Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-75, 76-90, 91-105, 106-120, 121-135, 136-138
READ THIS IT MAY HELP! I have a 2002 Altima 2.5s with 80k miles. I had previously stated I was having problems with a SLOW COOLANT LEAK, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, LOSS OF HEAT. Whenever the coolant would get low, the check engine light comes on, and the coolant "swishes" around b/c of the air trapped inside. A local mechanic advised me I needed a new head gasket. I wasn't convinced since the car seems to run fine. A neighbor told me about BARS LEAK radiator leak sealer (found at Advance Auto or Autozone). I put a bottle of this stuff into my coolant reservoir (pls follow the directions!!) and all of sudden no more leaking! I had to top it off another time or two, but now the coolant level is holding, and the check engine light hasn't blinked since. Engine is running great in the heat of summer. Not sure this has fixed the heating issue but we'll see come wintertime. Make sure the rear of the car is lower than the front when you squeeze the hoses to get the air out of the system, then top it off and replace the cap. Make sure it's a good cap too or it won't seal properly, and will either let air in or coolant out. Hopefully this will help some of you. I still believe the Altima has some issues but at least this was a temporary fix for me. Good luck.
I have a 2003 Nissa Altima. Just turned 100K miles and my service engine light came on. Took it to the dealership and coil problem that is causing a misfire. Estimate was $500 and then dealership told me to have the head casket changed on it too as fixing the coil alone may be a temporary fix. After reading all the problems with this, and all your postings I decided to take his advice. Now im dishing out $1800 to fix the coil, head gasket & new spark plugs. Haven't had many problems with my car but I do regular maintenance but getting this problem just infuriates me! This seems to be a direct mfg problem and not anything that I caused which again just infuriates me! I'd be happy to go along with any class action lawsuit against Nissan. And you better believe my next car will be a TOYOTA or HONDA. I can be contacted at jbhomes@comcast.net.
Please read online reviews and research recall info. I would suggest get rid of your Altima ASAP and don't buy another one. Do research your purchase and don't fall for good looks. Nissan have good designers.
Hello, I've read all these complaints about their Altimas and had to add my unfortunate experience.
My wife's 2002 Altima 2.5 SL started using oil. Well thanks to those who posted these warning, my cost was about $2100.00. I noticed engine oil in the anitfreeze reservoir, knew it was a head gasket. Replaced the gasket, all gaskets and timing chain and gears, and had a valve job done when the head was shaved. Took 3 weeks for the parts and machine shop time.
But if you need this done, I recommend you buy a new engine. They are available for about $2200.00. Might be quicker and the entire engine is new. I'd take it to a dealer; they have the lifting assembly required to tilt the engine to remove the timing cover, which is huge labor.
A couple of things.
1. The catalytic converter problem can be fixed PERMANENTLY with an aftermarket performance header. It completely deletes the "cat" there and no more problems.
2. The engines are fine. It's the crap headgaskets that they use. When/if you decide to change your headgasket, ask for the 2007-2009 QR25DE head gasket. It is made MUCH better and costs about $50.
3. I'm doing my own headgasket change for about $200. I know what some of you guys are going through.
I have the 2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V which has the same 2.5 liter as the Altima (plus a few performance items)
If you guys need any help, contact me at Kei_Calibur (at) Hotmail.com.
This is really not a HUGE deal and it's only costing more for people who have NO IDEA what they're doing with cars.
Honestly, you can get the aftermarket header for about $150-$175 and it will save you a TON in the long run.
Wow, I am scared like heck. I have not been able to afford a car after my husband left me to raise a 2 year old autistic child by myself. She is now 10 and I have finally cleared my debt to afford a car... I was so excited, I just put a down payment. I am picking it up on Thursday... YOU GUESSED IT. I HAVE JUST PUT A DOWN PAYMENT ON A 2003 Nissan Altima 3.6 V6 engine. I opted for Nissan because that is all I ever owned. I had a 200 than a 240, then a 1999 Altima and vowed if I could not afford a Nissan I would not buy a car. YOU GUYS HAVE EDUCATED AND SCARED ME AT THE SAME TIME. However I do not believe it is the same engine.
Should I cut my losses, lose my deposit and buy something else, or is this engine better??? Answer me someone quick... thanks.
I own a 02 Altima and I had heating problems and cold start problems. It seems like the Altima is built with cheap plastic parts that break after a while, but I got my problems fixed.
The heat and A/C would not work.. the problem -- a bar broke that is used to switch the air from hot to cold. You can either fix that bar or there is a black knob with a silver coil around it on the left side of the driver side leg area. You can move it back and forth to control the "door" that changes hot to cold. Don't pay attention to what the dash says cuz it's not attached to the "door", so it won't turn, but you can get either heat or air by moving this knob.
I live in MN when the temps get below 0 and I have heat and A/C. OK, now the no cold start problem is because of a bad park switch. You can put the car in neutral, then start and that should work as long as you haven't drained your battery or anything. Hope this helps.. it helped me:)
I have the same issue with my 2002 Altima at 98000km - had the converter changed and now fighting with Nissan Canada for engine replacement. Today I spoke with a defect investigator from Transport Canada and he told me that he will log my complaint with the many others. I asked how many complaints of this nature he had - no comment. I asked him at what point does TC investigate and/or bring these issues up with the manufacturer and he could or would not tell me either. He did share with me that unless there is an immediate safety danger, the manufacturer is not obliged to do anything. Since warning lights do come on, and there is physical evidence of excessive engine oil usage, the customer can take action themselves with repairs etc.
Least to say I was not happy, not sure what the whole point is to have this TC recall and just simply record complaints.
I finally got a call back from Nissan Canada customer service today and she told me she was not aware of the problem with the catalytic converter etc. I provided her the TC # and gave her websites for her to review the significant complaints regarding this issue here in Canada and the USA. I explained to her that my expectation is that Nissan provides enough information for me to make an informed decision as to what I do with my car - buy an engine or sell the car. She asked if the dealer - who repaired the converter for me offered any other tests to verify the engine condition, my answer was, no. I proceeded to tell her that based on my low km's I was entitled to have a tech person from Nissan at a minimum give me options since both alternatives will cost $$$$. She said she was going to get back to me tomorrow. Not holding my breath. Should she come back to me, I will share this information.
On the website - www.aboutautomobile.com, I found a complaint speaking about jerking and the fact that there is no heat when the car is at idle.
Is it worth having engine consumption testing, compression testing etc or should I just sell the car??
I also have a 02 altima that has all the same problems as everyone else. if I put a header on to by pass the pre cat will the engine light come on and will I pass emissions.
The check engine light will come on. To bypass this you need to either extend your O2 sensor downstream after the 2nd catalytic converter, or you need an O2 sim and it will fool the computer. If you have that though, you may want to make sure the mechanic checking the car for inspection doesn't see it.
The 3.5 V6 is a VERY good engine and I've personally never heard anything bad from it.
The coolant loss issue, I can't really explain. You may have a blown headgasket but may have gotten luckily enough that the coolant is either a) burning off in the combustion chamber normally resulting in white smoke or b) it's leaking out the side of the engine and not affecting anything.
I am the one who made the post about the Nissan Sentra Spec V and yes I did change my headgasket and yes everything is fine, if not better.
A lot of you guys can find a LOT of information on the 2.5 LITER ENGINE at www.myspecv.com. Do some searching around and you'll see a pretty common problem.
Also, just be aware that the Spec V model is a sports model and our 2.5 liter is put through a LOT more abuse than the normal 2.5 liter Altima.
I'm at 90,000 miles right now and aside from the headgasket and precat, I've no problems. Also, I race mine at a track (not the 1/4 mile either) and that is the primary reason I blew my headgasket.
I am just one more to this growing list... I also have a 2002 Nissan Altma and have had the same problems... Heat not working when idle and car running hot and now they are telling me that I need a Head Gasket. I have put over $4,000 in this car. I know someone who says that they can put the gasket on for me. Can someone tell me if this is a hard job to do? You can reach me at cowcharl@cs.com.
I have a 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 also.
After having my catalytic converter changed at 77,000 miles on warranty, I started having problems of oil burning and my heat not working correctly.
Now at 94,000 miles my catalytic converter is out again. NOW, they tell me it went bad because I need a new head gasket. Nissan North America won't do anything because I have 94,000 miles on it. I say they should of figured out what was wrong with it at 77,000 miles and it may have saved me some money.
They won't even fix the catalytic converter that went bad the first time. They say a catalytic converter can go out at any time...
I know of a place that will do labor for only 49.95 a hour so I took it to them. After they get it taken apart they tell me my head is bad. They tell me they have to resurface it. They get that all done and find that one of the cylinders is bad. Then they have to do the catalytic converter.
Well today, after all that, I find the other catalytic converter is bad too. So I have spent about $2000.00 right now. Mind you that is at $49.95 a hour. Imagine if I had gone to the Nissan dealer. Then my mechanic tells me if it was him, after I get it fixed I should get rid of it because the engine is going to go next... Just what I wanted to hear after spending $2000.00 that I don't have.
I will never buy another Nissan again. After dealing with Nissan North America, I have to say they don't even believe in their own cars. They had nothing to say when I told them a catalytic converter should last longer than 17,000 miles. 2 mechanics that work at different Nissan dealers have told me it is a lemon and to get rid of the car as fast as I can. So, don't buy a Nissan if you are looking for a used car...
I guess I am shocked. I bought my wife a beautiful 2002 Altima back in September of 08 with 79,000 miles on it. We have dealt with the heat issue when idling all winter and also the rough idling when started. My wife called today (4-11-09) and said the car stalled when she went around the corner. She came home and got my car and I took the car for a run and it was rattling and you could tell something serious was wrong. Had it towed to the dealership and they just called to tell me the engine seized up and was gone on it. . They said a re-conditioned engine installed was 4200.00 plus tax. I just jumped on-line to look for an engine and ran across all of this. I will promise all of you our local news and Nissan will take note by the time I am done with this. I have a 97 Ford truck with 366,000 miles and a VW Jetta with 142,000 miles and 5 children with Honda's with upwards of 200,000 miles on some of them. Never had these kind of problems that I am reading about. Thanks for all of the info from all of you. Nissan take note! I am into honesty and integrity and will not lay down on this.
Akron - Canton, Ohio.
Alright guys, I'm here again to try and help.
I'm very sorry that everyone is having these problems and it's definitely Nissan's fault. By all means, I think a class action lawsuit should be in order.
But, to try and help, here are some links they SHOULD help you guys out.
http://myspecv.com/f/t169444-how-to-change-your-headgasket-on-the-qr25de.html
This link is how to change the headgasket on the 2.5 liter Nissan engine. The engine code is QR25DE.
http://myspecv.com/f/t7750-how-to-header-install.html
This is a how to replace the stock header with the messed up precat (catalytic converter) and replace it with an aftermarket one WITHOUT a catalytic converter in it. For those of you in California, it sucks to be you. If your state has emissions, there are ways around it. But ultimately, this is the number one cause of engine failure for the QR25de. And this is the number 1 fix to save that engine. There are PLENTY of us with over 100,000 miles on these engines after we've taken care of the messed up parts.
If you guys have any other problems, check out www.myspecv.com/f and check the links and discussions there. There is also a live chat that could help you though you would need to register.
I sincerely hope this helps you all. Once these things are taken care of, the QR25DE is a VERY stout little engine. It's just too damn bad that Nissan had to take something good and turn it into something so terribly bad.
Good luck. My e-mail is Kei_Calibur (at) hotmail.com. PLEASE, if you're going to ask me something, make the topic "Need help with the 2.5 nissan engine" so I don't junk it.
- Brandon.
I've just had my pre-cat replaced and O2 sensor for $900. I am definitely getting rid of the car but I'm trying to buy some time to pay it off as I owe $5700 on it still. The engine has been burning oil (about 1qt per week) but it finally choked out on me last week since the cat and 02 were so bad that the engine couldn't breath.
I have a little over a 100K miles on it and have had this issue for probably the last 20K. How long do you think this Cat and O2 will last so I can pay this car note down some more? As long as I continue to keep an eye on the oil, I should be OK right?