of 53,000 miles, repairs on the idle valve, idle bearing, TSB for power locks, bad seam in the wheel well causing flooding in the passenger side floor, replacing wheel bearings, bad struts) - I bought it from a dealer as it was a leased/used vehicle for 2 years. I just hope that I don't have to look forward to the same problems with my 2001 SE, which is a beautiful car I might add.

    Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    I bought my SE a month ago and only have 100 miles on it. (don't want to take it out in bad weather) Anyway my engine is also relatively noisy. I also felt it was noisier than it should be. It has solid lifters ant they are noisier. I plan on checking this out with the dealer. The dealer told me the car I purchased with 11 miles on it was road tested (which makes me nervous) for about this number of miles. Your point is well taken - what do or did they specifically check? Ask then- when I get back I'll ask the same question. On my car the antifreeze was low, there was a plastic cap missing on the AC valve and the transmission oil dip stick was not fully engaged. This made me nervous because I figure the mechanic was in the process of adding oil and promptly forgot what he was doing. I went over the car with a fine tooth comb and found nothing else wrong. Who knows? I bought the Sentra because it is rated very highly, it has a very comfortable front seat, and I believe Nissan makes a quality product.

    Check out this web site: www.b15sentra.net it's for Sentra owners- Great site. Good luck with the car.
  • ellablueellablue Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 Sentra manual transmission that jerks or hiccups when the car is cold. It does this one time, usually when I am in third gear at about thirty miles an hour. This usually happens while I'm cruising, not shifting so I don't think its my shifting. Once it does this, right after the car is started, it is fine and immediately starts to warm up. It feels like it suddenly isn't getting enough gas. I took it to the dealer (left it overnight) and he said he was unable to reproduce this experience. He ran all the computer tests and found nothing. Has anyone had a similar experience or had a fix? Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
  • grecargrecar Member Posts: 2
    I have a 95 Sentra with about 110,000 miles. I have noticed recently that the throttle is sticking some when the accelerator is let up. I can get it to release if I tap the accelerator. Is this throttle sticking a common problem. I had the car at the dealer for a 7500 mile free oil change. I mentioned this to the dealer and the quoted me $110.00 for a "complete decarb". It sounds like a can of fuel additive and a can of spray into the throttle body. Are there products available at the auto parts store to do this myself? This car has been very reliable so far, only major repairs that have been done to the car is replacing the front main seal and belts at about 100,000 miles. I hope to keep this car for a while.

    Greg
  • juncjunc Member Posts: 2
    My 93 sentra had left front CV axle replaced in November. Yesterday the car was dead on the road (engine was on but the car did not move, looked like a transmission problem). It also leaked lots of transmission fluid. people in the garage told me that the axle is defective. it did not stay in so it popped out and stuck the transmission. My questions are:
    1. Is this true?
    2. They have warranty on the axle but my car now is in a different garage. Can I ask the garage who change the axle pay the expense incured at the current garage?
  • whitesedanwhitesedan Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    I recently got a used Nissan Sentra GXE with just less than 40,000 miles on it. I have been driving it for the past 3 months, usually just using it for commuting to work, and it has been behaving very well. I have just over 42,000 miles on it now.

    However, last week, I had to take a long trip and for the first time I used the cruise control on the car. Everything was fine until I got into the city and had to stop at some lights. I hit the brakes and the usual braking pressure on the pedal did not make it stop. I had to apply much harder pressure on the pedals and it stopped, but I overshot the stop line. Luckily, there were no other cars in front of me, so I did not have an accident.

    After that, they seemed to be OK, though a little less efficient than before. I took it to the local Midas shop and they replaced the front rotors, used caliper repair kits and put in new pads. They gave me a bill for around $500. But I still have a nagging doubt that it may not have cured the problem. I haven't had any problems after that, but I would appreciate it if you could give me suggestions or tips or any explanation as to why that happened.

    Thanks,
    CR
  • sw4realsw4real Member Posts: 3
    That's funny, I posted here last nite, and my message isn't up yet, is there a delay in posting? Anyways, in case the post doesn't go thru, I'd like to say that I've had the exact same experience with my car AND the dealership. If you have been able to resolve this issue, I'd appreciate it if you could let me know. Thanks!!
  • 1ss4271ss427 Member Posts: 2
    With 1457 miles on my 2001 SE I decided to have the oil changed. Since that time the vehicle has been "Immobile". The car was flat bedded to the dealership...and I was told that the chip in the key for the "Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System" is sending the signal but the computor is not listening. So,what this translates to, is that the car has been down almost two weeks with the parts on back order!....so is this telling me that this has been a problem?.....has anyone else had this happen? Other then that I have been very pleased with the vehicle.....just wish that I could drive it again. Oh, and bye the way the Altima I was given to use....is terrible....so glad I bought the Sentra
  • garyfamgaryfam Member Posts: 1
    The price you quote for the Sentra SE loaded with a stick sounds well below invoice. Where did you get such a good deal? I've been quoted prices ranging from $15,800 to $16,150 for the same car without the sunroof. Does anyone have any advice on where to get the car at a better price? This is a car for my 18 year old son, and we are hitting the price limit that I set for this purchase. I know he would love the sunroof but the prices I am seeing is putting it off limits.
  • tbguytbguy Member Posts: 1
    i just got my sentra se 2001 a couple of days ago and i think i got a great deal. with power, the premium package, 7 speaker, automatic, and floor mats, all for 16000. no sunroof though, but if i got standard it would have been cheaper. the guys at dartmouth nissan in mass. where outstanding they asked me what i wanted to pay and i said 15800 and then we negotiated on 16000. not bad since edmunds tmv is around 15800. you should be able to get this car for very little over invoice, make sure you know what it is before going to the dealer, and tell them you know what it is. this way they know that you did your homework.

    besides the great deal the car is awesome, i always find excuses to go out! well good luck on buying that car.
  • shaunahshaunah Member Posts: 1
    Hi there! Have enjoyed hearing about early 1990's and early 2000 Sentras but see very little about 1999 Sentras. I can take that one of two ways: 1) the '99 was a great model year and has few issues or 2) I am not clever enuff to find the 1999 Sentra Forum.... Could someone steer me in the right direction? I don't have problems now but like to keep up about what other '99 Sentra drivers are talking.
  • orwell1orwell1 Member Posts: 1
    Ok, I'm too dumb to figure out how to just reply to a message so I had to post a new one.
    Anyway, the exact thing happens to my 2000 Sentra.
    Always when it's cold, usually in 3rd but sometimes 4th, seems to be especially when you are not applying the accelerator or you are letting up on it.
    It feels like some kind of engine power interruption...anyway when it comes to mechanics I'm clueless. I haven't had it checked bc no other problems occur. Anyone know what these hiccups are?

    Thanks
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    Great forum at http://www.b15sentra.net/ click on "public Forums on Left.
  • jimmymac1jimmymac1 Member Posts: 1
    fpm2 wrote on 11/21 that the passenger side air bag dash cover on his 2001 Sentra SE was raised on the right side. I just purchased my SE on 2/24 and noticed the same problem. I didn't want to try & lift it up in case I made it worse. Did anyone find out what the problem was?
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    The auto trans on my 2001 Sentra which was replaced with remanufactured one works very well. I am not going any further with complaint. Do you know if the 4 sp. auto has a "positive lock clutch" in addition to 4 th gear? Should I feel/or see it engage (with tach)??
    Thanks alcan.

    Al
  • trueblue1trueblue1 Member Posts: 1
    Hi all, I have a 91 Sentry with 190,000 miles on it. When it goes from about 5 to 10 mph, it pops. Kind of like when you shift gears in a manual and don't know how. Any pointers would be great.
    Thanks :I)
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    Don't have a clue. BTW do you have the 2L 20DE engine. How is it holding up. I have a 2001 SE with this engine. Thanks. Trueblue....hmmm..are you a Penn Stater?

    Al
  • keith52keith52 Member Posts: 3
    My 99 Sentra GXE,developed a problem about a month ago my odometer stopped working completely for a while and would only record maybe
    a mile occasionally when I reset the trip odometer. Now the other day it started working normally, but when I got in the car in the morning it didn't work for the first 20 miles or so and it did the same thing today could it be condensation in the cable causing it to freeze the speedometer works fine is there separate connections?
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    Ignorance is bliss. You'll have a low milage car in a few years for sale. I'd get it fixed in a couple of years or so.
  • keith52keith52 Member Posts: 3
    I agree with you however I put 35000 miles a year on a car and I have to keep a close eye on mileage and maintenancd schedules and now this bit of not working for the first 20 miles of my 70 mile journey to work each day is getting annoying I'd take it to the dealer but when i get there it would be working and you know how dealers are if it isn't broken when they see it theres nothing wrong with it
  • smalley2smalley2 Member Posts: 1
    I have had the same problem with my Sentry. I have a GXE with the manual transmission and every morning, just as the temperature gauge moves from Cold to operating temperature, the engine stops for a second. It usually happens in third gear, about 25-30 mph.
    My dealer told me they couldn't find anything wrong either, but then they didn't do much testing. I'm not a mechanic, but my guess is Nissan is using a defective computer chip or software that causes the engine to shut down for a fraction of a second when the chip sends a message to the choke that the engine is warm.
    I don't think the dealers will ever find it because it only happens when there is a load on the engine. The dealers are testing it while the car is idling on the shop floor. The problem has never occurred if I let the car warm up first or if it goes from cold to warm while I'm waiting at a light.
  • bangsterbangster Member Posts: 5
    1998 sentra how do you reset "service engine soon" light. I tried disconnecting battery--it didn't work
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    All cars and light trucks post 1995 are OBD-II compliant. Reset requires a scan tool.
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    will reset with a number of starts at a specified operating temperature, I believe. For the one which is produced by not having the gas cap tight will reset.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Yes, that's true for some faults (usually emission-related). The catch with some of them is that the vehicle must duplicate the conditions under which the code was set such as vehicle speed, engine load and temp, etc, a given number of times without detecting the fault. So it could take more drive cycles than expected to turn off the MIL. The second catch is that the stored DTC usually remains as a memory code and will have to be cleared using a scan tool.
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