4TH gen motor mounts..squeaking??

[DevonD]

I currently have a 96 Maxima SE, now this is the second 4th gen maxima I have bought because nothing esle has impressed me like this car did. The only thing that i cant figure out with it is that it seems like every time i go over a speed bump or there is any kind of torsion in the front end something squeaks like mad! I have checked all the suspension components and they are good. The car also shutters when starting out in first and it would make sense that the motor is moveing around. It did this in the first car and does the same in the one i just bought. So anyone have any theories as to what it could be? And how difficult is it to change the motor mounts? Oh and its a 5 speed.. not auto..

[allensteiner]

check your strut bearings - that was the problem in my case - if you yank on the top of the wheel and you can see the nut on top moving your bearing is shot. when i bought my max i drove it 500 miles from a dealer without the bolt that goes through the pass side motor mount and it didn't cause any probs.

[DevonD]

Makes sense. But when you say yank on the top of the wheel what do you mean? Push it up into the fender or pull it out towards you? And when I'm doing that where should I be looking? At the center bolt on top of the strut mount right? Thanks for the help!

[allensteiner]

yank both ways and yes the one in the middle of thr strut tower. let me know what you find out.

[DevonD]

well I did what you said and also bounced the car up and down to see if I could make the noise or even see if that bolt was moving. The passenger side bolt is moving but its such little tiny movements that I had to have someone else do it while I looked just so I could see it move. And the driver side is solid. But the other thing is that the noise is coming from the driver side. So I am really lost as to what it could be...

[lightsout]

hub bearing....usually they don't squeak, hmmm

how many miles are on your max? are the struts original?are your rims stock, if not are they hub centric?try torquing your lug nuts to 87-90 ft lbs.did you check your brake pads? take a look at your control arm bushings that are mounted to the subframe and spindle....that's my best guess

[DevonD]

well it has 131xxx miles on it right now. It is lowered but i believe that the struts are original and that its only lowering springs. The other 96 Max i had made the exact same noise and it was not lowered, had stock rims and the brakes were brand new. This cars brakes are only about 30 000 miles old. And again when im starting from a stop in first the car shutters... almost like the transmission/ engine are slopping back and forth under the load, i dont know though. Did i mention it only makes the nosie when the wheels are turned and im going over some kind of bump? i will take my camera and try and record the noise for you guys.. thanks again..

[DevonD]

nobody has any more ideas as to what it is?

[allensteiner]

have you checked your cv axle?

[allensteiner]

i'm also thinking wheel bearing maybe? take the wheel off and check the whole assembly. i don't know about shuttering but the cv boots brake and make a grinding/ticking/rubbing sound when turning the wheels hard.

and by shuttering do you mean jerking or stalling?

[DevonD]

well when the wheels are turned all the way to the left like if in doing a U-turn or something the driver side wheel does make a clunking noise i guess. And by shuttering i mean its almost like the flywheel is warped...i cant think of a more descriptive way to describe it.. but the fly wheel i dont think is warped and thats why i was thinking that maybe the driver side engine mount was shot and when im stoped and starting out the engine/ transmission are sort of rocking back and forth making the shuttering. its not a lack of engine power or stalling.

[allensteiner]

well the motor mounts are supposed to give it some freeplay to compensate for the torque. check the boots on your axle and jiggle the tie rod.

[DevonD]

ok well i just made this short video.. this to me definitley sounds like cv axle. but it isnt the same noise im trying to figure out.. its hard to duplicate the noise or make it do it on comand but i will try.. thanks! here is the link to the video.. i just threw it on youtube.. you might need to turn the volume up a bit! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0M4nru5EsQ

[lightsout]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

wheel bearing.

lift up the front end with a hydraulic jack...rest the car on 2 jack stands(one on each side behind the front wheels)...push and pull on the top and front of the front left tire. any wiggle with the rim most likely means wheel bearing.

if it were something else, my second guess would be the tie rod.

[DevonD]

I threw the car up on jack stands and the driver side wheel does rock back and forth so the wheel bearing must be shot. how complicated is that to replace? And as for the noise in the video, did you think that was the CV as well?

[allensteiner]

sounds a lot like a cv problem. check both boots though - if they're not cracked than you have one less headache. as for the wheel bearing - dyi or you'll pay a lot at the shop. the part is pretty pricey too. get a repair manual and it'll tell you how to do it and if you need any special tools - haven't had to do one yet myself so not gonna be very helpful, but i heard some are a b.tich to replace.

just popped into my head - take the bearing out and take it to a good suspension shop, ask them if it's shot or just needs to be repacked - might've just lost a few balls and grease - they'll do it for pennies compared to a new bearing.

if the cv boot/s are broken you need to replace the whole cv shaft. not too expensive and with a book you'll be able to get it done fast - i did one on a subaru - you'll probably need a "pickle fork" to pull the shaft out of the transmission but the cv replacement doesn't take long.

good luck

[lightsout]

it's not too hard to remove the spindle yourself, but i took my spindle with the hub and bearing into the Nissan dealer and had them press in a new hub and bearing. Usually when the bearing is replaced the hub is also, because the original hub is damaged when it's pressed out.

someone on here has a link to a HOW-TO that will explain in DETAIL how to do every step...unfortunately i didn't bookmark the site when i stumbled upon it.

this can be an expensive repair...DOUBLE CHECK the bearing before you start taking things apart. this time take off the rim and spin the hub, listen for ANY odd ticks and clicks, you may not hear any b/c the hub is not under any pressure.

i don't believe it would be a CV b/c you would feel it in the floorboard A LOT b/c the transmission mount is just inside the driver side wheel well. Start with the bearing...then test the new hub(listen to it, and feeeel the steering wheel)

the hub, bearing, and 1hr labor R&R was about 600 total for me if i remember correctly...and i used genuine Nissan parts.

Devin

[lightsout]

if you don't have an after market intake system you may need to remove the stock air box to check the engine mount under it. check all of the mounts(i had 2 bad ones), there are 4 total.

your shutter sounds like the driver side motor mount, and the rear motor mount.

when your wheel is turned far to the left it shoves your motor to the right. You can also start your car and have someone move your steering wheel from center, to left, and back...while you put your head near the hub and listen. Also, put your ear under the hood, and take a good listen near the motor mounts.

you may think this all sound time consuming, but you don't want to pay for fixing something that didn't need fixing. So, take you time and use your ears and hands wisely to help you PINPOINT the noise/problem.

good luck,Devin

[lightsout]

just popped into my head - take the bearing out and take it to a good suspension shop, ask them if it's shot or just needs to be repacked - might've just lost a few balls and grease - they'll do it for pennies compared to a new bearing.good luck

you cannot just remove the bearing with your hands...it has to be pressed out with a hydraulic press, which = $$.$$

[NutriaforBreakfast]

My dad and uncle found a bad motor mount this way1) rev up engine 2) see if motor jumps up or moves sideways3) you gotta rev up pretty high sometimes so make sure the engine is warm4) If you have a lot of oil leaks the engine has moved on you

[lightsout]

My dad and uncle found a bad motor mount this way1) rev up engine 2) see if motor jumps up or moves sideways3) you gotta rev up pretty high sometimes so make sure the engine is warm4) If you have a lot of oil leaks the engine has moved on you

no offense man, but a warm engine and oil leaks have nothing to do with a broken nissan motor mount.

DO NOT redline your maxima just to test a motor mount. The motor shifts front to back b/c it is a front wheel drive with a sideways mounted motor...therefore, keep the engine at idle and use the throttle cable attatched to the IACV/AICV(air intake control valve) to rev up the engine. The engine rocks forward most going from idle to 3500rpm's...simple physics shows that the engine movement follows the direction of the crank spin or sideways movement only caused by the tires being moved from right to left or visa versa.
Modified by lightsout at 2:03 AM 5/17/2008

[DevonD]

well the car is up in the air right now. Both CV boots look like new. I let my sister borrow the car yesterday while i was working and got it back and now the noise is much much worse. Whenever the axle is under load so either accelerating or im shifting down to slow the car it makes a clicking noise. it speeds up as the car does.

But now Devin, when you say it was a total of about $600. Did you do the work yourself or have the dealership do it? I do all the work on my cars and the only thing i have had a mechanic do is the clutch so i will be doing this one myself as well.

This winter i was actually taking the summer tires off to throw on the winters and in removing the lug nuts one of the driver side studs snapped. so i took the spindle off and replaced it with one from a 95 Max i found at a wrecker. since i didnt have the bearing pressed in could this be why its now giving me issues? Thanks again!

[DevonD]

i was just digging through the reciepts for the car and both left and right axles were replaced only 25 000 miles ago.. i got the car 23 000 ago. so this is why they look new.

is there anyway to get the exle rebuilt? i mean everything else on it is good except for the one side.. what would you call it? The knuckle? or universal joint or something. I just wouldnt want to have to go out and get a new one after only 25000..

[allensteiner]

lightsout said you can't pull out the bearing yourself...my bad thinking you could. but i still don't think it's the wheel bearing. i haven't had my nissan for long enough but when the bearing goes out it's usually more of a humming, rubbing sound...like metal sliding on metal. clicking is most of the time the cv shaft - but again i might be wrong.

here's what you need to do - go to a mechanic and ask him to tell you what's wrong and give you an estimate for repair. they should do it for free or just a few $. then you'll be certain what the problem is and if you can diy.

[DevonD]

Yeah i went into Nissan today for that exact reason but since its the long weekend the parts/ service departments were closed and only salesmen were there. I will go there on tuesday and see what they tell me.

[lightsout]

well the car is up in the air right now. Both CV boots look like new. I let my sister borrow the car yesterday while i was working and got it back and now the noise is much much worse. Whenever the axle is under load so either accelerating or im shifting down to slow the car it makes a clicking noise. it speeds up as the car does.

But now Devin, when you say it was a total of about $600. Did you do the work yourself or have the dealership do it? I do all the work on my cars and the only thing i have had a mechanic do is the clutch so i will be doing this one myself as well.

This winter i was actually taking the summer tires off to throw on the winters and in removing the lug nuts one of the driver side studs snapped. so i took the spindle off and replaced it with one from a 95 Max i found at a wrecker. since i didnt have the bearing pressed in could this be why its now giving me issues? Thanks again!

it cost me almost $600 for the hub, bearing, and to have the dealer press it in for me($96 labor). I took off the spindle and took it to the dealer...all they did was R&R the hub and bearing.

it could be the knuckle at the end of the CV, but i doubt it b/c it's so new.

when my bearing went bad, it didn't make a humming/rubbing sound...it made the same sound as yours(ticking).

[DevonD]

Well i have been into Nissan and they cant see me for a week. The customer service sucks here and Im really tempted to go to Infiniti to see if its better.. but anyway. Here is another link to a second video i made just after i got the car back from my sister abusing it.. it only started making this noise after she drove it for the day.. is this the same noise you were getting fom the wheel bearing on your Max Devin?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=681RvN3PkTo

[lightsout]

no....mine didn't sound that bad. it sounded more like a off tempo drumroll, but with sticks and using the the cement as a drum.

my guess would still be the wheel bearing. you may be better off taking it to infinity for a diagnostic so you don't spend $600 on a hub, bearing, and 1hr labor for pressing them into the spindle.

did you check your transmission fluid? that might sound a little off, but it wouldn't hurt right?

[lightsout]

well the car is up in the air right now. Both CV boots look like new. I let my sister borrow the car yesterday while i was working and got it back and now the noise is much much worse. Whenever the axle is under load so either accelerating or im shifting down to slow the car it makes a clicking noise. it speeds up as the car does.

But now Devin, when you say it was a total of about $600. Did you do the work yourself or have the dealership do it? I do all the work on my cars and the only thing i have had a mechanic do is the clutch so i will be doing this one myself as well.

This winter i was actually taking the summer tires off to throw on the winters and in removing the lug nuts one of the driver side studs snapped. so i took the spindle off and replaced it with one from a 95 Max i found at a wrecker. since i didnt have the bearing pressed in could this be why its now giving me issues? Thanks again!

i must have missed the end of this post.

you probably got the spindle off of another Maxima that has higher mileage. Did you check the mileage of the one that you got it off of??

do you still have the original spindle off your own Maxima? if so, fix the broken stud(SUPER CHEAP), and install it back on your Maxima.

i'll bet that it's the hub and bearing b/c it came off a Maxima with an unknown driving history.

here is a link for your new stud!!! :

http://www2.partstrain.com/sto...0Stud

[DevonD]

I tried checking the mileage of the other maxima but the gauge cluster was gone. I did keep the other spindle incase something like this happened..before i went looking for another one though i tried just removing the studd..i hammered that thing for a good five minutes and that studd did not move. so how do i get it out? just more brute force? and what if i just used a studd off the spindle i have on now? would there be anything wrong with that?