# overheating / shaking 2003 Altima 3.5L



## CS306 (Jul 22, 2021)

okay.. this is a serious problem folks.. that is getting worse and getting out of hand on me.. need advice asap..

had a backyard mechanic doing work recently, steering pump, steering hose, valve covers, oil pan gasket, tie rod, etc..
only thing left to repair that was dripping oil still was the 'oil cooling hose' that connects to the oil filter.

recently the car was making noise when turned on with AC on.. it was loud.. then also on turning the car off it would make loud rumbling metalic scratching noises also.. then kind of went away.. and would some days make the noise and others not.. until 2 weeks ago.. car over heated and felt like i pressed the brake real hard 2 times while driving 50km/h but i didn't.. so i quickly pulled into service station, and checked the liquids,, oil was fine.. and at that point i was baffled, until i checked the coolant and noticed it was right to the top of the jug!? so i asked the service guys at the mechanic shop connected to the gas station what they thought it was, they said head gasket, but then since oil was good - they then said most likely the thermostat, so i read up about it quickly from cell phone, and seen that putting the car on heat would possibly keep it able to be driven still, so i put it on 27degrees which is just barely getting the heat to work in the summer.. 26.5 is heat when the temp is above 0, else 24.5 is heat when temp is below 0 degrees i've noticed over the years.. so i made sure to put it a bit above 26.5 to 27 degrees just to make sure.. and YEP.. it was no problems after that.. coolant level not going down, oil good for a week, transmission fluid good, etc.. just had to have a/c off ever since, and just have the heat on and fan speed to about 2 or 3 of 5.. to just make sure the heat is being taken away from the engine.. was working fine all week.. the today.. went over a bump cause of a gravel patched freeway, that i slowed down to go over, but right as i got back on to the proper road again / freeway .. the car started making a vibration feel and sound that was super loud and noticeable.. gas pedal vibrating and steering wheel, almost sounding like it's out of steering fluid, but isn't.. as i drove it was getting worse, then went away fro about 5 seconds, then came back loud again.. and continued until i pulled over at home.. where even when not moving it was still the same and getting louder, pressing gas pedal doesn't make it louder, turning fanspeed up doesn't make it louder either.. is this a blown head gasket? or is it possible that a valve cover that i recently replaced fell off because of hte bumpy gravel patch i went over.. basically like hitting a pothole, then right away after hearing a major loud vibration to the engine.. i was reading up about the compressor and engine mounts, and clutch and all that for the a/c problems, until i had narrowed it down to the thermostat, but today this is completely different issue now and horrow movie scary sound.. i put a video up at this link for you all to hear it and then can maybe narrow it down to a sure problem, since local shops are not sure at all without paying for a diagnostic service, which i feel shouldn't be needed with a video like this:
Upload files for free - 20210722_104008.mp4 - ufile.io


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## VStar650CL (Nov 12, 2020)

Your download link isn't working for me, but from your description it sounds like a bad motor mount letting the engine squat and shift in the subframe.


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## CS306 (Jul 22, 2021)

to view the video.. you have to go to link, select low speed download.. free download 1mb/sec and it works within 30seconds.. tried on 3 different devices.. works..


VStar650CL said:


> Your download link isn't working for me, but from your description it sounds like a bad motor mount letting the engine squat and shift in the sub frame.


u


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## CS306 (Jul 22, 2021)

UPDATE: i went to go use a code reader, but the check engine light had went off from the overheating problem, after i got gas today, and then couldn't do a code reading since the check engine light had went off.. so after letting the car sit for a couple hours after the SUPER LOUD VIBRATION RUMBLING SOUND, it ended up running fine.. drove about 10 minutes.. then for one block somewhat vibrated again similar to when on a highway coming in from out of town and the brake retarding happens.. then stopped, and did it again a block later for a few seconds.. and then didn't do it again in 20 minutes more of driving.. so must have been from condensation in the fuel system from running super low gas for too long.. might be water not firing in the spark plugs, etc also.. still want anyone's information they have on this issue.. i'm not a mechanic and am just resourceful computer guy.


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## VStar650CL (Nov 12, 2020)

CS306 said:


> to view the video.. you have to go to link, select low speed download.. free download 1mb/sec and it works within 30seconds.. tried on 3 different devices.. works.


The download works fine but my mp4 players don't seem to like it for some reason. The rough running might be bad gas, but that should only make the engine chug, not sound like it's falling out of the car. I'd still check those mounts. When one wears completely out, the engine's position will shift every time you hit the throttle or shift forward-reverse, and if they're bad enough they can even go metal-on-metal. It's easy enough to check, just watch the engine while you shift R-D-R-D. The engine shouldn't rock more than about an inch. If it's a lot more, then your engine is banging around in the subframe.


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## CS306 (Jul 22, 2021)

IGNORE THIS MESSAGE, IT ALREADY POSTED ABOVE, THEN DISAPPEARED, THEN NOW IS BACK AGAIN.. SO THIS UPDATE WAS DONE A SECOND TIME, AFTER THINKING THE FIRST ONE WAS GONE.. IGNORE THIS MESSAGE .. THANK YOU..
UPDATE: let car sit for couple hours, was able to drive 10 minutes okay, then a sound happened again similar to that of brake retarding on the highway on the way into the city at intersections, etc.. but then the sound only lasted 10 seconds, and stopped, and then started a block later, then never happened again.. the sound was much less intense than earlier on the freeway today, and kinda sounded like a brake pad rubbing, but isn't because using the brakes didn't change the sound at all. At this point it seems to be from running the car low on gas in very hot weather, and moisture coming into play after having the A/C running in 36degree weather for an hour in direct sunlight with a wall right infront of the car, where very little airflow would be occurring possibly.. what is some of your more experience opinions out there on this matter, i'm all ears..


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Sounds like you've got two different problems.
Problem #1 - Engine overheating caused by a possible blown head gasket. To verify this, perform a compression test on all cylinders looking for one or more cylinders with very low or zero readings. 
Problem #2 - Engine noise. A high raspy type of sound. Could be cause by debris getting into the alternator; picked up from riding over gravel that you described. Also possibly a bad bearing in the alternator, water pump or power steering pump. To verify this, remove all the drive belts on the engine, then start the engine to see if the noise goes away.


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## CS306 (Jul 22, 2021)

the noise already went away i had stated in the update.. can it be a blow head gasket still if driving fine now and no noise?
is it possible that it was just moisture in the fuel line due to running off only 10 dollars gas for many months during very hot weather? can a blown head gasket just go back to normal and vehicle drive normal again as it seems to be now?

*the over heating is the thermostat being stuck or damaged, that is 100% sure already, due to the fact that having the heat on prevents the overheating of the engine now from occurring at all.. IF A/C is turned back on the car will once again start overheating and consuming coolant very quickly.

was the thermostat issue potentially caused by having the car parked very near to a brick wall directly facing the sun, having the a/c on max pretty much and letting it sit there with a/c on while idling for an hour, as i friend and i were trying to get a bike rack properly installed on his vehicle, not even thinking about it being a problem leaving my car running with a/c in idle, but i've been told that is a bad idea, and that i should always turn it off a few blocks before i get home and just have the fan going blowing out the moisture that could potentially occurr from condensation?

AFTER reading a message thread somewhere else, i see that they say look for any high pressure leaks in the oil line, such as an oil cooling hose leak... and i do have that problem.. barely leaking oil cooler hose that hooks to the oil filter.. is it possible that the loss of pressure caused a situation of overheating and/or vibration, rather than the thermostat being damaged/stuck?


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Figuring out your overheating problem is not "rocket science"; you go through a diagnostic item list, eliminating each item that's not causing the problem. Here are some of the causes of engine overheating:

- Blown head gasket.
- Bad thermostat.
- Plugged up radiator.
- failed water pump.
- Air in the coolant system.

If you plan to replace the thermostat, always replace with a Nissan OEM thermostat, not an aftermarket type like a Stant. Aftermarket types have caused problems from my personal experience.

Once the engine gets a blown head gasket, there's no going back to what you're describing as "normal". The gasket has to be replaced. It's very easy to perform a compression test on the cylinders. If you have a blown gasket, it could certainly cause overheating and could cause *rough* engine operation.
Compression specs:
Standard - 185 psi
Minimum - 142 psi
Differential limit between cylinders - 14 psi

If you locate bad cylinders during the test, you can follow that up with a "leak down" test to determine where exactly the compression is being lost in a given cylinder. A leak down or "cylinder leakage" test is similar to a compression test in that it tells you how well your engine's cylinders are sealing. But instead of measuring pressure, it measures pressure loss. First you need to get a leakdown tester which consists of two hoses, one or two gauges, and a hand valve. The neat thing about a leakage test (as opposed to a compression test) is that it's faster and easier to figure out where the pressure is going. If you see air bubbles at the radiator fill neck, it indicates a breached head gasket. If you hear air coming out of the tailpipe, it indicates a leaky exhaust valve. Air coming out of the throttle body would point to a leaky intake valve. Air coming out of the breather vent or PCV valve fitting would tell you the rings and/or cylinders are worn.


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## CS306 (Jul 22, 2021)

UPDATE #2:
when the noise happened again, i opened hood, seen fan on my right side not spinning for the first time and just kinda floating in and out, so i disconnected the power to that fan, and vehicle is running fine while on 26.5degrees temperature, which is heat when temp outside is above zero.. so the problem was the fan, not sure if the fan or bearing or what.. i'll have to take things apart to see, but that NOISE is solved now. 

it will still most likely overheat if i put the a/c on again, so i haven't until i get the thermostat look at, which is obviously the reason for the vehicle draining coolant super fast while on a/c, and overheating, after running real low on gas, oil and coolant the thermostat was probably damaged.

i'll post another update after car is checked out by someone properly.


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