Engine running loud in my 2001 Qx4. Your thoughts???

[Gurthy]

Hey everyone. I bought a 2001 QX4 about a month ago. Took it to a dealer, and they told me what needed to be fixed. MAF, Valve gasket, etc.

Now the car is up to date on maintinence.... but heres my only problem...

The Engine seems to be running pretty loud. I don't know if its just the model itself, or if something needs to be replaced. When i open the hood, it sounds like a loud belt, or fan of some sort... but i have absolutley NO CLUE!!! My mechanic said the drive belt is cracking a little... could that be it???

To all you pathfinder/qx4 owners, why do you think the motor is so loud. Is there something i can do to quiet it down a bit... or am i CRAZY for expecting a fairly quiet Qx4 Vehicle.

THANKS MUCH

[Gurthy]

any ideas??

[fueler]

Its hard to say, man, your description is vague.

Did the noise start just after the engine work, or did it do the noise ever since you purchased it?

Is it fairly noticeable from the cabin of the car, with hood closed? And belts shouldnt be "cracking" , they shouldnt make any noise, even brand new ones. If an old belt is "cracking" literally then it needs to be replaced. The VQ35 doesnt have one single dedicated "drive belt" like a serp belt, but it has a timing chain and a couple of accessory belts. Did they replace the belts?

Can you describe the noise better?

[Issac]

Not trying to cut in Fueler...And he is totally right-you need to give more info.

But if I had to guess on just this info, there is a chance your fan clutch is locking. Meaning the fan is blowing real hard.

this is something many don't notice and if your MPG is down, you might check this (others too). The fan is not good and then shot. It gets worse and worse, sucking power out of the engine, until the bearings go. But before the bearings go, it is costing. And in cold climates this cost in other ways too.

Test-Shut your engine off, let it get cold, then turn the fan blade (shut off of course) by hand. It should turn real smooth, but not glide like a home fan or anything. I thined mine out and it never gets hot, but turns better.

If there is a chuncking feeling, like hard spots as it turns, or if it doesn't turn pretty darn easy, it is either the bearings, or the fluid.

If it is the fluid, there is a way to overhaul it and you can save much money. If the bearing is bad, forget it. New one.

My 2002 is not loud, but not quiet like sitting in the car of course.

If it is loud just at startup- like "SCREEECCHHHHHHHHHH!" your belts are loose. Easy fix.

[coold8]

Turn of your air conditioning or fan in your car, mine makes a bit off noise.

Also, check the heat shields, mine were tight enough and therefore were rattling.

[fueler]

And he is totally right-you need to give more info.

But if I had to guess on just this info, there is a chance your fan clutch is locking. Meaning the fan is blowing real hard.

this is something many don't notice and if your MPG is down, you might check this (others too). The fan is not good and then shot. It gets worse and worse, sucking power out of the engine, until the bearings go. But before the bearings go, it is costing. And in cold climates this cost in other ways too.

Test-Shut your engine off, let it get cold, then turn the fan blade (shut off of course) by hand. It should turn real smooth, but not glide like a home fan or anything. I thined mine out and it never gets hot, but turns better.

If there is a chuncking feeling, like hard spots as it turns, or if it doesn't turn pretty darn easy, it is either the bearings, or the fluid.

If it is the fluid, there is a way to overhaul it and you can save much money. If the bearing is bad, forget it. New one.

My 2002 is not loud, but not quiet like sitting in the car of course.

If it is loud just at startup- like "SCREEECCHHHHHHHHHH!" your belts are loose. Easy fix.

Good info, I also had a fan clutch fail on me at around 100k miles so u should check that

[KoukiS14]

I usually just turn the engine off when I'm tired of the noise it makes.

[fueler]

I usually just turn the engine off when I'm tired of the noise it makes.

or just take a couple hits of some good weed and you wont even care about the noise anymore

[Gurthy]

HAHA... good info fellas.

Nah in all seriousness, i'm gonna check the fan tomorrow (raining too hard right now). Makes sense. sounds like it is coming from the fan, so i'm sure thats partly the problem.

To all of you with pathfinders and Qx4s, does your engine purr when standing outside the front of the car while its in park. Or doesn it sound different then a purr.

If the fan is not the problem, i'm gonna take a huge bong rip then check the car again. I garuntee it will be sounding ppeerrrfect then .

[Adnan]

Meh...you're not alone my 01 path use to make the samesound and i know what you mean...its that little truckish sound it makes at a certain start up...and you can totally hear from the motor and the exhaust pipe....sounds like a 80's daihatsu lol

i got the plugs new air,fuel filters and the fuel rails replacedthis week

and it sounds amazing...unaudible inside,no NVH and the exhaust noteis just like as in a car