05 - 3 sounds driving me CrAzY

[sipple31]

Hey guys... have a "new to me" 2005 Murano SL (78k miles). It's making 3 sounds that are driving me & the wife nuts. She is already having buyers remorse... and I would love to be the hero and get these remaining issues wrapped up.

1) Engine will squeal like a pig upon start-up. Very random. Doesn't seem to matter if hot or cold. Sometimes for a second... sometimes for 30 seconds. It's so loud it makes you want to hold your hands over your ears. It's pretty much extremely embarrassing. Seems more repeatable if the 'AC-OFF' is not engaged. Do I have an condenser bearing issues - or just a coincidence? Selling dealer is replacing the belt on Friday. Any other tips?

2) Dash creak / popping. The plastic seems to rub and pop between the main dash and the side pillars. It's almost unbearable going down a bumpy highway. Pic attached. Tried a hunk of cardboard wedged in there and this is definitely the trouble spot. Anyone have an tips on how to eliminate this without having a piece of cardboard?



3) The engine is just plain loud under load. From outside the cab it's completely quiet and normal sounding. From inside the cab (especially under acceleration/load) it sounds like a gurgly open-header V8. I'm not sure how else to describe it. It's way too loud. Never heard a V6 sound quite like this. Nissan tech claimed nothing was wrong. It doesn't seem to have the "clicking" symptom that people claim from a fuel damper. It almost sounds like a header leak to me.... any tips?

Thanks for any help! This vehicle has been a major PITA so far!

-Luke

[Eric L.]

1) You mean a *compressor* bearing, right? Replacing the belt might help, but you don't want a seized bearing on the pulley - I'd get that replaced asap.

2) Interior rattles - the solution is pretty old fashioned - the dealer can put foam behind the pillars to dampen the vibration. Or you could save the money and do it yourself since you know where the noise is coming from now.

3) Where exactly is the noise coming from? Is it intake noise? Exhaust noise? Front of the vehicle, center tunnel, rear? There is actually an intake resonator to decrease intake noise - maybe that has become disconnected or there is a leak. Since this is upstream of the actual air filter, it is not technically an intake leak so will not trip an check engine light.

[Halwg]

I'd say for #1, it's most probably the belt. They can be very loud. My 2008 Explorer was eating belts about every 15,000 miles, and finally the replacement of a bad idler pulley cured this.

#2, are you sure it's not coming from the cowl area? That's where a lot of folks have had the squeak, and the fix is relatively easy.

#3 I can't help here, but would love to hear what it sounds like. Can you post an audio of the noise from in the car?

[sipple31]

Thanks guys. Yes, Eric, I meant compressor! Thanks for catching that.

1) I will have the tech replace the belt and roll all the pulleys to makes sure none are seized.

2) I put some cardboard tabs between the cowl and window and the same old sound persisted... so i'm pretty sure it's friction between those two interior pieces. I hate to take stuff like that apart because I usually break a clip/tab or pry someplace I shouldn't & make a blemish. Maybe i'll look around for some instructions on taking the dash/pillar apart.

3) The noise is coming from the engine compartment for sure. It truly sounds like an exhaust leak to me... but since it's coming from way up there it would almost have to be header or the joint where the header meets the main exhaust pipe. It gets slightly better when the engine is warmed up. A few times, for example, when accelerating hard onto the interstate, I've hit a higher-than-average RPM and the engine actually gets quieter. You can hear the culprit sound stop and then (for a moment) the engine sounds how I would expect. I can check the intake resonator & I will work on getting some audio for you guys.

much appreciated!

[Eric L.]

Originally Posted by sipple31

Thanks guys. Yes, Eric, I meant compressor! Thanks for catching that.

1) I will have the tech replace the belt and roll all the pulleys to makes sure none are seized.

2) I put some cardboard tabs between the cowl and window and the same old sound persisted... so i'm pretty sure it's friction between those two interior pieces. I hate to take stuff like that apart because I usually break a clip/tab or pry someplace I shouldn't & make a blemish. Maybe i'll look around for some instructions on taking the dash/pillar apart.

3) The noise is coming from the engine compartment for sure. It truly sounds like an exhaust leak to me... but since it's coming from way up there it would almost have to be header or the joint where the header meets the main exhaust pipe. It gets slightly better when the engine is warmed up. A few times, for example, when accelerating hard onto the interstate, I've hit a higher-than-average RPM and the engine actually gets quieter. You can hear the culprit sound stop and then (for a moment) the engine sounds how I would expect. I can check the intake resonator & I will work on getting some audio for you guys.

much appreciated!

1) A bad bearing can seize the pulley at any time - just because it spins freely now does not mean it won't seize later on.

3) The intake manifold actually has a valve which opens up a longer intake path once RPM's rise above about 4000rpm. That might explain why it seems to get more quiet when you rev the engine up.

[MuranoSV]

#2 If you're sure at the area which cause rattle or squeak, put a piece of felt to make them apart and have some cushioning.

#3 Do you feel the engine noise is loud even at idle ? I recommend to check the engine mounts. The engine vibration is transferred to the cabin and you can hear as noise.

Good luck.

[sipple31]

2) Great idea on the felt. I might be able to get some tan felt so it's not really noticeable.

3) Yeah it's a little loud at idle, but only inside the cabin. I do have some vibrations to the steering wheel and a bit while accelerating. Rear view mirror vibrates while cruising down the highway making everything look blurry. I guess I would have thought the Nissan dealership I brought it to for inspection (after buying from a non-Nissan dealer) would have checked motor mounts? Maybe not though...

[Rstolz]

1. I'd agree with a worn out tensioner or idle pulley, though seized, or sticky bearing would be about the same.

3. I'm going to go with an exhaust leak. If it sounds like an open header, it probably is (or near enough), though admittedly you should probably be getting a code from the 02 sensors if you have a blown gasket, exhaust hole, or cracked mani. Is your resonator still on the car?

[Rstolz]

BTW a fun way to check for an air leak is to unplug the fan, fire up the car, grab a nice fat cigar, light it up and puff the smoke around the engine bay, if you have a leak you'll see the smoke either get sucked in or pushed away from the trouble area... I also recommend a glass of scotch for this procedure, and maybe a smoking jacket...

[sipple31]

Update:

1- Just a belt. No worries here!

2- I've tried it all. Lube, felt wedges, etc. I also took off the windshield cowl and put down foam tape. It has gotten significantly better... but it will still creak & pop. I'll try more wedges between the pillars, but i'm starting to wonder if it's the main dash piece or something with the window itself.

3- This still drives me crazy. I have a ride-along with a Nissan technician on Friday. I'm hoping it's a different person than the first one who checked it out and that they'll have an idea. Good idea on the cigar by the way.

[fbdyws6]

2- I have the same friggin creek but on the drivers side! drives me nuts. I haven't given it any major diagnostic investigation. Maybe yo can figure it out and save me the trouble

3. I know you said under load but what about on start up? exhaust leaks at the rear flange due to rust is a highly common problem. That being said I've always thought it was a fairly loud engine to begin with.

[pkluss]

sipple31,

The symptoms you describe are eerily similar to what I'm experiencing with my '03.

I have exactly the same engine noise issues you describe in #3. It is completely inaudible outside the cabin and it's really not that offensive inside the cabin. The problem with the diagnosis is that unless you know how the Murano sounded before the issue arose, you probably wouldn't be able to hone in on it, but it's definitely indicative of some type of issue. I also do not have the click that would indicate the fuel damper issue.

I also have the vibrations in the steering wheel when accelerating and a vibrating rear-view mirror as you do -- both of which I've learned to deal with. The rear-view mirror responds well to a quick squeeze, but I simply cope with the vibrating steering wheel.

I did take my Murano to the dealer a couple of days ago, but they weren't able to find anything that was definitively causing the noise. I did receive a laundry list of items that they wanted me to take care of (some of which I will).

I'm looking forward to seeing if you learn anything new during your ride-along today. Keep us posted.

[sipple31]

I regret to inform that this saga has taken a major turn for the worse. Yesterday, while cruising home on the highway the engine cut out momentarily and re-accelerated and threw a code. Uh oh. This isn't good.

Today on the way home from dinner, I was making a right hand turn and the car stalled. No power steering or brakes. Stuck in an intersection. Trying to restart - it cranked for about 10 seconds, sputtered, and started.

We've had the car for about 40 days and so far it's had about $2000 in repairs... and now something serious including a major safety hazard for the wife. I don't think she's strong enough to operate it if it kills.

I've been "Mr. Nice Guy" at this little dealership we bought it from... but i'm going to have to raise a stink now. This is the absolute worst used car experience one could imagine. I'm just devastated, because i'm sure since the 30 day warranty is up they won't do anything. The car we traded in is still there... maybe we can get it back and take our business elsewhere. argghhh :-(

[Rstolz]

Been away for a bit, anyway, u know those old "Discount Tire" commercials where the old lady throws a tire threw their window and the narrator says "if you're ever unhappy with one of our tires, please, send it back"?

Wonder if you could do the same with your murano? put a note on the dash and a brick on the gas pedal and send it right back through their front window...

seriously though, do you know what code it gave you? The one positive out of this is that you at least did get a code, which may point you to a root cause. They also HAVE to honor the warranty if the vehicle was brought in for a problem that would have been covered under warranty that was not resolved. This is very important to remember. If they pull the code, fix it and the engine noise becomes normal, you can tie it to the original issue and get it covered under the warranty.

[sipple31]

Picked the Murano up on Saturday. Running pretty well. The tech agreed the engine was overly loud... but didn't have a clear answer. He THINKS that the loud engine COULD be caused by the internals of a cat being bad and or loose. However, they want a ton of money to tear it all apart and bore-scope it.

Does anyone think this is a possibility? If so - I may take it to a local muffler shop and see what they say.