Did I purchase a lemon?

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2004MaxSE
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:54 pm
Car: 2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5SE

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It seems my beloved 2004 Maxima SE is turning into a nightmare for me. I'm going to list the problems I'm having and maybe some of you can advise me what needs to be done to correct them. Keep in mind I live in a cold climate so some problems may be related to temps.

No Heat:My heat works fine as I'm driving but when I stop at a traffic light it changes to freezing cold air. I can't defrost my windows unless I keep the foot on the gas reving at around 2500rpm.

Brake Vibration: I have replaced my brakes twice now. All around and within 3 months I have the vibration right back again.

Front Struts: My car always had a rough (sporty type) ride to it but it seems to have no front suspension now and as I go over bumps I can hear a his like air leaking out

Wheel Bearings: I have replaced the rear wheel bearings on both sides. I now have to replace the front. I have yet to replace a light bulb of any sort, but all four bearings? what's up?

Windows Freezing: Every morning I have to run my credit card between the glass and the sill seal in order to open the windows. Is there a fix for this?

Hellicopter sound: When driving at highway speeds I get a subtle thumping sound from the engine compartment. I have no idea what it is.

Waterfall: It sounds as if I have a waterfall on the passenger side when I first accelerate. Normally a sign of needing a new heater core, but I have no sign of coolant leakage nor do I have fogging windows.

Shifting gears: Right from the day I purchased my car it would slip from 1st to 2nd gear if I accelerate quickly (in Drive)

Did I purchase a lemon, or is this all normal repair for this model car. Are any of these problems being resolved via "recall" from Nissan?

Any help would be appreciated


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yangs13
Posts: 379
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2005 6:42 am
Car: 1993 240sx-Dead, 2001 Maxima

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i have an 01 max and here in wisconsin, so not too much different than canada. havent had any major issues, just normal maintenance- brake job, oil changes, tune-ups, etc. it is 5 years later and the previous owners may have not kept up with the maintenance. i got lucky and found a one owner car with only 70,000 miles on the car and got a car fax report before i purchased it.

heat: no idea....maybe the resistor?brakes: check slide pins for lubrication, did u just do a pad slap (no rotors, only pads)? there is a nominal thickness a rotor has to be or else you are going to get abnormal wearbearings: u sure its the bearings?windows: never open my windows in winter, there is probably water condensation in the door between the plastic barrierhelicopter sound: maybe timing chain guide? or tensioner?waterfall: ????shifting: heard of problems with this of this model

if you can, get a carfax to determine previous history of the vehicle. other than that, the car may of just been neglected. or some one drove it through a flood and never reported it.

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MinisterofDOOM
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Location: The middle of nowhere.

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The heater issue could be the result of air in the heater core/coolant system. The waterfall noise supports that, too. You need to bleed the air out of the coolant system. Park the car facing uphill and remove the radiator cap (while the engine is cold). Then run the car for a few minutes until it warms up and the air has time to escape.

Is the vibration ONLY through the brakes, or is it a steering vibration, too?

The trans shouldn't slip, the 5 speed auto is a pretty crisp transmission. Find out what the service history has been like. Look at having it serviced by a good transmission shop (should cost around $100-$150). What condition is the trans fluid in? Does it smell burnt? What's the color like?

The bearings are an odd one. Not sure what the deal is there. Not normal, for sure.

For the windows, you may just need to replace the seals. I'm not sure about that one, either.

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lightsout
Posts: 816
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2007 1:49 pm
Car: 00 Nismo Maxima SE

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2004MaxSE wrote:It seems my beloved 2004 Maxima SE is turning into a nightmare for me. I'm going to list the problems I'm having and maybe some of you can advise me what needs to be done to correct them. Keep in mind I live in a cold climate so some problems may be related to temps.

No Heat:My heat works fine as I'm driving but when I stop at a traffic light it changes to freezing cold air. I can't defrost my windows unless I keep the foot on the gas reving at around 2500rpm.

Brake Vibration: I have replaced my brakes twice now. All around and within 3 months I have the vibration right back again.

Front Struts: My car always had a rough (sporty type) ride to it but it seems to have no front suspension now and as I go over bumps I can hear a his like air leaking out

Wheel Bearings: I have replaced the rear wheel bearings on both sides. I now have to replace the front. I have yet to replace a light bulb of any sort, but all four bearings? what's up?

Windows Freezing: Every morning I have to run my credit card between the glass and the sill seal in order to open the windows. Is there a fix for this?

Hellicopter sound: When driving at highway speeds I get a subtle thumping sound from the engine compartment. I have no idea what it is.

Waterfall: It sounds as if I have a waterfall on the passenger side when I first accelerate. Normally a sign of needing a new heater core, but I have no sign of coolant leakage nor do I have fogging windows.

Shifting gears: Right from the day I purchased my car it would slip from 1st to 2nd gear if I accelerate quickly (in Drive)

Did I purchase a lemon, or is this all normal repair for this model car. Are any of these problems being resolved via "recall" from Nissan?

Any help would be appreciated
NO HEAT: is your A/C compressor making funny noises or your dryer could be shot. your dryer takes the moisture out of the air for your defroster as it pumps the hot air onto the windshield.

VIBRATION: i've had the SAME problem with my maxima ever since i bought it, you need to lubricate your Caliper Slides with grease, flush the brake fluid, check the thickness of your rotors or get NEW rotors. Be sure to not get air into your lines or you will have to start ALL over again. if you don't get the Vibration fixed it will take a toll on your other suspension components, wheel bearings, and possibly even your tranny and motor mounts. OH, check your tie rod ends for your steering, if they have play in them replace them.

FRONT STRUTS: You need NEW struts. if you want something that will last a long time go with the Tokico Struts. If you want to be able to adjust your shock firmness get the Tokico illumina's.

FRONT BEARINGS: Probably caused from your front vibration, the fronts cost A LOT more than the rears. You know your bearings are bad if you turn the steering wheel and hear a grinding/scratching sound. I fixed my front right hub and bearing b/c of the vibration i had.

WINDOWS FREEZING: if your windows are tinted you probably have felt installed that holds water, so that's not abnormal. But if you don't have tint, make sure the bottom of your doors drain holes aren't plugged with junk, because if they are clogged your doors hold in moisture and that can lead to rust...especially if you live around snow.

HELICOPTER SOUND: engine mounts, check them asap...or your crank could be out of balance, and causing your engine to shimmy at higher speeds. Clean your crank shaft sensor(located under your pulley behind your passenger wheel...you don't want to have to do a crank R&R.

WATERFALL: you don't need a new heater core, you just have to burp your coolant system. This would be a GREAT time to run Royal Purple's Coolant additive in your system. Flush the system with the front of your car higher(jack up on jack stands) than the rest of your car, and refill it the same way. You have air caught in your heater core, no biggy if you simply want to burp your coolant follow MinisterofDoom's directions involving parking on a hill, it's a lot easier...and it's free!!!

TRANNY: drain the approximate 4-4.5qts of tranny fluid out of your tranny and fill it with new cheap oil, drive the car for a day, then drain again and fill with Royal Purple AT Fluid...your tranny actually holds almost 8qts of oil, but you cant get it all out unless you flush ALL the lines, but this way you actively flush 75% of your systems old oil.

the shimmy is known in the 2004's so i've heard, but the cause(s) vary for owners...i'd start with a frozen slider

Keep us posted bro, it's not a LEMON so far, but it SURE sounds like the prev owner didn't take care of it at all...that was my case too i've spent thousands fixing my car check my profile, click on "lightsout" and view all the upgrades and repairs i've done to my 2000 Maxima SE AT

Peace Out

2004MaxSE
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:54 pm
Car: 2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5SE

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Thanks guys for your help, it's much appreciated.Regarding my heat issue and the waterfall noise, from what I've been told by my mechanic (not Nissan) is that I can kill two birds with one stone by burbing the cooling system. He told me that not only do you have to raise the front of the car, but you also should remove the overflow bottle and hold that up higher than the rad itself.He also informed me that the car has two thermostats and this is part of the cause.No compressor noiseI've done two complete brake jobs in 3 years. Rotors and pads all around, both times.I will look into the Tokico illumina's struts. If I need new ones I may aswell get away from the Nissan garbageI have no grinding/scratching sound when I turn the wheels, but when driving slow with my head out the window I can hear something turning and making an off-centre soundI will check the bottom drains in my doors regarding the windows freezing. I never thought of that. I don't have tint. I'll have my mechanic check the motor mounts as he burps the coolant system.

I'll have to try tackle one thing at a time here otherwise I could go bankrupt in this economy right now with all my repairs but I will definately keep you posted on my results.Again, thanks a lot guys. Two thumbs up!!

CPS
Posts: 162
Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2008 6:08 pm

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Lots of good suggestions above, except for the whole Royal Purple thing. Your car could possibly have a 5AT trans, which is Matic K specific. Don't put anything else in there, or whatever warranty you have on your powertrain will be voided.

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MinisterofDOOM
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Location: The middle of nowhere.

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CPS wrote:Lots of good suggestions above, except for the whole Royal Purple thing. Your car could possibly have a 5AT trans, which is Matic K specific. Don't put anything else in there, or whatever warranty you have on your powertrain will be voided.
This is a good point that I should have mentioned.

Your 5 speed auto requires Nissan Matic K fluid ONLY. Generic synthetics will not work properly and likely won't yield any benefits anyway.

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lightsout
Posts: 816
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2007 1:49 pm
Car: 00 Nismo Maxima SE

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Matic K Fluid in a 5 speed automatic with manomatic mode.... FORGET THE ROYAL PURPLE, thanks for the catch guys

man o man, i hope he comes back and checks the thread before he gets to the tranny flush, or hopefully he gets that info from a mechanic before he gets it done it.

2004MaxSE
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:54 pm
Car: 2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5SE

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lightsout wrote:man o man, i hope he comes back and checks the thread before he gets to the tranny flush, or hopefully he gets that info from a mechanic before he gets it done it.
No worries bud, the tranny issue is periodic so I put that at the bottom of my list. Probably a spring time jobToday my car is on the hoist. Well the front half is anyway. I'm excited to get it back tonight to see if burping the coolant system is going to solve anything.MinisterofDOOM thanks for pointing that out. Good catch

BTW, are some/any of you Nissan mechanics?

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lightsout
Posts: 816
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Car: 00 Nismo Maxima SE

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there are a bunch of mechanics on here, not all of them work on nissans ONLY, but NICO does have a NISSAN ONLINE MECHANICS in the TECHNICAL sections of the threads

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MinisterofDOOM
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2004MaxSE wrote:BTW, are some/any of you Nissan mechanics?
I don't believe anyone who has posted in this thread so far is a professional Nissan mechanic, but we do have some Nissan mechanics both on staff as moderators and as regular forum members.

2004MaxSE
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:54 pm
Car: 2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5SE

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OK, I got the car back and it seems I have killed one bird, with one stone but I may have injured the second bird.Basicly burping the coolant system did get rid of the waterfall noise I had on the passenger side. That one is solvedRegarding my heat issue, my heat is hotter than ever, but I still lose heat when at idle.Stopped in at Nissan on the way home and asked a mechanic. He said it's the thermostat. I'll get that over the weekend.Next on the list is my brake vibration.

Soon my 2004 will be like brand new again.

Oh ya, one other thing. Is there anything I can do to reduce torque steer? When I put the peddle to the floor from a stop or even a low speed it nearly pulls the steering wheel from my hands. if I didn't hold the steering at all, my guess is the car would make a sharp right turn.

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lightsout
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Car: 00 Nismo Maxima SE

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that happens to a lot of nissans, its the over simplified suspension design if you ask me...but it helps to get an alignment. it helped me

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MinisterofDOOM
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1961 Corvair Lakewood
1997 Pathfinder XE
2005 Lincoln LS8
Former:
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1993 Maxima GXE
1995 Ranger XL 2.3
1984 Coupe DeVille
Location: The middle of nowhere.

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The torque steer is pretty much there to stay, unfortunately. It's a product of 3 things:Engine positionAxle length255 ft-lb of freaking torque

The geometry of the axles from the engine to the wheels is partially responsible. If the engine had been mounted lower in a way that cleaned up that geomety, it would have made a big difference. And if Nissan had used equal-length half-shafts it would make another big dent in it. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do about either. The new Altima and Maxima have both been engineered more wisely in these departments and it shows. Doesn't help us 6th gen owners, though.

An alignment might help if things are really, really out of spec, but I doubt it'll make a difference otherwise.

You do get used to it, though. Still, after driving a car without the issue, it's always obvious how significant it is in the Max.


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