Ask Me Help Desk - 2002 Nissan Altima

I need some good advice. I have a 2002 Altima with 107,600 miles. The "Service Engine Soon" light went on in August of 2006. In Sept. I went ti Jiffy Lube for an oil change and the next day went to get my car inspected. Well the car failed inspection for emissions. In NJ only an authorized emission repair center can do the repairs and fill out the form for re-inspection. The problem I came up with, after taking the car to Tire Barn and Vespia's is that they both could read the codes but could not do the work because Nissan does not release engine repair information to anyone other then Nissan repair centers. This was confirmed to me by the Nissan dealership service center. The codes that the car failed for initially were P0217 and P0011. Tire Barn said that the codes were no longer coming up and they don't know what the problem is. Vespia's said that they weren't getting the P codes they got codes 41000 and 41001. I finally took it to the Nissan Dealership Service Center and they said they got the same codes as Vespias and that I needed to have wiring work done. For $400 they grounded 5 wires and the engine light was still on. So then they tell me that for $560 I need to have the Transmission Control Unit replaced. THey did this and the engine light came on 2 days later. I took it back to them and now they tell me that they got a P0011 code (intake valve timing failure). The tech said the oil was low. He said that he preformed a crack case pressure check and it was within specs. He then said that while the car is being driven the oil pressure drops. He said that oil is being sucked into the Intake System, which is causing an oil burning condition. He said the only way to repair this was the replace the entire engine. Now from the time that I had the oil change on Sept. 7th and the day I took my car to Nissan on Nov 7th I put 1300 miles on the car. I know, I drive a lot. The car is not shimmying, or smoking or stuttering. As a matter of fact, it runs fantastic. I get the oil changed every 3 to 4 months and have never ever had any engine work done, as it hasn't been necessary. The tech also told me that as long as I keep the oil level up then engine light will stay off. I drove my car home from their shop, about 2 miles, the next morning drove it another two miles to the inspection station and as I made the turn in, the dang light came on.
Is there a way to repair this problem without replacing that entire engine and how do I know that this is even the problem? I've already paid $1100 and the engine light is still on! Is there a way to just pull the light off, a fuse or the bulb? I can't pass inspection with this light on ! Please help! Thanks.

Here are a couple of thoughts:

. Buy your own OBD-II scanner, plug it into the Data Link Connector (DLC), which is conveniently located under the dash, and read what code is coming up for yourself. Then, you are not at the mercy of these outfits. You may even be able to reset your computer and see if the code is thrown again. I own an Actron CP9135 AutoScanner, which you can get on sale for around $95. You can even upgrade this scanner, over the Internet, if you want to and it will become a CP9175. Everybody who owns a post-1996 vehicle should own their own scanner.

My feeling is that your problems are related to poor preventive maintenance. Here's what the two DTCs stand for: P0217--Engine Overtemp Condition (Overheat) and P0011--Camshaft Position Sensor. Both of these likely reflect poor maintenance, but shouldn't be life threatening. Get your owner's manual and start maintaining your vehicle by the book. It's much cheaper, in the long run.

. Perform an AutoRX treatment on your engine. Go to the AutoRx and Bob Is The Oil Guy (run a search for AutoRx) sites below and read up about the product. Run this treatment with conventional oil--switch to synthetic afterwards. It is an amazing product that may save your engine, if it's getting sludged up and burning oil. Its esters safely remove (emulsify) varnish and sludge a layer at a time--it does not perform its magic overnight, however. It may take a 1,000 miles of driving for the initial treatment. Remember, get a second opinion, before replacing your engine. My gut is that your engine doesn't need replacing but is serviceable.

http://www.auto-rx.com/index.html

http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/ubbthreads.php

So, my suggestion is treat the engine with AutoRx and then just fix those items that need repairing, rather than replacing the whole engine. After AutoRxing the engine, a whole new light may be cast on the condition of the engine. Then, once you know your car is a "keeper," perform the following maintenance:

. Switch to synthetic engine oil. It will provide you a much greater margin of safety for your engine. Change it every 6,000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. I would recommend you use synthetic 5W-30; e.g. Mobil 1 Extended Performance, Amsoil, Valvoline Max Life Synthetic, or Pennzoil Platinum Synthetic. The higher natural detergency of synthetics keep engines much cleaner. They run cooler, get better gas mileage, perform better, last longer, plus a host of other benefits. The heat of your engine is causing the light molecules of the conventional oil you are using to evaporate (boil off), which is being recirculated into the engine and burned. Synthetic engine oil contains "designer" molecules, which resist high temperatures and being boiled off 3 times better than conventional oil (NOACK Volatility). Many engine problems are directly traceable to this limitation of conventional oil. Also, start using premium engine filters; e.g. Mobil 1 Extended Performance, Amsoil Ea, or Purolator PureOne. They filter down to 10 microns, rather than 25 to 40 microns on ordinary filters.

. Switch to synthetic automatic transmission fluid in your car; e.g. Mobil 1 Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF or Amsoil Universal Synthetic ATF. Verify these products meet Nissans requirements for your vehicle first, which I'm sure they should. These are thoroughly "battle tested" products. I would drop and clean your transmission pan, replace the filter, and fill with synthetic ATF. Your transmission may have been throwing codes, because varnish and sludge is forming. [AutoRx can be used to remove varnish and sludge from transmissions, too.] Get them to also change the ATF in the torque converter. Make sure they don't just hook it up to a T-Tech machine and change the fluid, without changing the transmission filter. It's important to drop and clean the pan, plus change the filter. Change synthetic ATF every 40,000 miles.

. Flush your cooling system. Use a 50/50 mixture of Nissan-recommended antifreeze and distilled water. Change every 2 years.

. Flush your brake system. Change brake fluid every 2 years, to prevent the big unexpected repair bill. This is very important on ABS brake systems, to prevent corrosion and the $2,500 "surprise" repair bill.

. Set up a maintenance log. Record date, mileage, work performed. Refer to the maintenance log book often, in order to see when maintenance should be performed next. Review your owner's manual, so you are familiar with what needs to be performed and when.

If you end up having to get rid of this car, which I think is extreme, at least use these products on your next car. It's the best way to have "like new" performance on a vehicle for years and get your money's worth from an expensive purchase. A well-maintained Nissan should be able to go at least 250,000 miles.

Disabling fuses and warning lights, in order to pass inspection, is probably illegal in most states. Even though unwelcomed, Check Engine Lights inform you that your engine or transmission is experiencing pain and needs servicing, hopefully before major surgery.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jodi628

I need some good advice. I have a 2002 Altima with 107,600 miles. The "Service Engine Soon" light went on in August of 2006. In Sept. I went ti Jiffy Lube for an oil change and the next day went to get my car inspected. Well the car failed inspection for emissions. In NJ only an authorized emission repair center can do the repairs and fill out the form for re-inspection. The problem I came up with, after taking the car to Tire Barn and Vespia's is that they both could read the codes but could not do the work because Nissan does not release engine repair information to anyone other then Nissan repair centers. This was confirmed to me by the Nissan dealership service center. The codes that the car failed for initially were P0217 and P0011. Tire Barn said that the codes were no longer coming up and they don't know what the problem is. Vespia's said that they weren't getting the P codes they got codes 41000 and 41001. I finally took it to the Nissan Dealership Service Center and they said they got the same codes as Vespias and that I needed to have wiring work done. For $400 they grounded 5 wires and the engine light was still on. So then they tell me that for $560 I need to have the Transmission Control Unit replaced. THey did this and the engine light came on 2 days later. I took it back to them and now they tell me that they got a P0011 code (intake valve timing failure). The tech said the oil was low. He said that he preformed a crack case pressure check and it was within specs. He then said that while the car is being driven the oil pressure drops. He said that oil is being sucked into the Intake System, which is causing an oil burning condition. He said the only way to repair this was the replace the entire engine. Now from the time that I had the oil change on Sept. 7th and the day I took my car to Nissan on Nov 7th I put 1300 miles on the car. I know, I drive alot. The car is not shimmying, or smoking or stuttering. As a matter of fact, it runs fantastic. I get the oil changed every 3 to 4 months and have never ever had any engine work done, as it hasn't been necessary. The tech also told me that as long as I keep the oil level up then engine light will stay off. I drove my car home from their shop, about 2 miles, the next morning drove it another two miles to the inspection station and as I made the turn in, the dang light came on.
Is there a way to repair this problem without replacing that entire engine and how do I know that this is even the problem? I've already paid $1100 and the engine light is still on! Is there a way to just pull the light off, a fuse or the bulb? I can't pass inspection with this light on ! Please help !! Thanks.

Welcome to the club. If you Google replace engine, you'll find at least 100 people like you and myself who are having the same problem with the Nissan altima 2002. I am in the process of reporting it to the attorney state general. I've been in touch with Nissan and they are of no help. I am also going to file a class action suit against Nissan. So if you'd like to climb on board be my guest. Also if you hear of anyone else having this problem please let me know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by liahe

Also if you hear of anyone else having this problem please let me know.

I have this light on 2002 Altima for over a year. They have replaced intake valve and camshaft sensor with no results. So I am in!

Check your Emails periodically. I'll let you know what stage I am at. Right now I'm investigating the Lemon Laws in New YOrk. I sent a letter to my Congress person about this situation and he forwarded to the State Attorney General. I suggest you do the same especially if this has been going on for some time now. Send a letter to your congress person give it some time for a response. Keep me posted. I'm going to see the dealer next week, trying to work all avenues before Jan. If nothing happens before then. I will file a class action suit. I already have a lawyer.

I have a ford explorer and my light is constantly coming on. I had my dad who is a mechanic look at it time and time again not finding anything and I got to researching and sometimes the sensors that tell those damn lights to come on are just too sensitive.

In NC you can get a waiver from DMV for inspection if you have made at least a 200 dollar attempt at making an emissions repair to your own vehicle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jodi628

I need some good advice. I have a 2002 Altima with 107,600 miles. The "Service Engine Soon" light went on in August of 2006. In Sept. I went ti Jiffy Lube for an oil change and the next day went to get my car inspected. Well the car failed inspection for emissions. In NJ only an authorized emission repair center can do the repairs and fill out the form for re-inspection. The problem I came up with, after taking the car to Tire Barn and Vespia's is that they both could read the codes but could not do the work because Nissan does not release engine repair information to anyone other then Nissan repair centers. This was confirmed to me by the Nissan dealership service center. The codes that the car failed for initially were P0217 and P0011. Tire Barn said that the codes were no longer coming up and they don't know what the problem is. Vespia's said that they weren't getting the P codes they got codes 41000 and 41001. I finally took it to the Nissan Dealership Service Center and they said they got the same codes as Vespias and that I needed to have wiring work done. For $400 they grounded 5 wires and the engine light was still on. So then they tell me that for $560 I need to have the Transmission Control Unit replaced. THey did this and the engine light came on 2 days later. I took it back to them and now they tell me that they got a P0011 code (intake valve timing failure). The tech said the oil was low. He said that he preformed a crack case pressure check and it was within specs. He then said that while the car is being driven the oil pressure drops. He said that oil is being sucked into the Intake System, which is causing an oil burning condition. He said the only way to repair this was the replace the entire engine. Now from the time that I had the oil change on Sept. 7th and the day I took my car to Nissan on Nov 7th I put 1300 miles on the car. I know, I drive alot. The car is not shimmying, or smoking or stuttering. As a matter of fact, it runs fantastic. I get the oil changed every 3 to 4 months and have never ever had any engine work done, as it hasn't been necessary. The tech also told me that as long as I keep the oil level up then engine light will stay off. I drove my car home from their shop, about 2 miles, the next morning drove it another two miles to the inspection station and as I made the turn in, the dang light came on.
Is there a way to repair this problem without replacing that entire engine and how do I know that this is even the problem? I've already paid $1100 and the engine light is still on! Is there a way to just pull the light off, a fuse or the bulb? I can't pass inspection with this light on ! Please help !! Thanks.

Are you still filing a class action suit against Nissan for the Altima? You are right, there are a lot of consumers who had good faith in Nissan product in which failed a lot of us. I pay 18,000 for that car and I am really upset that I have to place the engine. I could had bought a Kia or Hyuandai. I hoping that it would last me for about 10 years. What makes me so upset about this situation is that the same engine that was put in 2006 is the same engine in 2002. There was a recall done on the 2006. I believe Nissan needs to stand behind their name. Please inform me about the class action suit! I need a car and I am wondering if I should buy something to at least get around to work and school.
You can reach me at [email protected]... I check that email daily.

Hey,people see if your car falls under a recall that was done in 2003.the reason is the check engine light stays on,loose power,stall at a light,very dangerous... nissan has to replace it... codes docome up,yes its from maintenance,but the light is the recall.. i was going to replace engine,did'nt have too...

:)

Quote:

Originally Posted by LUISMART

HEY,PEOPLE SEE IF YOUR CAR FALLS UNDER A RECALL THAT WAS DONE IN 2003.THE REASON IS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON,LOOSE POWER,STALL AT A LIGHT,VERY DANGEROUS...NISSAN HAS TO REPLACE IT....CODES DOCOME UP,YES ITS FROM MAINTANCE,BUT THE LIGHT IS THE RECALL..i WAS GOING TO REPLACE ENGINE,DID'NT HAVE TOO.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by liahe

Welcome to the club. If you google replace engine, you'll find at least 100 people like you and my self who are having the same problem with the Nissan altima 2002. I am in the process of reporting it to the attorney state general. I've been in touch with Nissan and they are of no help. I am also going to file a class action suit against Nissan. So if you'd like to climb on board be my guest. Also if you hear of anyone else having this problem please let me know.

Hello,
Do does anyone know of any class actions against nissan?

Does anyone know about any class actions against Nissan?
I had been talking to an "Attorney" who said was planning on a class action, but after I gave him all my information he won't respond to my calls or emails on what's going on.

I would like to be included in any class action lawsuit. I have a 2002 Altima. They are telling me I need a new engine. I only have 80,000 miles. Head gasket or cylinder problems

does the recall still apply today? Its weird I didn't have a problem with the check engine light till 3 yrs after.

_________
<a href="http://www.thepartsbin.com">ThePartsbin</a>

I have had the same problems with the engine light. I took my 2002 Nissan Altima for all the recalls and the problem remains. The lose oil and every week I'm replacing the oil. If a class action is filed action against Nissan for this engine problem please email me. Thanks.