26th Oct 2009, 11:06
I have 2004 Spec V... it's on its way to getting the precat replaced.. I'll work on butterfly screw this summer or as soon as it warms up..
One person commented on here about peeps on here are over driving or can't handle 6 speed.. have you read others that have commented that they do regular driving on here.. so don't give us (like Nissan service guy) jib.
I also have the oil burning issue.. I doubt taking out precat will resolve this issue..
Does anybody have resolution.. I hear changing the head cover or the head cover gasket?? Anybody heard about this??
I love the car.. but got to fix it for piece of mind..
I don't have the option of the owner taking it back or the dealer buying it back.. so let's look for solutions... :)
30th Nov 2009, 19:02
04 SeR Spec V... got the car with 112k last week... put on new tires and new brakes the whole way around, and changed the oil.. I'm a pretty spirited driver, but if the girls ain't lookin I don't push her..
On my way home yesterday the oil light came on, and now she burns a quart in 30ish miles and straight pours grey smoke.. I love the styling and the performance isn't bad.. but now I guess it's a new motor due to the horrible compression and the wet black plugs... I live in NC so I believe I could possibly lemon law it, but I'm not sure, any ideas??
27th Dec 2009, 16:00
I have a Sentra SeR spec 2004 Mexican 100%. Runs so good, very fast car, it has 90k miles and no oil consumption, only the butterfly screw when to the cylinder and I removed the spark plug and with magnetic wire removed it, jaja I saved hundreds right?? Yes, and after that only brakes, no more problems, but people that do not know about cars and engines, I understand you are in trouble, I know engines since I was 5 old, so it's easy for me.
It's a nice car, also I set the timing on +1 runs betters, I have not changed the original spark plugs!!! Still running good!!
9th Jul 2010, 15:22
I purchased my 03 Sentra SER new with only a few miles on it. The engine is the main problem with these vehicles. At 98,000 miles it started to make a very loud noise. Took it to the dealer and they dumped some synthetic crap in it, and the engine suddenly was quiet again.
At 107,000 miles the engine died. Same symptoms, grey smoke, eating oil and noise. Since my 100,000 mile warranty was now expired by 7,000 miles, I had to pay for a new engine. How convenient for the dealer.
The car now has 135,000 miles on it. Other problems: 8" sub blown twice, replaced once and not the second time. Sun roof needs new cables and track. They want $1,400 to replace, switch is now disconnected, sun roof is closed and that's the way it will stay. CD would not eject from player, replaced stereo.
The new engine now has 28,000 miles on it. I am going to drive this car until everything falls off it. I figure I have another 80,000 miles before this engine blows up.
14th Aug 2010, 15:06
I bought a 2003 Nissan Sentra SER Spec V about one-and-a-half years ago, with about 85k miles on it. I absolutely love the car... that is when it's running right.
About a month after I bought it, the tach was causing problems. It would act like the spark plugs missed, and simultaneously the tach would drop to zero and stay there. I replaced the crank sensor and that fixed the problem.
Then the car started stalling when at an idle. I replaced the cam sensor, but that wasn't it (although the car seemed to run smoother after I replaced that sensor). The car hasn't stalled the last couple of months now (not sure what changed), but instead, nearly every time I go to start it, I have to sit there and crank on it (very embarrassing sometimes).
The check engine light comes on sometimes and eventually goes off on it own. (Got that scanned once and it said random misfire -- I could have told them that, it's from trying to start it) But through a process of elimination, I figure it is some sort of fuel problem.
A week ago I decided to have the fuel pressure checked, and it read 10 pounds of pressure too high. This problem is usually caused by the fuel pressure regulator. However, the regulator is in the fuel pump on this model, which the pump costs about $300. I can't afford to replace it this month, but that is my next step that I will be taking.
Oh yeah, I am also going through about a quart of coolant every month, but that will be looked into at a later time. For now, I'm just going broke and getting frustrated...
2nd Sep 2010, 17:52
You guys have to remember, mostly only folks with problems will come to a website like this and post.
I have a 2004 Spec V, bought new in Nov 2003. Currently 143,000 miles. It burns a bit of oil, maybe 3/4 quart between changes of 3-4,000 miles. Other than that, it just runs and runs and runs.
I replaced some sensor a couple years ago - that's it. Just changed the original plugs at 130K. Probably should have sooner, but it still ran fine.
Got the Brembo brakes. Original pads lasted 85K. Current ones probably have 20k left.
Currently service engine light came on. Something with the cat, but my mechanical adviser says it's no big deal.
Bottom line, cost to operate this car for nearly 7 years is almost negligible above gas and general maintenance. Been a GREAT car.
2nd Oct 2009, 13:12
Hi all, I own a 2003 Spec V SER and I have all the problems everyone else has.
I just hit 82k, and out of nowhere one day my car lost half its acceleration, engine vibrates the dash like crazy when driving at 2.5K rpm and up.
Also the engine is making a whining sound at 2.5k rpm and up. After being warmed up and driving it, when idling it wants to almost die and has died now, but will not die while driving. I have no engine light on either. I did drive it pretty hard close to red line and might of hit the rev limiter at times. I bought the car at 44k with no problems. Every oil change (3k) I lose probably a quart of oil. I use synthetic oil. I have a magnaflow catback system with a hi flow cat, OBC headers, throttle body space, aluminum pulley, Nismo cold air intake, and iridium spark plugs. I have had all recalls performed and recently the ECU reprogrammed.
I have every mechanic scratching their heads on this one. I have replaced and checked the following:
* Replaced crank and cam position sensors
* Replaced my Magnaflow hi flow cat
* Checked butterfly valve screws
* Checked vacuum lines
I am months from paying off the car, and I'm dumping so much money into the car trying to get it to work. I am worried now from all these engine replacements everyone is talking about.
I will check my spark plugs and see if they are blackened. I also see others saying the fuel pump and relay. It really is a big mystery right now and this sucks. I wonder if my ECU is malfunctioning and it should be throwing a code that something is wrong, but recently I get the ecu reprogram done at Nissan so wouldn't they have been able to catch this? :\
Anyways, if I can get this thing fixed, I will be trading it in for sure if not soon, possibly next spring. I have gotten its money worth out of it, and funs worth driving it like I'm on a race track :)