2004 Maxima

[charrisonmech]

My mother owns a 2004 maxima and Im getting ready to do an oil change on it and right now it is making a ticking noise that almost sounds like valve tapping. She seems to think it is dieseling. Now i havent looked into it much but it only happens at low rpms and only when you feather the gas. I know she had taken it in to have the oil changed before and she said they didnt use synthetic and i know you usually have to tell them if you want it put in. Question is, is I want to know if it should have synthetic put into it and if so, can i just change it normally or is there something i should do when changing from regular oil to synthetic. And also I would like some ideas on what could be causing the tapping. I believe it has about 20-30000 miles on it. Thank you

[MinisterofDOOM]

Welcome to NICO!

You should be fine just switching straight over to synthetic. If there's any remnant conventional oil after you drain it, it'll just blend with the synth.

For the tapping, make sure the oil change monkeys filled it with the right amount.Can you describe the noise with any more detail? Is it a hard knocking, a light clicking, or a sort of rolling tapping (like the sound a chain makes when you drag it up and down a ledge)? Also, does it vary in intensity with the throttle?

The VQ35DE is naturally a bit "clicky" and light clicking noises are natural. Strong tapping noises or knocking are not, though.

Unless the sound is dire and you're worried about doing damage, I recommend switching to synthetic to see if that makes any difference.

[charrisonmech]

The sound is a light clattering sound that disipates as you give it more gas and it gets to higher rpms, so i dont think there is really anything to worry about then cause it is definetly due for an oil change and is definetly not a timing chain. thank you