2002 Nissan Altima Engine Problems

[brossr]

I have a 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 S which I bought new. It has always has all recommended maintenance performed and all maintenance has been performed by the Nissan dealership. The other day the check service engine soon light came on soon after I started the car. A couple of times in the last few days I had noticed that when I first started the car in the mornings it ran a little rough (not much) for about 5 seconds immediately after starting but that was barely noticable and almost immediately stopped after which the engine ran perfectly. I decided to drop it by the dealership and have it serviced. The last maintenance (oil change) had been done about 3000 miles ago, so it was time for scheduled maintenance, so I was also having the oil changed and the tires rotated. After about an hour the service guy came out and told me that the code on the service engine soon was a "cylinder 2 misfire." He said my antifreeze was a little low and they were doing a compression test as it could be a head gasket problem. He said the slight roughness for a few seconds when the car was started in the mornings was probably because antifreeze had leaked into the cylinder and once it burned off (a couple of seconds) the roughness went away. Because it was going to take them a while to do the test I told them to just call me when the car was ready and I left and went on to work. Serveral hours later the service guy called and said it was a head gasket problem, but he really thought I needed a new engine ($5300). He said my oil was 1/2 quart low and although the cat. converter didn't show as bad, he was afraid that if I just had the head gasket replaced ($1800), the engine would still probably need to be replaced and the head gasket replacement would be for nothing. This car only has 66,300 miles on it, has always has all recommended maintenance performed by the dealership, and has never been driven "rough" as I am a very conservative driver. I have read about other problems with this engine and the cat. converter (or pre converter) failing and resulting in engine damage requiring engine replacement. This has really bummed me out. I bought this car because I was told, and had read, much about Nissan's reputation for solid cars that ran a long time. Now, here I am with a car with only 66,300 miles (it should just be getting broken in good) and I'm being told that I should replace the engine. If a well-maintained, conservatively driven car has engine failure at 66,300 miles, that sure seems like a manufacturing defect to me. I have read that the cat. converter is warrantied for 80K miles and if this is true, and it had anything to do with the engine problem, it seems to me that this engine should be replaced by Nissan, especially now that I have read that this is a somewhat common problem with the 2002 Altima engines.

I picked the car up and told them I would have to decide what I wanted to do. He said when the light came back on to bring it back so they could see if it gave the same code. He also told me to check the oil about every 3 days and if it went down, don't fill it but bring it to them and let them see how much oil was being used (oil comsumption test). It's been two days and no service engine soon light and the car runs fine; there is not even any roughness when I initially start the car in the mornings as I had noticed a couple of times previously.

Does all of this sound right? I'm not sure what to do and the thought of having to spend over $5K on repairs has me sick.

[digitalbow]

It could be the headgasket. It is a simpler task on an engine with one head (your QR) than on the V6. I suggest you find a few buddies (if you're not comfortable with a wrench) and buy a gasket set and DIY. At least that way, you'll only be out $30-70 if that does not solve the issue, instead of two grand. Do it on a weekend or whenever you don't need your car for the day.

Next: while you're at it, it wouldn't hurt to invest in an aftermarket header to mitigate the pre-cat catastrophic failures that you (should) read about on here, and also thread-lock the butterfly valve screws (which are also a potential engine killer). You'll find all of the information about those two if you search the forum. By pulling off the OEM header and intake manifold, you will also determine if these catastrophic events have already occurred, which would give a very good diagnosis of whether the engine may require replacement, as those are the most common killers.

Maximum cost altogether (if the motor is fine) - $250, not $2,000.

Continue to keep an eye on the oil and compare with what other members report as standard or tolerable consumption levels.

[jwerty1]

the headgasket is common, the cat is common, then engine is common, i'd say in your car that a headgasket job is the best option, seeing that it is conservatively driven, if your engine does nothing other than stumble in the morning, and drives fine the rest of the day , doesn't miss and doesn't make any unusual noises, i'd say they have no call to replace your complete engine

if you want to make sure they are right, when you get home and park your car for the night, remove the top engine cover, the 4 ignition coils and 4 spark plugs, in the morning look into the cylinders with a flashlight, #2 will probably have coolant in it, or look wet, they should look dry on a properly operating engine

these engines are good, don't let these posters scare you, properly maintained 2.5s are still in service well beyond your mileage

[pm_page6776]

I would trust the tech on the head gasket issue. As far as the engine goes, Nissan will not warranty the engine without evidence that the catalytic converter has failed. Is there any smoke coming from the exhaust? You may not even have that specific issue.

[evenplayn]

You have the standard, common pre-cat issue. Happened to me, they said I needed a new engine....my story started EXACTLY like yours.

I left my car parked at my local Nissan dealership for 2 months as I fought with Nissan North America. A poor design causes the pre-cat to overheat which sends metal into your engine via back pressure. They issued a recall and the fix was a heat shield, however in many cases the damage was already done.

After 2 months of fighting, I won a new engine from Nissan NA because I never gave up and most importantly because I had every single service record from the life of the car.

Get your dealership service manager on your side and ask him to start the process with Nissan NA by requesting they pay for your engine. Then fight every no they give you. Take it all the way up to the Regional VP for your area. Do your research and contact anyone that is anyone within Nissan NA until they say yes. They eventually said yes to me and a few others, but only after a handful of "no's" and months of hard work.

Good luck.