98 I30. sort of fan noise or something..

[infii30owner]

hi

i have 98 I30 with 162k miles. i been getting some sort of fan noise or something like that for quite some time. took it to a local mechanic and he says my intake has to be cleaned up (its been leaking oil for quite a while), plus he says switching to synthetic should give better mileage. its giving me about 22mpg (local+highway). all highway mileage is around 27mpg. but this fan sort of noise isn't making the ride nice. feels like car is holding up on power. he thinks the noise is due to engine (TB or intake) not being cleaned and he also suggests tuneup/service of timing chain. RPM is around 2200 at 65mph and its at 2500 at 70mph. he says for about $300 he could clean TB, make sure its air tight, flush coolant, check radiator, do full tuneup etc.

been thinking about taking a video (hopefully with good audio) of what this noise is like when i drive.


thanks

[loystock]

Where is the noise coming from - engine compartment or near the glove compartment? A mechanic's stethoscope can be bought from HarborFreight for less than $10. Is the A/C on or off when you hear the noise? I don't see how a dirty TB can cause can cause fan noise. If you are mechanically inclined and have basic handtools, you can clean the TB yourself as well as the MAF sensor. But don't spary carb cleaner directly into the TB or butterfly valve - use rag. For MAF sensor, use zero-residue contact cleaner or CRC MAF Cleaner. I just don't know why your mechanic does not want to address the oil leak?

[infii30owner]

hi loystock

noise is definitely from engine and without A/C. yeah i wasn't ready to buy that oil leaking will cause that noise. he says more air is going in causing engine to burn more gas. i cleaned the MAF as you suggested 3 years ago. i still have half can of CRC MAF around mileage wise its still good. just the noise. let me get a good video of the engine and noise.

changed my alternator last oct. still has original starter. i'd like to keep the car running few more years if possible.

appreciate your help.
thank you.

[infii30owner]

Here are some videos of the engine and the sound of it while i drive. i got them while driving on highway. hopefully u could hear that rattling noise of fan or something...would be great if you can give me some leads. also took a video of how it sounds when parked. i didn't know which video had good capture and which doesn't. so i uploaded them all.

http://youtu.be/fUb-qCbTkjM

http://youtu.be/x3sKskrNiY4 <=== this one has that capture of noise after 30s or so of video

http://youtu.be/5QfQFNdkHtU <== engine revving up while parked. you can see oil leakage etc.


http://youtu.be/1zMAC2UXwvs

[infii30owner]

hi

my neighbor looked at my car and said its leaking oil in some corner and its getting sprayed badly on intake. does that mean i should replace gaskets asap? would that cause some kind of noise? you can see in video below about the leakage i'm taking about

http://youtu.be/5QfQFNdkHtU

thank you.

[loystock]

Even with the YouTube video, it''s difficult to find out the source of noise. Your best bet is to get a mechanic's stethoscope (<$10 from Harbor Freight). You should only use the probe tip on NON-MOVING parts. As for the oil leak, yes, you have to address that.

[infii30owner]

showed it to different mechanic who is next to my gas stop. it was a cursory stop. he looked at the oil on intake and he said its just dirt and ignore it! been reading some posts and i get info that rear of these engines (corners) are notorious for leaking oil.

on the other hand, he looked at my radiator which appears to be leaking at very top left (ie., towards driver side) and he wanted to charge $350 to replace it! how serious is such leak. can i buy some sealant and do the job myself or does it have to be a costly repair? if i make sure there is enough coolant and keep an eye on engine temperature gauge can i keep it running without replacing radiator (or get it repaired for something minor).

thank you.

[Kompresshun]

I would recommend cleaning that grime off with a wet rag, then see if it reappears at a later time. The valve cover gaskets are an issue once the vehicle gets older. It's a time consuming job, but not overly difficult if you're mechanically inclined.

I would recommend replacing the radiator too. You can temporarily patch it, but it will likely cause more problems in the long run and putting stop leak in it is very bad for the cooling system. The radiator itself is around $150-225 depending on where you get it from. It sounds like he's giving you a deal to install it. You figure in labor, parts, and chemicals and that doesn't sound bad at all.

[infii30owner]

thanks for your time 4DSC and loystock.

i'll spray some degreaser and clean it with rag.

went back to same mechanic and took him for testdrive. he said that flapping or rattling noise is due to dead area inside tires. it even shakes the steering wheel at 70. i know my rear tires are good. i'm going to rotate them this weekend. i hope that annoying noise goes away with good tires.

reg oil, should i put in synthetic? whats good for my car now 10-w30 or 5-w30 or 10-w20? do we have such numbers even for synthetic? its got 160K miles on it. there is a coupon at costco for oils now.

can i let it go on radiator if i frequently check on my coolant/refill it from local store? i don't have any plans to go on long drives on this one..if its good for local commute (say 30-50miles per day) for another year or two that would be good. i see radiators on ebay with plastic tank is $50 shipped!!

thanks again.

[loystock]

You can clean the engine using degreaser then spray with water. But before that, cover the alternator, connectors and other components where water ingress may be a problem with aluminum foil (use the cheap one). You can also clean the underside of the engine.

A 30 weight oil is good for your VQ30 engine. Do not use 20 weight since it's viscosity is too thin and may cause metal-to-metal contact in case of overheat (given the condition of your radiator). A good quality 'dino' oil from Costco (Shell & Chevron?) will do the job. If you have been using 'dino' oil, you can stick to it. Sysnthetic oil has a more uniform molecular structure and thus gives better lubrication and can have extended OCI but at a price.

Verify the radiator leak is really on the radiator and not just on the rubber hose fittings. If the radiator is leaking, you have to replace it. If the rubber hoses are soft, time to replace them too. It's not worth the risk. Aside from getting stranded, you can damage the engine. I have replaced the rad in our 99 I30 due to a crack just below the cap. I was able to get it for <$100, including shipping. Search the internet and make comparison check before you buy the radiator. You can do it if you have basic handtools. Just make sure you 'burp' it to ensure no air bubbles in the system.

Refer to link below, LC-15, for radiator removal and installation.

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/i30/1998_I30/lc.pdf

[infii30owner]

Thank you loystock for posting link for radiator removal/install. not sure if i could do it...will have to think about it.

So i'll go with 10-w30. costco has chevron..didn't find shell y'day. i'll go with chevron then.

here is the radiator pic in my car.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/wan/3280019397.html

i see leak at top right corner (driver side). other side is clean.


thanks for your time.

[Kompresshun]

I would stick to a 5w30 oil personally. That's what i've always run in my Maximas and that's what they recommend for them. You can run a 10w30 and it will be ok, but I usually stick to what the manufacturer recommends unless it has leaks or smokes.

The radiator swap is really straightforward. Drain the system, disconnect the upper and lower hoses, remove anything attaching the radiator to the car, then remove. Obviously, repeat to reinstall.

[NutriaforBreakfast]

When you put the radiator fans back in be careful since the shroud which supports them
is made of plastic and can bend/change positions. Check to make sure the fans don't hit anything when they are on. I have used washers as spacers if they were too close to something etc.

[infii30owner]

just looked at i30 maintenance log and it recommends 5W-30! some guys at Firestone said go with thicker oil as its more than 100k. don't know which ones thicker or thinner. there are no leaks (like dripping on my driveway) or smokes other than that greasy spray on intake.

you made the radiator swap sound easy! hmmmm....maybe i could attempt it with my neighbor's help. if it involves simple screwdrivers, wrenches etc i could give it a try.

[infii30owner]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RADIATOR-Infini ... c0&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1994-1999-NISSA ... 35&vxp=mtr

what do you guys think about above radiator? should i be looking for anything specific like aluminium or plastic? they say part is new and fits 98 i30.

thanks for your help.

[TheRoast]

Hey there, I just bought my 1997 Infiniti i30 from my best friend. It has 200k miles on it but runs like a champ.
A few days after I bought it, there would be a horrible rattling sound coming from the radiator area. Upon further inspection, the drivers side radiator fan had a small wobble in it that made a really bad sound BUT ONLY WHEN THE A/C WAS ON (or if i was idling for a while.)
Anyway I bought a new Radiator Fan Assembly from:
http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/1997/i ... embly.html
2nd one down, Part #6705-07015111
Only took 30 mins to replace and it sounds fantastic.
WARNING: I am a total noob/scrub/fish/novice so I may be completely wrong, but I thought I'd give my 2 cents.

I hope I helped a little, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

[loystock]

Welcome to NICO, ThRoast. Thanks for sharing your experience with other members.

[infii30owner]

TheRoast, in my case this seems to be some dead area in tire. i am going to rotate tires and see if the noise goes down a bit.

could someone let me know whats a good radiator online?

thank you

[Kompresshun]

I can't personally recommend one from eBay, as I have no way of knowing how good or bad it is. Just check and see if the seller has good ratings and if it comes with a warranty would be the main things.

Personally, I usually buy mine from a local radiator supplier, or an auto parts store so I can easily take care of any issues I might have with minimal down time. If you order from an online retailer and it fails, you will have to likely send it back to them and wait for them to send you a new one.

I have had good luck with 1-800-RADIATOR in the past, but it's been many years since i've purchased one from them.

[infii30owner]

loystock,

could you let me know the site where you bought the radiator. i see quite a few on ebay in $50-110 range including shipping. i am not sure if they are pressure tested or whatever to make sure they don't break within a month or two.

thank you.

[loystock]

I bought the 99 I30 radiator from autopartswarehouse.com for @ $70 in November last year. I also bought another one for my 97 q45 from the same store. So far, so good.

[infii30owner]

Thanks loystock. think i'll order mine too there.

I replaced the tires. Got 2 new ones. yet this flapping noise still remains. need to look for a good/real nissan tech who can spend little time and see whats wrong with the car. could take it to dealer but i know they'll drop me an estimate of some ridiculous figure!

[infii30owner]

am getting a new radiator this week (vengard 1752. $50 from ebay shipped.). what kind of coolant should i put? i saw one in kragen for like $10. is that good enough?

should i be careful of not spilling the coolant on any parts while i replace the radiator or refill the coolant?

any other things that i should be careful about when i replace radiator?

FYI: costco has 6 pack techron fuel inject cleaners for $10! at chevron gas station they sell each one for $14.

i emptied one into my i30 this morning. also used chevron engine oil from costco. seems smoother. only thing that bothers me on this car is that stupid noise. don't think i can figure out whats wrong with stethoscope. if a dealer can fix that for few hundred bucks, i'd be glad to get that fixed. none of the mechs that i show it to spend any time to look at it.

thanks for your time.

[loystock]

Be careful! The fins on the radiator are very thin and can get damaged during handling/installation. Ensure you 'burp' the system after installation to remove air.

That's a good deal for Techron. I switched to Redline (or Gumout Regane) ever since BG44K formulation was changed. A fuel system cleaner must contain a good amount of PEA (polyether amine) to be effective.

As for the flapping noise, do you have that only when the car is moving or whenever the engine is running? Did it happen after the alternator was replaced?

[infii30owner]

Thanks for your time loystock.

YOu mean fans or fins on radiator? i see 2 large fans between engine and radiator. they seem to be quite big. don't think you are talking about them. will see some youtube videos on how to 'burp' the system.

reg engine noise, its only when car is running. hear that noise with or without A/C or fans. could be after i installed alternator last nov. thats a good point. how could alternator come into picture? i thought alternator's job is to charge battery. again am a novice. sounds like some sort of loose belt or some part of that is hitting something as it turns. the flapping or that rattling gets more as i ramp up and it goes it as i come to a stop.


10/24: I see what you meant by fins. thanks. will be careful. will see if i can take off alternator belt (if it has one) and see if that goes away.

thanks again

[infii30owner]

replaced the radiator. it wasn't that bad. hardest part was to get the two smaller hoses on the bottom.

while tightening the clamp on big hose, that small spacer or washer like thing on clamp slipped and fell. maybe it fell into alternator. it didn't fall down for sure. now i have a new noise on top of what i already have hope it comes out eventually. otherwise could that be an issue?

reg 'burping' the radiator, i filled the radiator coolant (it took whole gallon) to the top. closed the cap. took it for a spin around the block (maybe 0.5 mile), let it cool. when i checked the fluid level wasn't up to top. so i filled it again up to top. would that make sure there is no air trapped in?

hope i got it right.

thanks for your time guys.

[loystock]

There is no harm checking coolant level multiple times and topping it off as needed. You can also turn on the heater. If you hear gurgling sound, you still have air in the system.

Good luck with the washer.

[infii30owner]

thanks for suggestion. i'll turn on heater and see if i hear any sounds.