Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Nissan Sentra 2006 and earlier

13435363739

Comments

  • shawnakrshawnakr Member Posts: 1
    OK, I have owned my 01 Sentra since 2003 (bought it second hand in perfect condition). I have been fortunate enough not to have any major issues with the vehicle, except for the brakes sticking after I parked it for 4 months, and the damn plastic tip of the dipstick broke off, Murphy's Law - I was just heading out for vacation.

    I have taken such good care of this car, always to the dealership, always on time (well, maybe a few exceptions). I took my car in this morning because it was jolting and then the engine light came on. I was told that it was a blown head gasket - a minimum $1000 to fix. Here's the catch, my car only has 76,000km and has never overheated (which they said was the cause). I consulted outside Nissan and every single mechanic I spoke with was astounded.

    I have phoned Nissan Canada, and they said that my car is too far past warranty to cover it.

    Has anyone had ANY luck with the corporate side in them paying for problems outside of warranty? And has anyone encountered such a problem?

    Please help!!
  • thitinunthitinun Member Posts: 2
    Dear sir,
    Sorry to bother you. I have the same problem like you with the sentra 2004. I wonder if you could give me a brief instruction how to remove the radio, I would appreciate very much.

    Sincerely
    thitinun
  • nitro2nitro2 Member Posts: 3
    I installed a cold air intake on a 04 1.8 sentra. it ran great for a day then as i was getting on the highway and was hard on the gas the car felt like it stalled. I pulled over and it was idling ruff. and when i hit the gas the rpm go to a certain spot and then it starts to choke out and almost stalls. Were do i start and what do i do. Acts like there is a rev limiter on the motor now! :confuse:
  • thitinunthitinun Member Posts: 2
    Dear sir,
    I wonder if not too much trouble, I would like to know the instruction how to remove the radio from the Nissan sentra 2004. I have the same problem.

    Thank you in advance for you kindness.
    thitinun
  • james31278james31278 Member Posts: 78
    It sounds like its running too rich or too lean.
  • aladdinsanealaddinsane Member Posts: 182
    Hi, all...

    Anyone out there know of a website with the 4-1-1 on the 2008 versions of the Sentra?

    I'm very much interested in learning what Nissan has in store for this machine in terms of features and improvements, if any.

    Please inform...

    Many thanx!

    Peace<- :shades: --
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    What's involved with the cold air intake? Does it require a different air filter?
  • gxe2001gxe2001 Member Posts: 1
    Shutts, I have the both the problems described here

    Fan speeds: only very high speed works :: How did you resolve this ?
    My mechanic says part alone would cost $400, He tried changing the knob and that didnt help.

    Windows wont go up :: not consulted mechanic yet, First it happened to front passenger window and now driver side is gone too :(
  • lgoldinlgoldin Member Posts: 90
    hi gxe

    Only high speed fan working usually means that the speed limiting resistor is blown. It is located at the very corner of the front passenger compartment. You'd need to go under the glove box and find a large bolt head. Unscrew it and extract large PCB. One of traces will be burned. I just put a solder across it and it works already for 2 years. So, it did not cost me $400. May be $.10 for solder itself

    As for windows I'd recommend to lubricate mechanism in the doors and put special silicon around the rubber to prevent sticking and friction
  • maegen216maegen216 Member Posts: 1
    I am in a similar boat and went on line and saw they have these kits that are $80 that are supposed to fix the problem. Have you heard of them? I have a 91 Nissan Sentra and it did overheat and now there is water in the oil. The guy said it was probably a blown head gasket. Have you had any luck yet?
  • johndintexasjohndintexas Member Posts: 18
    I have a 1996 Sentra GXE with 130,000 miles on it. Lately, there is a gas smell that comes through the A/C vents when the A/C is running; this only lasts for a minute, then goes away. It doesn't happen all the time, either, just every once in a while. Does anybody know if this is something serious, or what it could be? I looked under the hood and didn't see any leaks in oil or gas, but I'm not a mechanic and so may have overlooked something.

    Also, the #2 level on the A/C no longer works; I think there may be a short in the dial, but doubt this is connected to the gas smell. #1, #3, and #4 work fine.

    It seems as though once I hit 100,000 miles, every few months I'm having to fix/replace something in this car. Nothing major with the engine so far, though, but just this past year have replaced the alternator, battery, fuel filter, brakes, and right CV boot (this makes twice in the past three years on the CV boot). It's been dependable, but feels like a ticking bomb waiting to go off -- I'm hoping this gas smell is not that.

    I don't want to put much more into this car, but I'm hoping it will last another few years. Any advice would be great. Thanks!
  • rennie4rennie4 Member Posts: 55
    Cruise standard on 2008 sentra 2.0S. Now we don't have to purchase the convenience package.
  • jd10013jd10013 Member Posts: 779
    It's been dependable, but feels like a ticking bomb waiting to go off -- I'm hoping this gas smell is not that.

    I don't want to put much more into this car, but I'm hoping it will last another few years. Any advice would be great. Thanks!


    you have a entry level car (versa wasn't out then) thats 11 yrs old, with 130k miles on it. anything could go wrong.

    as for advice, look at it this way. you pretty much have two options.
    1. buy a new car. you won't have any problems, it should run perfect, and if there is a problem, it will get fixed free. the downsid, you'll have a 3-4 hundred payment, higher insurance, and higher taxes. If your state has them

    2. Stick with what you have, and be resigned to occasional repair bills (the engine should last 200-250k). The advantage is, No car payment, lower insurance, and lower taxable value.
  • dalifeidaodalifeidao Member Posts: 1
    Hi, Guys
    I just bought the car yesterday. Everything seems good until now. The only problem is that there is no ABS(anti-locked brake system) in my car. Do I need to install the ABS for further safety? Could somebody tell the cost?

    Thanks
  • jd10013jd10013 Member Posts: 779
    to install ABS would be extremly expensive. Personaly, I think ABS are over rated. The funny thing about them, even though they do prevent your wheels from locking when applying maximum force to the brakes, and in theory should make your car safer, almost every study done by NTSB and others has shown no decrease in accident rates for abs equipped vehicles. To me, abs is something that if available as an option I'll get it, but if its not, I wouldn't sweat it.
  • rennie4rennie4 Member Posts: 55
    My dad has been driving his car for more than a year and he did not know that his car did not have ABS. He assumed that it did and he doesnt have a problem with stopping his car. He even drove through the upstate NY snowstorms without noticing. (2006 altima non abs)
  • jd10013jd10013 Member Posts: 779
    Most people don't realize, abs is a passive thing, it's not always on. the only time your abs activates si when the wheeles are about to lock up. you could drive a vehicle 20 years and never have the ABS kick in.
  • motoristmotorist Member Posts: 1
    Can you people please share with me your experience with 1999 Nissan Sentra GXE edition, if anyone of you have any ?

    I am getting the deal for 1999 make sentra - 4 cylinder - 127k miles - Automatoic transmission for $2600, how good is the price for this much old car ? Will you be kind enough to tell me that should I go for the car with this price.

    Look forward to your replies, Thanks.

    Hiren
  • skinny3skinny3 Member Posts: 4
    I was just wandering if anyone here has had any electrical problems out of their Sentra.

    My cousin bought an '06 Sentra SE-R SpecV last Dec. and wants nothing more than to wrap it around a tree. It has cut off for absolutely no reason on several occasions. On one such occasion, I was riding with him on our way home when I experienced this first-hand. We were coming up to a light in medium traffic and the car shut off as he started to slow down. To avoid totalling the car and sandwiching a Ford, he decided to go up on the median. In so doing, making the car come to a grinding halt while passing four cars.

    When he took it to the dealership that he bought it from, they told him that they have no idea what could have caused the car to shut off because they could not find anything wrong with it.

    I was just wondering if this kind of thing has happened to anyone else or if this car just has a death wish.

    That's not the only problem, that's just the major, life threatening problem. Other problems include car not wanting or willing to start and the emergency brakes locking up when the car is off (I'm thinking that has something to do with the brake fluid but still). It's as if the car just never wants to move, and if its forced to do so, then its on a suicide mission. And the mechanics are adamant in the fact that there is nothing wrong with the car.
  • jrk301jrk301 Member Posts: 4
    I have owned a 2003 Sentra SE-R, automatic transmission for about a year now. It has about 21,000 miles and has ran well for me ever since I purchased the car. Recently, after driving about 20 miles on a warm day, I stopped at a traffic signal, and after a good while, when the signal turned green, I went to go accelerate to continue on down the road, and the car 'locked up'... the brake pedal was not depressed and would not depress when I put my foot on it... the car would also not go forward when I stepped on the gas. All the warning lights came on, and my brake warning light also came on. I coasted the car to the nearest parking lot, a few feet away, and turned off the ignition. After a few seconds, when I started the car again, it started okay. Has anyone heard of something like this happening before?

    Thanks,

    Joe
    Butler, PA
  • jrk301jrk301 Member Posts: 4
    Mr. Skinny3 -

    I didn't even read your post before posting mine. It seems as though we are having similar problems -- I'll be curious to see if anyone has a solution. Does your cousin's car start up again like normal after you turn the ignition again?

    Joe
  • aka_scrubberaka_scrubber Member Posts: 1
    hi people can someone pls give me instructions on how to remover power steering rack from my 1988 NISSAN SENTRA ZXE N13
    iv undone all the bolts on the rack but cant get it out of the engine bay
    any help will be grateful
  • skinny3skinny3 Member Posts: 4
    The car would always start right back up as if nothing happened.

    Could you define for me what you meant by 'locked up'? Did you mean that the engine locked up, the brakes locked up, or the engine shutting off?
  • jrk301jrk301 Member Posts: 4
    The engine stalled, and when that happened, it seems like the brakes also locked, and the car lost power. It seemed as though the engine was still running, but the car was not functioning and the check engine lights and other warning lights came on.

    When I took the car to get fixed, the techs claimed they coudln't find anything wrong with the car, and that a diagnostic code was not set in the computer. They claimed that having a "scan card" on my keys for the grocery store would screw up the "security chip" on my keys and mess with the ignition switch. I don't know what to think -- I don't believe them.

    Joe
  • jd10013jd10013 Member Posts: 779
    When I took the car to get fixed, the techs claimed they coudln't find anything wrong with the car,

    first thing I'd do is find another mechanic.
  • james31278james31278 Member Posts: 78
    Of course it requires a different air filter that dome on the front is the air filter. It replaces the stock airbox completely.
  • redballsredballs Member Posts: 1
    I FOUND THE INFO ON THE WEB. IT TAKES FIVE MINUTES TO REMOVE YOUR RADIO.I HAVE A 2003 SENTRA ALSO. HERE ARE THE INSTRUCTIONS 1-DISCONNECT BATTERY TERMINAL. 2- SIT IN DRIVERS' SEAT. 3- OPEN STORAGE AREA ASSEMBLY AT TOP OF CONSOLE 4- GRAB THE EDGE OF THE STORAGE/ MAP SECTION AND PULL GENTLY OUT TOWARDS YOU.- NO SCREWS INVOLVED- 5- PLACE THE POCKETS/ MAP ASSEMBLY ON YOUR DASH. 6- THERE ARE (2)PHILIPS SCREWS SECURING THE POCKET ASSEMBLY BEHIND THE RADIO AND TWO PHIILIPS SCREWS UNDER THE RADIO. REMOVE THEM 7- THEN PULL OUT THE RADIO/CLIMATE ASSEMBLY GENTLY- EVERYTHING ALMOST FALLS OUT WITHOUT ANY HARD PULLING OR YANKING ON IT.. 8- REMOVE (4) T-25 TORX SCREWS FROM BRACKETS SECURING SIDES OF THE RADIO. THE TORX SCREW UNIT CAN BE BOUGHT AT ANY AUTO STORE FOR A COUPLE OF BUCKS. THE REST OF THE DISASSEMBLY IS EASY JUST TAKE YOUR TIME AND DONT USE ANY SCREWSDRIVERS TO PRY ANY OF THE PARTS OUT OF CONSOLE. I FOUND THE REMOVAL DIAGRAM ON THE WEB IN TEN MINUTES. UNFORTUNATELY I CANNOT RECALL THE SITE RIGHT NOW BUT WHEN I GET BACK TO MY OFFICE I WILL RESEND THIS MESSAGE WITH THE WEB SITE INFO IF YOU NEED IT. MY ORIGINAL RADIO IN MY SENTRA STOPPED PLAYING LEFT SIDE FRONT/BACK MUSIC SO I WENT TO THE JUNKYARD AND BOUGHT A 2005 SENTRA RADIO FOR $75.00 AND REPLACE IT. THE JUNKYARD RADIO SOUNDS REAL NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOOD LUCK. JUST REMEMBER WHERE EACH SET OF SCREWS ARE USED- SO USE A SMALL DIXIE CUP TO HOLD YOUR REMOVED SCREWS BECAUSE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SCREWS USED.
  • howie71howie71 Member Posts: 1
    Hi lgoldin.

    Can you tell me how you soldered the PCB. I extracted the PCB and there was very little (if any) visible damage. Where did you solder it? If it is not the resistor, any other idea what it might be and how to go about fixing it?

    Thanks.
  • lgoldinlgoldin Member Posts: 90
    Hi howie
    I used ohmmeter to find the damage. BTW, I had the same problem second time. And second time it happened in a similar place as a first one. there is piece of metal wire soldered in a middle of surface resistive material. This piece looks like a horseshoe somewhat. The wire is soldered to pads and then go through narrow trace to the resistor. In both cases this narrow trace was burned out. First time on one side of the wire. Second time on another side. I just cleared the lacquer on both sides of damage and put big blob of solder over it.
  • spec_v_06spec_v_06 Member Posts: 2
    anyone know where i can find a turbocharger for my car without payin 6000 damn dollars for it when you can get one for an 05 for only 2900. I have been looking everywhere. also would it be better to supercharge it? just curious what you guys thought
  • spec_v_06spec_v_06 Member Posts: 2
    hey you want performance parts buy a 350z or you screwed.
  • doofus54doofus54 Member Posts: 21
    I bought my Sentra wagon new in '88 and after about 340,000 miles I can say it is by far the best car I have ever owned. Except for routine stuff the sum of my problems are:
    one clutch (replaced myself)for 80 bucks.
    one compressor (also replaced myself)250 bucks.
    One radiator (replaced plastic one with brass one from an earlier model) 25 bucks. I think '88 on up had plastic. NOTE. Watch out if you have an old car. The plastic radiator can burst without warning.
    And the cv joints almost last forever if you pay attention to them. Of course a car can't endure 20 southern summers sans garage without showing its age, but it is sound under the hood. And if you have a new car and can afford to have the paint sealed, do it. I believe the key to getting the most out of a car is LET IT REACH OPERATING TEMP BEFORE YOU MOVE IT. All the time. Not just winter. Another perk is, they made a bazillion of that type, so there is a never ending used parts supply.
    To those of you who believe in keeping cars forever, rock on. You know where I'm coming from. We are a dying breed. I can tell you this, if I must someday buy another car, it will be a Nissan.
  • bpatriquinbpatriquin Member Posts: 3
    Not leaking antifreeze and no smell of it...windows get extremely excessive amounts of moisture when it gets colder out. All heating and a/c controls seem to work properly. Anyone experience this problem.
  • doofus54doofus54 Member Posts: 21
    here's a problem i had with my sentra that may relate.
    when the car gets warm inside, which it will do even on cold sunny days, all the vinyl inside releases an odorless vapor which evenly coats all the glasswork with a film that is invisible on warm days, but in cool weather attracts moisture very easily.
    when you get in the car, all the moisture you release, and whats already in the car really fogs up all the glasswork. when the heater gets hot enough the fog goes away, but the vinyl vapor film remains, ready to fog again the next time the car cools off. its not really easy to get off without using windex. more expensive cars use some kind of treatment that prevents the problem. unfortunately, the problem will persist until the car is old and grey.
  • sheri07sheri07 Member Posts: 1
    I have had my car for several years and in the past 9 months my distributor has gone out on me 4 times. Could something else be causing this??? Help please! :lemon:
  • rickaltmanrickaltman Member Posts: 8
    I've got my eye on a 2006 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V, with less than 3,000 miles, selling for under $12,000. Car is practically new...so I'm immediately suspicious. I read the description:

    LOW MILES ORIGINAL...6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION...MOON-ROOF...STILL HAS THE BRAND NEW CAR SMELL...NO FLOOD DAMAGE...NO FRAME DAMAGE...NO COLLISION DAMAGE...[here we go]...THIS VEHICLE WAS A PREVIOUS THEFT-RECOVERY...INSURANCE COMPANY WROTE THIS CAR OFF AS TOTAL LOSS...

    I'm trying to assess the risk of a car that was the subject of a theft. Should one go on auto-pilot and run away as fast as possible, or is there an opportunity here? I have the VIN and can find the details of the crime. It's being sold by a local broker.

    I'm grateful for any input...

    Rick A.
    Pleasanton CA
  • bpatriquinbpatriquin Member Posts: 3
    maybe i will try a couple good scrubbings with windex then if this doesn't help then i wonder if an anti-fog spray just might do the trick, like u can get for safety glasses and snowmobile helmet shields.
  • olivarolivar Member Posts: 2
    i had the same problem for my 2002,i bought a complete system from e-bay for a 2003 sentra,it also came with an amplifier. i installed the radio with the four speakers(also came with 2 tweeters) rockford fosgate edition, but don't know how to connect the amp. any info or diagrams would help. i've searched up and down and can't seem to find any illustrations. and don't know where to look. :(
  • dickthebutcherdickthebutcher Member Posts: 4
    I just thought I'd post regarding my own experience with a 2001 Sentra GXE, in case anyone's interested. I bought mine new in April, 2001, and I've had it ever since then. It now has about 102,000 miles. The only major unscheduled repair I've had was a leaky head gasket at about 86,000 miles. It cost about $1,000.00 to fix it, and there have been no problems since the repair. The CD player stopped working about 8,000 miles ago -- it just ejects discs you try to put in it.

    One minor complaint is that the rim around the entrance to the gas tank gets rusty, and causes the "service engine soon" light to come on periodically (or so I'm told). That's frustrating, becuase when it's on frequently for meaningless reasons you won't always know when it's on for a real reason. (Now we wipe it clean periodically and the problem has diminished.)

    It's been a very solid little car, and I'm hoping to keep it for a few more years. From reading the posts on this site it seems that a lot of people only give feedback on the reliability of their cars after only 5 or 10 or 15 thousand miles. That doesn't really give a great indication of reliability, IMO. Aren't all cars supposed to be pretty trouble-free for at least that long? Anyway, I thought it might be useful to give some long-term indication of how the car is. Oh, and by the way, our other car is a 1998 Honda Accord with 133,000 miles on it. That one has been just as reliable, if not even more so.
  • tomk17tomk17 Member Posts: 135
    New to this forum - just got an 02 Sentra GXE for my daughter. Nice car, but it has the CY310 AM/FM CD stereo and the left speakers are both out. A quick sniff of the internet indicates this is a common problem. What's the fix however? Replace radio? I would rather not do that but if I bring to dealer is that what they will recommend?

    Is there anything I can do?
  • rmacaisarmacaisa Member Posts: 2
    Were you able to fix this problem. I have exactly the same thing happen to my 1998 Nissan 200SX and everytime the battery and charge lights go on my alternator stops charging even after I replaced it. Please let me know
  • jrk301jrk301 Member Posts: 4
    The left side on my car also goes out (I have a 2003 Sentra SE-R with the factory radio); I am actually replacing the radio but I was wondering if anyone knew what caused this problem just so that the new radio I buy doesn't have the same thing happen to it.

    My car also has trouble starting, especially when it's hot outside. I had an ignition coil replaced last summer, but I still have a problem.
  • olivarolivar Member Posts: 2
    the radio is blown, the same thing happened to mine,it's not worth it to fix it,i just kept scanning ebay till one popped up i bought it for 30$ shipping and handling included. it came w/ six speakers and an amp you can't beat that.!!!! did i mention it was a rockford fosgate radio. ;) good luck to all.
  • rmacaisarmacaisa Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1998 Nissan 200SX and after running for a few miles the battery and charge lights turn on and my alternator stops charging even after I had replaced it. Please help...
  • garden3garden3 Member Posts: 1
    the air conditioner works for awhile..the repair shop replaced the temp sensor stated all else was fine but the problem was still there. After running the air it works fine for 20 min then starts cycling.The compressor is fine so whats up with this
  • whitedeerwhitedeer Member Posts: 1
    Hi TimberJack ... Am fighting with my driver's window again ... got it to work 2 years ago with some grease and patience ... this time I think it's going to require replacement parts ... definitely needs to be a do-it-myself with the prices Nissan wants! Is there any way to get a copy of that diagram to me? At this point I can't even get the window up and need to until I can get the part.
    Thank you in advance ... WD
    P.S. Maybe post it on wiki.answers ... the only response there was to take the car to a mechanic!
    (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_install_a_Window_Regulator_on_a_2001_Nissa- n_Sentra)
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    No need for Wiki Answers - we have our own Ask The Community feature right over there on the side of the page! ;)
  • tomk17tomk17 Member Posts: 135
    Recently bought an 02 Sentra with the 1.8 engine. Belts are basically new and tight but I still get a belt squeal sound for the first 5 minutes after start-up. Goes away eventually and engine purrs nicely.

    I've read a few internet posts; some say pullys out of alignment and there was a dealer Tech Service Bulliten (TSB) out on it, others say common problem - nothing can really be done even belt replacement does not cure it.

    I've sprayed some belt dressing on both the serpentine and alternator belts which silenced it for a day or so.

    Comments or past experiences?
  • flacitybugflacitybug Member Posts: 2
    Well I guess it's about time I answered. Sorry, can't help you, mine is (was) a stick-shift. It's long-gone now, moved into an '07 Honda Civic. Tres nice!
  • playerslikeusplayerslikeus Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for asking or answering the question on the car. I own a 2005 nissan sentra 1.8s automatic. I have spent weeks trying to fix the problem.
Sign In or Register to comment.