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Nissan Sentra 2006 and earlier

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Comments

  • bristolbristol Member Posts: 5
    I have a 94 Sentra, auto transmission, with 202,000 miles. When I accelerate to about 55-60, the engine starts kicking, and I have to floor it to gain more speed. Sometimes it starts to kick even sooner, like at 40-45. Is this a classic symtom of the tranny giving out, or could it be something simpler and less costly? Any other possible explanations? Thanks!
  • whampa65whampa65 Member Posts: 36
    Does anybody know why the light on my gearshift doesn't light up? Do you think it might be a fuse or what? It's the light on the center console that shows you drive,park,Etc....
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    I know Im like 2 months late with this post, but this is VERY typical of the Sentra with the 2.5L engine. Mine has done this from the get-go, and some have even asked me if I've left my car running after I exit. I could care less, means nothing.

    ~alpha
  • cabrinimancabriniman Member Posts: 3
    Hiya everyone

    I am suprised by the problems everyone has had with their Sentras... maybe I have been lucky. I have a 03 SPEC V and love it! I haven't had one little problem with it and it is a blast to drive. :) I got it used a year and a half ago and have put over 30,000 miles on it so far (I have 47,000 total now). I drive it pretty hard too.

    A friend of mine has a Mazda 6 and my car will kill his all day long in both acceleration and handling (he has the 6 cylinder). :P

    What a great car!
  • buck87xbuck87x Member Posts: 1
    i just bought a black '02 sentra gxe 4-door sedan. i was wondering if you have the stock cd player. if so, is there a light on it so i can see the time at night?
  • ahqahq Member Posts: 37
    Greetings! I drive a 2002 Sentra GXE 1.8 Automatic. It has 47K miles on it and is still riding on its original tires, i.e. Bridgestone B381, size P185/65R14 ("T" speed rating). I'm looking to get a new set of all-season tires ASAP. I live in Wisconsin, so snow traction is important. Ride smoothness takes precedence over sporty handling. Any suggestions or recommendations based on your experiences would be much appreciated!
  • ahqahq Member Posts: 37
    I drive a 2002 Sentra GXE as well. The standard OEM stereo (AM/FM radio with single-disc CD player) does have a backlit LCD display, so yes, you should be able to read the display at night when your lights are on. Speaking of illumination, the transmission shifter indicator light (PRND2L) went out, so I'll have to replace its bulb sometime soon.
  • tom71tom71 Member Posts: 46
    I'm considering buying a new Sentra SER new or used.
    The new cars only come with automatic tranny, unless you
    get the Spec V model which I don't want.

    Does anybody out there have an SER automatic? I was
    wondering how well the automatic tranny works with
    this engine?
    Also is this car dependable?
  • rolexrobrolexrob Member Posts: 11
    I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE BF GOODRICH TIRES. IF YOU LOOK THEM UP, YOU'LL FIND THAT YOU CAN GO UP TO 60"S AT 14 INCHES AND GET GREAT TRACTION AND A SMOOTH RIDE. THOSE WILL BE THE TIRES I WILL PURCHASE WHEN THESE STOCK ONE'S GIVE OUT (DUNLOP SP-20'S). :)
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Lower case messeges are so much easier to read...many will just pass you by, as it's just to hard to read. So please, no more shouting!

    The Sandman ;)
  • momstruck1momstruck1 Member Posts: 206
    Well hubby had an accident in his 01 sentra :sick: . Skidded on ice and hit another car. Here is my question the whole front passenger side is almost gone and the drivers side is pretty banged up. The air bags on either side didn't go off . :confuse: Anyone know why? the car is a wash and we need to purchase a new one. We are considering another nissan only because the thing still starts amazingly . If you seen it you would ask how the thing still starts but it does.

    Another question does anyone here know of any place we can donate it to ? it is in pretty bad shape but hate to just junk it I am sure it is good for at least the parts in some areas .
  • bunny69bunny69 Member Posts: 1
    hi all , i just wanna know what i need to modifie on my car (Nissan Sentra Se-R 2003 (no-SpecV) to get a Spec V.. Do i have to change only the transmission or i need to change something else. i know a got the same engine 2.5 and i can get 6 speed transmission for 300$ can, what else i need.. thanx for reply.!!!
  • rolexrobrolexrob Member Posts: 11
    I do not mean to intrude, but do you know how I can find out if my 2001 Nissan XE vehicle recalls have been "addressed" ??
    Sincerely,

    Rob L :confuse:
  • rolexrobrolexrob Member Posts: 11
    Sandman,
    Do you know how I can find out if the recalls on my 2001 Nissan Sentra have been taken care of??
    Rob L
  • rolexrobrolexrob Member Posts: 11
    Go for the Sentra, it's well built and can go the distance!! :)
  • rolexrobrolexrob Member Posts: 11
    yes, the car should STAY in overdrive unless you are going up and down steep hills. :D
  • rolexrobrolexrob Member Posts: 11
    Ckeck out the BF Goodrich 60 series, I understand their one of the best!! :)
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    I would go to your closest Nissan dealer and let them put your vin # into their computer system.. That should tell where and when any recall or tsb items were done.

    The Sandman :)
  • joeirisjoeiris Member Posts: 4
    I just had a new engine put in this vehicle. After the engine was put in, there's a knocking, seems like, right under the gas pedal somewhere. When I release the gas pedal the knocking stops, and I hear the knocking only when driving over over 30 MPH. It's a slight knocking, like a vibration is causing it. I rotated the tires, front to back and that didn't take away the problem.

    Any ideas on what causing it. I think I'll be taking back to the repairman who put in my engine.

    Thanks,

    Joe
  • joeirisjoeiris Member Posts: 4
    This car I bought recently (1997 Nissan Sentra GXE) ac controller (dial) only works on the 4th setting dial position. 1,2,3 dials are dead. But #4 is strong and load. Any suggestions on what to do?

    Thanks,

    Joe :confuse:
  • nissanfan4lyfenissanfan4lyfe Member Posts: 2
    i had a 1996 Nissan 200sx wit the same problem what u need is a blower resister it doesnt cost that much 2 purchase and it takes a few minutes to replace the old 1... :shades:
  • joeirisjoeiris Member Posts: 4
    I went to the dealership and purchased a new resistor and put it on while I was there. I was so happy to see the blower work properly. So I went to auto zone, got the engine light recycled and much to my amaze, noticed that the controller was not working again. The engine light later turned on again and I'm back at square one.

    What should I do next? I was thinking of having it diagnosed again for free with Auto Zone and let them tell me what they notice what's wrong and go from there, unless you have another suggestion.

    Thanks again,

    Joe
    Nissan Sentra 1997 GXE 1.6 :sick:
  • joeirisjoeiris Member Posts: 4
    Just learned that because I didn't put it in its casing, where its kept cool when the AC is on, the resistor went bad on me. The service tech said that it will take about a week in warm air. The temp. today was around the mid 50's and it only took about 1/2 hr. to go bad. I'm so confused. I think I'm going to pull another one out of an wrecked Nissan and try it out again before I go out and buy a new one.

    Joe
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Blog with us about the new Sentra from the Detroit Auto Show: 2007 Nissan Sentra!
  • comaqccomaqc Member Posts: 2
    The problems started about a year ago and are getting worse with time. First the horn became intermittent. Then the parking brake light would come on unwarranted during driving. The cruise control also kicks out by itself intermittently.
    About one month ago things got worse. The automatic shift lever stays stuck in park with, so I cannot shift into gear. The parking lights come on by themselves and I have to turn the light control swithch ON to turn the lights off.
    Finally, this week, the battery went dead and the repair shop said that the alternator ws not charging. Upon dissambling the alternator, they found nothing wrong it The tested it, pût it back in and the battery still does not get charged.
    My dealer has looked at the car five times so far and has not been able to solve the intermittent problems.
    Am I the only problem with weird, intermittent electrical problems?
  • teaka123teaka123 Member Posts: 1
    We are having the same problem with our Sentra. Was it the safety switch? Thank you.
  • comaqccomaqc Member Posts: 2
    The Alternator is now charging the battery correctly. Nothing was done to fix this; it just came back on normal by itself. However, nothing comes free. Now, the shift lever solenoid still does not work so we manually insert a key into the provided slot to disanguage the lever off the Park position. When the alternator came back on, we realized taht we had lost the rear window defogger and the windows lowering and raising switches do not work anymore.
    This is so ridiculous its almost funny.

    Where is thesafety switch located?
  • cpetricecpetrice Member Posts: 1
    On my way to work, my headlights blew out, and the battery and brake light came on.

    According to the general consensus here, when the battery and brake light come on, the alternator is shot. Another guy had his alternator overcharge and blow out his lights on the forums too.

    I replaced the alternator, but the battery and brake light is still on. I see 3 fuseboxes on the car. One driver side under the dash, one under the hood on the driver side, and one under the hood on the pass side, but I dont' see any fuses that would seem to be blown. Am I just missing the fuse, is it there? If so, whats it labled as? What else could it be if its not the fuse? Thanks in advance.
  • gail7gail7 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 Sentra GXE with 49500 miles on it. I had a starter put in in July at 44000 or so miles and it just went again tonight! any one else had this trouble?
  • snowssnows Member Posts: 1
    I have two 2001 Sentras with the gear shift light out. Nor have I figured out how to take it apart to fix it. It looks like it ought to be easy once you know the trick.
  • cbashcbash Member Posts: 2
    I'm considering buying a 97 Sentra, it has 168K miles, but seems to be a clean little car. The major concern that I have it the engine is knocking, kind of like a lifter noise. It seems to run and drive good, but I don't want to get into a money pit. Any advice????
  • tthotatthota Member Posts: 45
    How much do they ask for?

    You do need to be concerned. One repair would make it too expensive.
  • cbashcbash Member Posts: 2
    I can get it for less than $1500.00.
  • tthotatthota Member Posts: 45
    On Edmunds.com, a 97 Sentra GLE automatic, with 168000 mileage deduction and average condition deduction, the TMW (true market value) buying price is $1315.00. Without the two deductions (96000 miles and in excellent condition), the price would be around $3300.00. A new engine (or rebuilt) can be considered as a gamble, if the body is good. If you don't need it, you win. If you end up replacing the engine, the car will last a long time after it's done. If I were you, I start with finding the cost of the engine.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    How many coils are there in a '03 Sentra's engine?

    The Sandman :confuse:
  • mudfootmudfoot Member Posts: 1
    I've got a chance to get a sentra for 50 bucks, right now it won't start, and if you try to pop the clutch the car comes to a violent stop, my question is, can I take off the starter and try to pop the clutch then?
  • imdootimdoot Member Posts: 2
    I'm just beginning to diskllike my 2001 Sentra GXE as well. (I'm new to this forum--on a lark, I googled "Sentra" and "problems" and ended up here... I had no idea I'd find so many others with the same exact story and difficulties!) I bought the car brand new after reading good reviews on Consumer Reports, and made a somewhat reluctant switch after being happy with Hondas for many years because I felt at that time that Nissan was giving more car for the same money--)
    My Sentra only has 33,000 mi. on it and has been well-maintained. A while back, the "service engine soon" light went on. It was intermittent at first but then stayed on...When I took it into the dealership this week, they charged me $100 to diagnose it and said the mass air flow sensor had gone out and that replacing it for $570 would fix the problem. I asked "how can this be happening on such a low-milage car, and why should a little part cost so much?" They said that they don't just replace the little part--they replace the entire housing around it because "that's how Nissan prefers it." I refused service, thinking I might get it done cheaper elsewhere. (I even called every junk car place and no one had the part...) An independent mechanic I talked to said that he couldn't get the part from anywhere but Nissan, and that I was better off just having them do it since after talking to them about obtaining the part, (and discussing my car specifically because they realized it was me/my car he was inquiring about) he got the impression my car was having "serious computer problems that they'd be better at fixing."
    I have also had the "sticky gas pedal" issue I've read about on this forum, and the dealership wants another $100 to do an induction cleaning service.
    I feel like this car is barely out of warranty but this won't be covered, and that from what I've read here despite Nissan knowing about this commom defect, they don't seem to give a damn to make it right, and that even after some people have replaced the sensors and cleaned the buildup they are STILL having problems.
    My question is this: has anyone out there had ANY success working things out with the folks at 1-800-Nissan1, or do I basically have no recourse but to pay up and hope this fixes my problems? Incidentally, the car has never had great power, and compared to my peppy old Civic, it just feels like a real dog in the performance department and I feel totally screwed. Help!
  • gensegense Member Posts: 1
    Long But important Post
    Before this happens to you,
    Last week had car stalling but restarting fine. Before going to the dealer repair shop I looked up some info on the internet and found that there were two recalls (of which I wasn't informed) relating to stalling and starting . You all know them as the crank sensor replacement and the foam around the ECU replacement.
    I called the dealer and they confirmed that my car was under this recall and that thet would do the work at no charge.
    The day I was to bring it in the car would'nt start. They had it towed in and did the recal work and it stalled on the test drive. After 4 hrs of labour (at my cost) to find the new problem they determined that the ECU needed to be replaced because it was faulty. $1600.00 later my car is now running (don't know for how long. Lost all confidence in this car.)
    My beef is :
    If the recall to the foam around the ecu was neccessary so that the emitted sulfur does not cause corrosion to the ECU and eventual failure of the ECU. I believe that thier failure to inform me by letter or phone to do this work caused the eventual failure of my 4 year old computer.
    I don't think I was responsible to pay for this.
    I am considering taking recourse and want people with similar problems or advice to come forward.
  • rolexrobrolexrob Member Posts: 11
    Does anyone out there know when NISSAN recommends having the auto trans fluid changed? I have a 2001 Sentra XE with 47Kmi and have never towed or pulled anything.
    Your advice would be GREATLY APPRECIATE.
    :confuse: Rob L
  • rolexrobrolexrob Member Posts: 11
    As far as I know, there is a coil for each cylinder. Hope this helps.
    Rob L :)
  • rolexrobrolexrob Member Posts: 11
    Does anyone know if Nissan recommednds a transmission oil change by months or mileage. PLEASE HELP ME!!
    Rob L :confuse:
  • wwechamp69wwechamp69 Member Posts: 1
    I'm having a problem with my 2000 sentra. Whenever I downshift, I'm losing a lot of power and my car will die. It's kind of hard to explain it. I changed the plugs, wires, distributer cap, and rotor but nothing seems to work. If anyone has any ideas, or if it has happened to anyone else, I would really appreciate it.
  • imdootimdoot Member Posts: 2
    I also was NOT informed of this recall--I only found out about it when I took my car in 2 weeks ago for other problems (see my post regarding the mass air flow sensor that preceeds your post). I was just furious, because it turns out this recall went out in March of 2004! so we've been driving around for 2 years without knowing, causing god only knows what kind of damage. When I called Nissan corporate in NJ to inquire why I was never notified, the "CSR" (and I use that term ironically) insisted that according to their records the notice HAD gone out. She also claimed that it was MY responsibility to check w/ Nissan's site on a frequent basis to see if they had any recalls for my model.
    I was incredulous--I said "You're telling me that you're putting the onus on your CUSTOMER to research problems due to YOUR faulty manufacturing even though the law says you must contact us?" and she said yes. She was extremely rude and would not budge on anything, I don't know what the answer is, but I'm telling you to prepare yourself for a fight. I'm also interested that you never got the notice either, and that surely your problems--and maybe mine as well--are the result of driving around like that all that time! As for me, I still haven't had the work done on my car--now that I've done this research, I am going to call them back, open a case number, and tell them all that I've found out about similar problems from this site. I urge you to do the same.
  • beth12beth12 Member Posts: 1
    Hi all,
    I am a mechanically ignorant person. I have a 1997 nissan sentra that has recently started giving me a lot of trouble. The car will not start suddenly. At this point everthing else works like power windows, lights, horn etc. so it is not the battery. It will start working by itslef after a couple of days and would stop again. I have taken it to 3 mechanics and spent a lot of money on it. Does anyone know what the problem might be?

    B
  • akjaredakjared Member Posts: 1
    yeah i just got a new nissan sentra se and i dont know what i should do to it?
  • bobincalifbobincalif Member Posts: 5
    I have a 1994 Sentra that is not getting vacuum to the EGR valve. I did a bench test on the EGR valve, the BPT valve and the EGR/EVAC control solenoid and all functioned ok.

    After reinstalling them, I started the engine and left the electrical connection off of the EGR/EVAC unit and found the EGR valve was then getting vacuum. I reconnected the elec. connection to find no vacuum to the EGR valve, but the connector was showing apx. 13 volts. Under the EGR/EVAC unit, was a second electric connector, which was showing apx.3.5 volts. I'm not sure what the second connector operates, but I suspect it operates the EGR temature sender.

    Due to the low voltage reading, I checked the fuse pannel inside the car and found one fuse identified as "ST", from the fuse location chart. I have no idea what the "ST" stands for, but I suspect it might have something to do with the 3.5 volts on the EGR tempature sender.

    I also checked the oxygen sensor and the PVC valve and they are OK.

    The Sentra smog check was done this past week, with everything passing, execpt the "CO" reading. This portion of test was added to the California test two years ago, which it passed in total then.

    I would appreciate any input I can get, as I had planed on selling the Nissan this weekend, but obviously those plans fell through. :cry:

    Thank you in advance... ...Bob in Calif...
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    The 2006 Sentra 1.8S I purchased to use as a commuter car is working quite well.

    39.9 MPG indicated on trip computer over 364.4 miles and calculated mpg was 39.8 mpg. Wow!
    I never expected more than 34 or 35 mpg.

    Driving conditions were 70 F outside temp., 4 lane divided highway with many sections trhu towns and city's with stoplights. 60 mph speed limit and 60 mph is the speed I set the cruise control.
  • indylisaindylisa Member Posts: 1
    Add me to the list of folks with the O2 Mass Airflow Sensor issue. I called my dealer and he was a :mad: about it - didn't give me any kind of info one way or another. So do I send several hundred dollars up in smoke and maybe get the problem fixed? What a crock.

    I previously owned a '95 Sentra which I never got diagnosed but once it hit 70k miles, the same symptoms appeared. That's when I traded it for the 2001 piece of crap I'm dealing w/ now.

    I've also had to have the horn re-wired as others here have mentioned.

    Any feedback is welcome!
  • jeanette74jeanette74 Member Posts: 2
    My car wont start-the radio,windows, and lights work but when I try to start it I get 1 click and a hiss noise-the mechanic says it could be the alarm system-any advice on what I can do to fix it or why this could be happening. Any problems with faulty alarm systems? It happened a couple days ago where it would not start-I let it sit overnight-the next morning it started-any advice is appreciated
  • jeanette74jeanette74 Member Posts: 2
    Post #1913--did you figure out why your car was not starting-Im having the same problem with a 97 sentra
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