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2002 Nissan Altima engine
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Guest
Anonymous Poster
mmota@live.com
Apr 21, 2009, 3:24 PM
Post #1 of 6
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2002 Nissan Altima engine
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I have a 2002 Nissan Altima with 85,000 miles. Started having trouble with the car stalling at low speeds/intersection and water was disappearing from radiator but no water spills under the car. Dealership said the head gasket was blown and it took the cat converter. Had both repaired. Two weeks later oil completely disappeared. Dealership added oil and sealed the dip stick and told us to come back at 5000 miles. A week later oil was all gone again and starting hearing knocking noises. Took it back to dealership and they took the engine apart and said oil was leaking inside the motor and the motor is no good. We have had the car less than 9 months and it has been in for repairs 7 times. The dealership is asking for proof of regular oil changes (which we have). Spoke to an independent mechanic and they said you should never change a head gasket on a high mileage car. This probably caused the engine damage. Is there any place I can get documentation from car repair experts to help our case. The dealership started out really nice but I think it might get ugly.
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Loren Champlain Sr
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/ Moderator
Apr 21, 2009, 4:32 PM
Post #2 of 6
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Re: 2002 Nissan Altima engine
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Guest; 85K miles is not 'high mileage'. I know that some will disagree with me, but I also believe doing a head job on a high mileage engine is risky, but if yours was well maintained, it doesn't fit into that category, in my opinion.
If it was going through that much oil, and no external leaks, it would have had to have had obvious blue smoke coming from the exhaust? "Oil leaking inside the engine"? Is that statement correct? Or, is the oil leaking past the rings? A cylinder leak-down test would be in order. When the head gasket leaked, did water get into the crankcase? If so, internal engine damage was probably already done by the time the gasket was replaced.
You mentioned that they 'sealed' the dipstick? Was oil being pushed up through the dipstick? This would be an indication of excessive crankcase pressure, usually attributed to broken rings.
Which engine does this have in it? I'm not a 'fan' of Nissan engines, to begin with.
Loren
SW Washington
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Guest
Anonymous Poster
Apr 21, 2009, 6:04 PM
Post #3 of 6
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Re: 2002 Nissan Altima engine
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When we notice the car burned through all the oil the first time and returned to the dealership the mechanic noticed the soot around the tail pipe and recommended we change the exhaust. He then proceeded to seal the dipstick but did not tell us why. We never saw any oil push through the dipstick. I'm guessing there was blue smoke considering the amount of recent soot on the back end of the car. They have not been very clear as to what exactly is wrong with the engine. Only that oil got into cylinders of the motor and our best bet is to replace the motor. As it stands the engine is all apart on the dealership floor for the past week. We have not been given a quote for the motor to be replaced. We did not have any oil problems prior to the head gasket being replaced. I'm also wondering if the head gasket needed to be replaced in the first place. This car was well maintained and shouldn't have this many problems.
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Loren Champlain Sr
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/ Moderator
Apr 21, 2009, 6:24 PM
Post #4 of 6
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Re: 2002 Nissan Altima engine
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Unfortunately, heat is a killer of engines. If this thing was losing coolant, and got hot enough, it is very possible that it did blow a head gasket. The coolant will go, either into the crankcase, or out the exhaust, or both. If it goes out the exhaust, you'll see a steam cloud behind you until the coolant is gone. And, yes, it will/can destroy oxygen sensors and the catalyst. If the coolant temp sensor isn't immersed in water (once the coolant gets low enough) it won't register on the guage as being hot. So, you may not have known there was a problem until it was too late. To rub a little salt in the wound, getting hot enough, can cause the cylinder lubrication to cease, and damage the rings and cylinder walls. With the alluminum head engines, it doesn't take much. Probably no one's fault. Just happens. Unfortunately, (seems that I use that word a lot) there's no good way of checking to see if there are any underlying problems during the head gasket replacement. Given the mileage, it should have gone just fine. But, again, there's no way of knowing just how hot the engine got. I'm not, in any way, defending you or the dealer. Or, blaming either.
As for the initial overheating, that needs to be found prior to replacing the engine. If it was an external leak, should be easy to find. A faulty thermostat could have been to blame. Hard to say, but needs to be corrected.
It doesn't sound, to me, that anyone is trying to 'pull the wool over your eyes'. Just bad news. Of course, you can 'shop' around for prices, maybe even consider a low mileage used engine as an option. Really sorry to hear of the predicament that you are in.
Loren
SW Washington
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Guest
Anonymous Poster
Apr 22, 2009, 1:25 AM
Post #5 of 6
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Re: 2002 Nissan Altima engine
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Thanks for your help Loren. We found a used Toyota engine that we are going to put in it. I think the frustrating part is trying to get information from the dealership. Our car has been in pieces for close to two weeks and it seems the person we need to deal with is "on vacation"
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Loren Champlain Sr
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/ Moderator
Apr 22, 2009, 2:12 PM
Post #6 of 6
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Re: 2002 Nissan Altima engine
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>>We found a used Toyota engine that we are going to put in it<< Surely, that's a typo? Right?
Loren
SW Washington
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