issue roughness at idle only v6/AT altima 2005

General discussion area for the L31-chassis Altima, including the 05-06 SE-R models.
alagator
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun May 17, 2015 2:39 pm
Car: 2005 altima 3.5 sl

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Hello everyone,
I retired last year and dealer/shop mechanics don't fit budget any longer. My Altima has 90k bought new and all pre-retire sevice done by authorized mechanics, any when last est came in at 1900 for brakes and struts I thought time to pull out the tools and atleast attempt repairs on my own. I have done complete brake job and both front and rear struts myself. I have lately noticed at vibration at idle only and have done some reading with claims read as vaulty idler tensioner or vaulty alternator internal fan or possible motor mounts as issue to problem. I don't like to do guess work and felt I would reach out to your forum for some advise.
In the last 2 weeks my wife who is the main driver has voiced concerns that she has experienced no A/C output via control knobs and non-working radio and has seen ABS light on. So i read many more sites and D/L the manuals and find I did breed brakes in right order RR/LF/LR/RF but did not un-hook ground from battery , so I re-visit these steps and re-bleed. no ABS light seen 2 weeks.
I then goto tensioner and having read it is left hand threads have broken the bolt so I am unsure of left hand thread but tensioner is very smooth on rotation and belt looks fine on to the alternator I read it is ccw rotation and should only turn freely in that direction, but it turns freely in both directions.( Prior to belt removal battery is at 13.7 non running and 14 while running)Thinking lower voltage out put could impact these accessories and possible internal fan issue I point my inspection towards alternator but find no way or place that will validate the read ccw and info on internal fan issue that will point to the idle vibration.
Sorry for such a long winded post ,but I thought the more info would maybe pin down a more percise answer.
Thanks for any help :rotfl


Mikekn
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 9:30 am
Car: 2005 Altima

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It's good that you've been researching and not guessing.
The service manual is excellent because it lists all of the steps for diagnosing the cause of any problems you are having.
Each section/chapter of the service manual contains an area called Troubleshooting, which is where you will find the details.

Looking at the service manual for the 2005 Atima, I can see that both the radio and the air conditioning use fuse number 19, which is a 10 amp fuse.
It is very likely that fuse 19 has blown and needs to be replaced. (This information was found in section ATC page 42 and section AV page 38)
If the fuse blows again shortly after being replaced, then you have an electrical problem to diagnose.

Your alternator does not have an internal fan.
14 volts output at idle is fine.
The pulley will spin freely in both directions.

There are often many possible causes for a symptom.

It is possible that the engine is vibrating excessively because it needs a "tune up", or a sensor or other part has gone bad or there are internal engine problems.
If you are in the USA, Autozone and some other places will use a code reader to do a free check to see if the engine control system has detected any problems and stored any trouble codes

If the car has not been tuned up for many miles, then it may be time to do so.
To do a tune up, you replace the spark plugs, air filter, fuel filter and PCV valve.
Over time other parts can go bad.
More details can be found in the EM engine mechanical section of the service manual.

Motor mounts that are cracked or otherwise broken will transfer engine vibration throughout the car.
You have to look closely at the engine mounts to see if they are damaged . You can have a helper put the car in drive, and with his foot on the brake pedal , give it some gas and watch the engine to see if it shifts when he does this. Section EC page 1322 has details about the electronically controlled engine mounts.

AltyGirl
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2017 7:01 pm
Car: 2006 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE

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I had similar issues with rough running in my 2006 Altima V6 from the moment I bought it (with only 15k miles), until a few years ago when I found a Nissan master tech who was able to raise the target idle speed from 630 up to 750...it no longer does that weird "loping" thing at red lights (it would run perfectly smooth, then would shake for about 5 seconds before smoothing out again several times while waiting for the light to change - it always felt like it was going to stall). I had tried having the spark plugs, coils, TPS, EGR, cam and crank sensors, MAF, all motor mounts replaced and fuel injectors cleaned. The dealership also checked for vacuum leaks before finding a tech who would tap into the ECU to set the idle higher. Now, it runs so smoothly that you can't feel it (except for a tiny buzzing sensation in the steering wheel that only happens when the AC is on - it's comparable to the vibration that you would feel if you were to rest your hand on the top of your computer). I am extremely picky about my car, and spent a lot of unnecessary money trying to get it to run the way that I wanted it to! I just wanted to let people know that it is possible to have the idle programmed to a higher, non-fluctuating speed to smooth things out to "Lexus standards".


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