interference engine ?

[mosswalker]

Is the 3.5 SE motor on the 2004 2005 Altima's an interference engine? I was driving last Friday and when i restarted and moved again the car made some weird noises and clunking then while it coasted to a stop it was like the sound of a Roulette wheel muffled by a towel. I am thinking the timing went and valved smacked my valves to pieces.

I took the car in 2 weeks ago and told them about a noise the car makes when you start it. 3 different mechanics told me it was a dying bearing on the tensioner or alternator or SOMEWHERE around there. The dealership keeps the car over night and tells me its 'lifter' noise. 'Ok' i think to myself and drive away. Wouldn't lifter noise be slow and continuous not rapid and for like a second everytime you start the car?

Sandy, one of the mechanics who told me what the noise was before i went to dealership told me in detail what would happen if it went one day and what he described is EXACTLY what happened last Friday!

Now i am having trouble knowing who to believe. Dealership says 'oh no, all the belts are ok, we have it apart right now.' I do NOT believe a word they are saying. I believe my engine went from the timing being off.

I don't know what to do. Totally confused and rambling here because if i go there and that fool tells me i am an idiot again i will put him through a wall i think.

[audtatious]

Well, there are no "belts" to worry about with the VQ35 as it uses a timing chain. An exterior belt breaking would not hamper the motor itself. I'm not sure about the interference part tho...

[mosswalker]

Ok, so what do you think would kill the engine like that?

[SHIFT_COUPE]

I don't believe the VQ is an interference engine.

Once your dealer gets their arm further into it they will find the problem I'm sure. Never heard of a VQ taking a dump like that though. They did have oil consumption problems earlier on. Let us know the news from your shop when you hear it.

[mosswalker]

I am not allowed near the dealership. I have to go with someone when i go there so they can get my car out. They are afraid of me now :-( ....shouldnt have told me i was an idiot and i would not have told them what i was going to do them.

[2008CodeRedCoupe]

it very well could have been the timing chain tensioner and guides going bad, causing the timing chain to come off. i have seen this happen on more than one occasion. i hope for your sake (and for the sake of the dealership that is working on the car) that this is not the case, but judging from your description, sounds possible. what happens when you try to start the car?

[nissantech06]

it very well could have been the timing chain tensioner and guides going bad, causing the timing chain to come off. i have seen this happen on more than one occasion. i hope for your sake (and for the sake of the dealership that is working on the car) that this is not the case, but judging from your description, sounds possible. what happens when you try to start the car?

It is true. We have replaced a few of the sprockets and guides because of this. And, no, the engine is not an interference engine.

[2008CodeRedCoupe]

yeah we have replaced quite a few of them too. i still havent seen the chain completely come off of one yet, but i have seen a lot of the sprockets going bad, and a lot of the guides going bad, and a few of the tensioners going bad. usually if we are going in there to replace one of them (sprockets, guides, tensioners, etc) we will replace it all, just to cover our ***.

[nissantech06]

yeah we have replaced quite a few of them too. i still havent seen the chain completely come off of one yet, but i have seen a lot of the sprockets going bad, and a lot of the guides going bad, and a few of the tensioners going bad. usually if we are going in there to replace one of them (sprockets, guides, tensioners, etc) we will replace it all, just to cover our ***.

Nissan agrees with that, too.

[2008CodeRedCoupe]

yeah, its a surprise that Nissan agrees with replacing the parts other than just the malfunctioning parts, we have had experiences with them kicking some stuff back, but until they start to kick some of this stuff back, we will continue to do it the same way.

[shift_mikey]

CodeRed and Nissantech, Have you ever come across valve problems with these engines? collapsed lifters? noisey valves?

[2008CodeRedCoupe]

I havent heard of anything really. The only noises that i have really come across is from timing chain etc. There were a few that had rod knocks or bottom end noises, but they were obviously from abuse and lack of maintnance. so to answer your question, NO. *knock on wood*