It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 12:54 am

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 17 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 1:12 am 
Offline
Posts like a Northstar
Posts like a Northstar
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 10:36 pm
Posts: 1609
Location: Auburn. AL - SEBF 08, 09, 10 Survivor
Year and Trim: 2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium
So here I am 500 miles away from home, on a Saturday night when my truck starts making this noise...

Since this video is taking forever to upload, I'm just gonna describe it and post the video later.

At idle once the truck is warmed up, it makes this rhythmic squeak/chirp noise. It doesn't seem to do it when the engine is cold, and it doesn't do it constantly either. It will come and go but when it is present it maintains a constant rhythm. When the revs go up a bit it disappears.

The good news is that as far as I can tell, it doesn't seem to be coming from the bottom of the engine. The oil on the dipstick looks nice and golden, and coolant level is fine. I can't trust my oil pressure gauge because I borked it, but it isn't low and my oil light isn't on. The noise seems to be much louder when listened to from the top of the engine than when I lean down and put my head near the bumper.

So ordinarily I would attribute it to the belt, but...

The belt is maybe a year and a half old and it is a gatorback. The belt tensioner is maybe a year old and is AC Delco. Alternator is less than a year old and is an AC Delco reman unit. Air conditioner is two years old and was bought brand new, not remanufactured. Thus I don't get why it's making this noise. There IS an idler pulley that hasn't yet been replaced so maybe that's it, I dunno. The tensioner arm twitches some (not sure how much is normal) but I can't see the idler pulley moving around but I don't guess that means anything.

Sucks to be down here so far from home without any tools and this crap comes up. :???:

Other than that *dang* noise which so far seems to be more annoying and embarrasing than anything else it's running just fine. No loss of power or anything and the voltage is reading a nice 13.8 or so volts most of the time (at least when the chirping is going on).

After typing that long ass post, the upload is still only at 23% so I'll go ahead and send this off and reply with the video later. Any ideas you have would be great, as long as letting me know whether or not this truck is safe for the 500 mile trip back as well as some more driving around here tomorrow, maybe 750 miles tops total trip and all.
.
.
.

_________________
-Dan
_

Image

2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium • Super Black • Charcoal • VQ35DE • Bose • Factory HID • 5000k LED Int/Ext
_

Image__I n n o v a t i o n__T h a t __E x c i t e s


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 1:24 am 
Offline
Posts like a Northstar
Posts like a Northstar
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 10:36 pm
Posts: 1609
Location: Auburn. AL - SEBF 08, 09, 10 Survivor
Year and Trim: 2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium
Here's the video:

Image
.
.
.

_________________
-Dan
_

Image

2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium • Super Black • Charcoal • VQ35DE • Bose • Factory HID • 5000k LED Int/Ext
_

Image__I n n o v a t i o n__T h a t __E x c i t e s


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 1:26 am 
Offline
Certified Bonneville Nut
Certified Bonneville Nut
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 5:02 pm
Posts: 4638
Location: Minnesota
Year and Trim: 2001 GMC Yukon XL
does your truck have a distributor? i had a similar sounding problem in my blazer and it was the distributor that was squeaking, i had my mechanic friend take it out, re-lube it and put it back in. problem solved and still runs like a top. try to diagnose where its coming from :wink:

_________________
-Matt


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 1:30 am 
Offline
Posts like a Northstar
Posts like a Northstar
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 10:36 pm
Posts: 1609
Location: Auburn. AL - SEBF 08, 09, 10 Survivor
Year and Trim: 2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium
Yeah it does...come to think of it, I did hear the noise more when I stuck my ear closer to the intake than the accessory pullies...I thought that was weird and unlikely so I disregarded it and tried to isolate which pulley it was which didn't work. Time to go warm it up and have another listen.

If it does seem to be coming from that area, will it be safe for the trip? I don't want to cause harm to my truck, but I lack the tools to do the work here and local shops won't be open again until Monday and I have to leave then.

Thanks for the suggestion. :wink: I'll report back in a bit with my results.
.
.
.

_________________
-Dan
_

Image

2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium • Super Black • Charcoal • VQ35DE • Bose • Factory HID • 5000k LED Int/Ext
_

Image__I n n o v a t i o n__T h a t __E x c i t e s


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 1:42 am 
Offline
Certified Bonneville Nut
Certified Bonneville Nut
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 5:02 pm
Posts: 4638
Location: Minnesota
Year and Trim: 2001 GMC Yukon XL
well, i drove for well over 500 miles and have no problems. if you have a long enough screw driver, stick it to the distributor cap and see if you can here it in there, thats how i knew that was my problem :)

_________________
-Matt


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 1:54 am 
Offline
Posts like a Northstar
Posts like a Northstar
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 10:36 pm
Posts: 1609
Location: Auburn. AL - SEBF 08, 09, 10 Survivor
Year and Trim: 2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium
Quicker than I thought, but it came right back when I started the truck this time. Guess it was still pretty well warmed up.

It's hard to tell exactly because of where the distributor is located but I'm positive it's coming from that area.

It decided to be a little more quiet this time, but I made another video with the camera by the distributor:

Image

Glad to hear it should be okay though, it would suck to have to park my truck for the rest of the trip and even more so to have to be stuck here. I'll drop it off at the stealership as soon as I get back.
.
.
.

_________________
-Dan
_

Image

2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium • Super Black • Charcoal • VQ35DE • Bose • Factory HID • 5000k LED Int/Ext
_

Image__I n n o v a t i o n__T h a t __E x c i t e s


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 8:34 am 
Offline
Certified Bonneville Nut
Certified Bonneville Nut
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:13 pm
Posts: 2711
Location: Citrus Springs, Fl
Year and Trim: 2000 ssei gone but not forgotten
i would change that one old pulley For the heck of it, also didn't this entire truck get submerged in mud a few months ago? that might be causing one of the accessories fail prematurely

_________________
2000 ssei gone but not forgotten

Current fleet:
2009 G8 v6, 2009 Avalanche LTZ, 2013 Volt


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 11:08 am 
Offline
Posts like an L27
Posts like an L27
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 10:00 pm
Posts: 614
Location: Sellersville, PA
Year and Trim: 03 SE
Sounds like idler pulley to me. My ford truck I had made that identical sound.

_________________
13 Chevy Malibu LS 73K

The only dumb question is the one you didn't ask.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 12:29 pm 
Offline
Posts like a Northstar
Posts like a Northstar
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 10:36 pm
Posts: 1609
Location: Auburn. AL - SEBF 08, 09, 10 Survivor
Year and Trim: 2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium
I looked into it a little further today. I have a screwdriver in my truck, and while it's not long enough to reach the distributor, I was able to listen to the idler pulley while it was making the noise. I heard nothing but normal belt noise so I don't think it's the idler pulley.

Also my dad and I confirmed again that the noise was coming from the rear (distributor) area of the engine and not the front. He's thinks it's the distributor also.

I probably will change out the idler pulley sometime soon but I'd rather not do it here. :???:
.
.
.

_________________
-Dan
_

Image

2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium • Super Black • Charcoal • VQ35DE • Bose • Factory HID • 5000k LED Int/Ext
_

Image__I n n o v a t i o n__T h a t __E x c i t e s


Last edited by LeSabreUltra on Sun May 31, 2009 12:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 12:40 pm 
Offline
GXP Member
GXP Member

Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 10:43 am
Posts: 272
Year and Trim: 1998 bonneville SSEi
my bonne does the exact same thing when warm its the tensioner pully on mine. i determined this by spraying the bearings with lube until i found the one that stoped squeaking. just somthing to try before you rip the dist out.

_________________
If it were quick and easy everyone would be doing it!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 12:55 pm 
Offline
Certified Bonneville Nut
Certified Bonneville Nut
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 9:52 pm
Posts: 2616
Location: round lake beach, IL
Year and Trim: 91 S10 P/U
97 SSEI- 136k
the distributor is right in back behind the throttle body, pop the top intake cover off with the wing nut and it's right there

_________________
-Juan

No bonnie!
93 s10 ex cab: 2.8: t5: exhaust: tbi mods. 5.3, 76mm, and a D.r cam on a stand


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 6:31 pm 
Offline
Posts like a Northstar
Posts like a Northstar
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 10:36 pm
Posts: 1609
Location: Auburn. AL - SEBF 08, 09, 10 Survivor
Year and Trim: 2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium
Well, I'm glad to say it made it home without incident.

The squeaking is still around, and I can say with almost complete certainty it is not any pulley or accessory. I removed the belt down there and spun/pulled every pulley and they all felt fine. The tensioner arm did squeak a bit when moved but it wasn't the same sound.

My truck has also developed a new symptom: It feels extremely lethargic, like I'm pulling a trailer behind me every time I accelerate. Once I'm moving it's okay, but it requires entirely too much throttle to get moving. It's up to date on everything maintenance wise including MAF cleaning.

Other than that, no strange symptoms.

Either way, I made it home safe and I'm happy about that. It's going to the stealership tomorrow.
.
.
.

_________________
-Dan
_

Image

2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium • Super Black • Charcoal • VQ35DE • Bose • Factory HID • 5000k LED Int/Ext
_

Image__I n n o v a t i o n__T h a t __E x c i t e s


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:27 pm 
Offline
Posts like a Northstar
Posts like a Northstar
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 10:36 pm
Posts: 1609
Location: Auburn. AL - SEBF 08, 09, 10 Survivor
Year and Trim: 2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium
Update on this: My cat was clogged. That's the loss of power symptom.

I haven't been able to get the squeaking to come back, so it hasn't gone to the stealership yet. Right now it's sitting in my front yard waiting until I decide how to deal with the cat problem. I'd LIKE to just shell out $40 and get rid of the *dang* thing entirely with a straight pipe, but that may not be what I SHOULD do. Alternatively, I could get a high flow cat. Only drawback to that is that it would cost more.
.
.
.

_________________
-Dan
_

Image

2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium • Super Black • Charcoal • VQ35DE • Bose • Factory HID • 5000k LED Int/Ext
_

Image__I n n o v a t i o n__T h a t __E x c i t e s


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:34 pm 
Offline
Retired Site Developer
Retired Site Developer
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 27, 2008 10:30 pm
Posts: 20960
Location: MN/IA
Year and Trim: '17 Silverado 1500
A HF cat is less than $100. More like $60. Not much more expensive than a piece of pipe, and still legal.

_________________
Bye Bye:
Image
RIP sandrock
Sirius wrote:
Think about it. You’re tooling down the road in your Prius, knowing full-well that this thing being green is as big a sham as federally mandated ethanol-enriched gas, Russia pulling out of Ukraine, and Obamacare.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:36 pm 
Offline
Posts like a Northstar
Posts like a Northstar
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 10:36 pm
Posts: 1609
Location: Auburn. AL - SEBF 08, 09, 10 Survivor
Year and Trim: 2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium
Depends on where you get it. I haven't seen a shop around here charge less than $200 for one installed.
.
.
.

_________________
-Dan
_

Image

2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium • Super Black • Charcoal • VQ35DE • Bose • Factory HID • 5000k LED Int/Ext
_

Image__I n n o v a t i o n__T h a t __E x c i t e s


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 12:04 am 
Offline
Retired Site Developer
Retired Site Developer
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 11:07 pm
Posts: 3046
Location: Minnesota
Year and Trim: 2002 SLE
I got mine on ebay for $57, and found a shop that would charge me a half hour of labor to install it. under $100 installed.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:18 pm 
Offline
GXP Member
GXP Member

Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 10:43 am
Posts: 272
Year and Trim: 1998 bonneville SSEi
LeSabreUltra wrote:
Update on this: My cat was clogged. That's the loss of power symptom.

I haven't been able to get the squeaking to come back, so it hasn't gone to the stealership yet. Right now it's sitting in my front yard waiting until I decide how to deal with the cat problem. I'd LIKE to just shell out $40 and get rid of the *dang* thing entirely with a straight pipe, but that may not be what I SHOULD do. Alternatively, I could get a high flow cat. Only drawback to that is that it would cost more.
.
.
.



my bonne does the same thing the idler squeaks for a while like a week or two then doesn't for a week or two. also to spin it by hand it feels normal and doesn't make any noise. if it comes back try spraying it with some lube any see if it stops or gets quieter.

_________________
If it were quick and easy everyone would be doing it!


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 17 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group


phpBB SEO