Irregularly High RPM's - Unexplained Phenomenon

[altimandy]

Since I leased my '10 Altima Coupe, it has been intermittently idiling in neutral between 2,000 and 2,500 RPM's. Does the same thing when I go to shift, the RPM's won't decrease; so when I let the clutch out the car "thuds" becasue it continues revving when I shift it into a higher gear. Occasionally when it is acting up like this, I have trouble getting it into first gear while stopped.

I have called every Nissan dealership within a 100-mile radius, told me that unless the master warning light is illuminated on the dashboard, there's not a whole that could be done unless I brought the car in while it was acting up which is dificult due to the sporadic occasionality.

Even recently, while driving I've noticed that my speed will maintain even after I remove my foot from the accelerator, almost like the cruise control is on. When I engage the clutch, the RPM's do not move.

I'm not having a very pleasurable first-time Nissan lessee experience (previously owned VW, Mazda).

Is this problem occurring with anyone else, or has anyone else heard of this? Likewise, what could the cause be?

Thanks for reading!

[BlackMetal]

you just might have to bring it in to the leasing dealer and tell them in person what`s going on. at best tell them you are disatisfied with this new car experience and bust their balls...
I have an 09, and I`m not experiencing this. But I hear that this 6spd is junk, and sometimes it is difficult to get into first gear and reverse... The redline line fluid did not make it shift any smoother, so butter it is NOT...

anyways, def tell the stealership that you are not happy...

[PHENOMenalVinyl]

you just might have to bring it in to the leasing dealer and tell them in person what`s going on. at best tell them you are disatisfied with this new car experience and bust their balls...
I have an 09, and I`m not experiencing this. But I hear that this 6spd is junk, and sometimes it is difficult to get into first gear and reverse... The redline line fluid did not make it shift any smoother, so butter it is NOT...

anyways, def tell the stealership that you are not happy...

Agreed i wouldn't settle on that. I have an 08 mt and love it although i have 40kmi and my 6th gear wont let me shift into it but I'm to busy to take it to nissan atm. Plus its 6th gear i dont care

[mrodrig2]

Undo the negative battery terminal for a few minutes to reset the ECU. If it's the same after driving a couple days/hundred miles or so, bring it in directly to the dealership. What they are telling you is BS, you can have problems that don't trip a CEL.

[dldjros69]

Undo the negative battery terminal for a few minutes to reset the ECU. If it's the same after driving a couple days/hundred miles or so, bring it in directly to the dealership. What they are telling you is BS, you can have problems that don't trip a CEL.

^im with stupid! i agree with both suggestions

[QR25DE]

you just might have to bring it in to the leasing dealer and tell them in person what`s going on. at best tell them you are disatisfied with this new car experience and bust their balls...
I have an 09, and I`m not experiencing this. But I hear that this 6spd is junk, and sometimes it is difficult to get into first gear and reverse... The redline line fluid did not make it shift any smoother, so butter it is NOT...

anyways, def tell the stealership that you are not happy...

What? The 6MT that comes in this car is fine. It is certainly NOT JUNK. My trans is as smooth as can be. The OEM fluid works fine. If you are having transmission issues it's not because the 6MT is junk in general, it's because your particular transmission is not working properly. Go get it looked at. Since you have changed the fluid, I doubt Nissan would help you any further. The CVT is the transmission that has issues time and time again.

As for the RPM issue. This typically can be caused by a bad or disconnected O2 sensor. It may not throw a code. This can also be caused by a bad MAF or it not reading air temp and air measurements correctly. I experienced this issue and replaced my O2 sensor (it got damaged during the turbo install). Cured the problem.

This is NOT a transmission issue.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Idle re-learn might help this???

[QR25DE]

Idle re-learn might help this???

Yeah worth a try. Might be an issue with the throttle as well...

[07wHiTE 3.5SE 6sPD]

could be the drive by wire getting sticky... my sedan was doing it around 30k miles and the motor that controls the throttle butterfly movement needed to be changed... after that it was good to go.

[6SpeedinCoupe]

Yea my only new suggestion was going to be to clean the throttle body. How many miles are on it OP? Seeing you have a '10 I really highly doubt the TB needs to be cleaned thats my only gripe against what I suggest. Just not enough miles yet I would think.

[Mr.Coupe]

Hey 07wHiTE 3.5SE 6sPD email me bruh please. I have some questions for you about your BBK and other stuff. My email is [email protected]

Ricky C.

[altimandy]

Thanks for the tips all - I have the battery unplugged now, seeing if that will help. I've been driving my wife's RX330 on account of all the snow. I was thinking MAF or O2 sensors, but I thought for sure something like those would trip the master warning light - and so thought the service managers at three dealerships I called. Before the Altima I had a 2007 Mazdaspeed3 and had to replace the MAF before I had 5k miles on it. I will take all of these suggestions to the dealer when I go. Will surely keep you updated.

Here's an image of an average stop-light idle on my way home from work tonight...



(and the warning indicator is becuase I ran out of washer fluid this morning!)

[07wHiTE 3.5SE 6sPD]

thats the same thing that used to happen to my sedan. It tough to diagnose and the dealer only touches it if they seen it themselves. Mr coupe i will be e-mailing you this weekend for sure, been real busy at work.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Idle re-learn you can do yourself, DO NOT pay the dealrship to do it. Just need a stopwatch and some quick reflexes. Searching for the procedure now...

[QR25DE]

If you tap the gas does the idle return to normal? Like give it a good shot. Also does it climb rpms by itself just sitting there? Would be the same as mine did if so...

[Viper5000]

Ive had that happen on rare occasion... usually a little clutch action fixes it

[Winner]

Ive had that happen on rare occasion... usually a little clutch action fixes it

[altimandy]

If you tap the gas does the idle return to normal? Like give it a good shot. Also does it climb rpms by itself just sitting there? Would be the same as mine did if so...

YES!!!! That's exactly what it does!!!!! I have an appt. to drop it off on Monday the 24th. All the service manager said was that they would investigate my "RPM concern." What was the conclusion of your problem, QR?

[altimandy]

Ive had that happen on rare occasion... usually a little clutch action fixes it

Not really sure what this means. In 12 years all of my cars have been mt. Eclipse, Jetta, Mazda3, and the Altima. I've never had a problem like this.

[QR25DE]

Mine was a bad o2 sensor (but I knew it was bad, we ruined it by heating it up too much to get it out when doing the turbo install) - Primary o2. After I replaced it it was fine.

I'm curious to see what fixes it in this situation.

When it happened for me it freaked me out. Sitting at a light and the rpms just kept climbing. Had to shut off the car cause I was getting scared hahaha. Usually tapping the gas fixed it but it was annoying on the highway cruising because if you let you foot off the gas it was like cruise crontrol as described...

I've had it do it a couple times since then but not as bad at all. I now blame the SAFC / Turbo setup / wiring problem somewhere or my MAF is dirty or TB is dirty.

Let me know what they find out. Most of the time it's completely fine. Hasn't done it in over 2 months.

[altimandy]

Mine was a bad o2 sensor (but I knew it was bad, we ruined it by heating it up too much to get it out when doing the turbo install) - Primary o2. After I replaced it it was fine.

I'm curious to see what fixes it in this situation.

When it happened for me it freaked me out. Sitting at a light and the rpms just kept climbing. Had to shut off the car cause I was getting scared hahaha. Usually tapping the gas fixed it but it was annoying on the highway cruising because if you let you foot off the gas it was like cruise crontrol as described...

I've had it do it a couple times since then but not as bad at all. I now blame the SAFC / Turbo setup / wiring problem somewhere or my MAF is dirty or TB is dirty.

Let me know what they find out. Most of the time it's completely fine. Hasn't done it in over 2 months.

I'm so glad someone else has had the same problem. The problem started a few weeks after I got the car. I, too, was at a stop light and the RPM's gradually kept climbing. I shut the car off, too! I haven't made any after-market alterations, so this is strictly a factory defect. Hopefully this won't be a recurring repair.

[altimandy]

The dealer dismissed my "RPM concern" since no "error codes" were present during the technician's assessment. And wouldn't you know...the car has been doing the same thing all week long. I'm ready to fight my way out of the lease.

[QR25DE]

Ouch get them to take it for a day or two and drive it constantly. They'll be able to recreate it. OR take it to another dealership.

[QR25DE]

Ouch get them to take it for a day or two and drive it constantly. They'll be able to recreate it. OR take it to another dealership.

Better yet, get a passenger to go with you or setup a video cam to record it.

[altimandy]

Ouch get them to take it for a day or two and drive it constantly. They'll be able to recreate it. OR take it to another dealership.

Better yet, get a passenger to go with you or setup a video cam to record it.

[QR25DE]

Ok I did some more testing on this and believe I have found the cause.

I created a vac leak by simply unplugging my boost gauge, guess what SAME SYMPTOMS! The idle is high, although it didn't climb like before but that's not all the time so I probably just didn't wait long enough/test long enough.

Sooo... I believe you have a vacuum leak somewhere. It's probably one of the following... and will not necessarily throw a code:

http://www.obd-codes.com/p0507

Potential Symptoms

Most likely you'll notice the idle speed is higher than normal. There are potentially other symptoms as well. Of course, when trouble codes are set, the MIL (malfunction indicator lamp, a.k.a. the check engine light) illuminates.
Causes

A P0507 DTC trouble code may be caused by one or more of the following:

* A vacuum leak
* Leaking air intake after the throttle body
* EGR valve leaking vacuum
* A faulty positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve
* Damaged/failed/dirty throttle body
* Failed EVAP system
* Failed IAC (idle air controller) or faulty IAC circuit

Once I "fixed" the leak, everything went back to normal! Easy fix for the dealership.

[altimandy]

QR25DE,

I am speechless. You are awesome. I bow to your sheer awesomeness! In a week or two when things settle down for me, I will be re-visiting the dealership WITH this thread in hand. My "one touch" window function has decided to stop working as well.

I enjoy my Altima for what it is, but I will probably never be a Nissan owner again. I had my wife's Lexus serviced a week ago, and I swear, if I told the dealership my 'flux capacator' was out of Plutonium they'd find a way to fix it and make me happy. I'd pay for it too, but, it's nice to be listened to and taken seriously.

And the service tech's don't return a filthy car with greasy handprints all over it and leave it smelling like a homeless person. That's just an extra perk of Nissan service, I guess.

Bravo,
Andy

[QR25DE]

Andy,

I am sorry to hear about the crap you're going through. I would suggest taking it to another dealership. It seems that one is providing bad service. I would suggest calling Nissan head office as well. They tend to get things done pretty quick to please their customers, especially since the car is brand new.

Either way, keep us updated and let us know the final fix. I'm sure this thread will help many.

Thanks,

Scott