# timing chain broken??? plz help!



## stejhu (May 26, 2009)

i've been hearing some clanking noise coming from the engine similar to loud valves but not quite like knocking. yesterday, the noise got a little louder and i started hearing some squeaking as well. since no shops are open until tuesday, i figured i would just take it in then. 

on the way to work this morning while i was doing about 70 on the freeway, i suddenly lost power and the car coasted down to about 2000 rpms. the car still felt smooth and drove well...it just would not go past 2000 rpms. furthermore, when in neutral or with the clutch disengaged, the car only wants to idle at about 2000 rpms. i have a 99 maxima SE with 118K miles on it. is this the timing chain? timing chain tensioner? what else could this be?

it had also been having issues starting up every once in a while where it would grind on the 1st turn of the key and then catch on the subsequent attempt without further issue. if it's the timing chain, would the car still run well up to 2K rpm? do i necessarily have valve damage now? how much would i be looking at paying at a dealership/mechanic to get this fixed???

i appreciate any help you could provide me...thanks in advance.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

stejhu said:


> on the way to work this morning while i was doing about 70 on the freeway, i suddenly lost power and the car coasted down to about 2000 rpms. the car still felt smooth and drove well...it just would not go past 2000 rpms. furthermore, when in neutral or with the clutch disengaged, the car only wants to idle at about 2000 rpms. i have a 99 maxima SE with 118K miles on it. is this the timing chain? timing chain tensioner? what else could this be?


The 2000 rpm limit could be caused by a bad MAF.


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## stejhu (May 26, 2009)

took it to nissan. they say it sounds like i need an engine replacement, but to be sure they would have to take apart the engine which would be at least 400-800 dollars. since the car is worth less than 4K (average condition) with a good engine, it might be better to try to trade it in and look for a new car. they also quoted that a new engine would run 6500. i'm honestly not sure what to do at this point.

i managed to get the car to the dealership without much noise or trouble from the engine and there was no longer the 2000 rpm limit(driving it very slowly and cautiously)...when i arrived there was a small amount of smoke coming from the engine...couldn't tell where exactly it was coming from. when i took the oil dipstick out, i thought i could see some smoke coming from the dipstick hole too.

anyone else have any suggestions? should i just cut my losses and trade it in for whatever i can get or should i try to get the car somewhere else where someone will check it out and possible fix it for less? thanks.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Get several other opinions as to what's wrong. Replacing the entire motor might be a losing proposition money wise. The NADA book price is around $5400 for a clean and good running car. It may turn out to be a fixable problem rather then replacing the entire motor which in your case may make it worthwhile keeping the car.


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## stejhu (May 26, 2009)

thanks for the reply. i found a private mechanic who towed it to his shop free of charge. the mechanics at his place are all ASE certified and he gave me a quote of 1000-1100 for the repair. it seems to be a timing chain guide and perhaps the timing chain tensioner as well. does this seem like an appropriate all inclusive price if it's just a timing chain guide with no damage to valves, etc?

at any rate, this route is definitely better than finding a used motor or trading the car in. thanks again


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Replacing a timing chain is very labor intensive so the bulk of the price is mostly labor charge.


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## 1ATony (May 13, 2009)

rogoman said:


> Replacing a timing chain is very labor intensive so the bulk of the price is mostly labor charge.


We just started carrying some great timing chain kits over here.If anyone needs a quote just shoot me a PM

Tony


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## 4X4D21 (Mar 9, 2009)

to be honest 1100 is a little bit much for a timing chain repair. Yes it is time consuming but it only takes about 6-8 hours. I work in a garage myself, and the timing kits which include Chain, tensioner, guides, and the gears was only 115 bucks. (thats with my discount, and thats about what a garage will get it for) and they are probably charings you 300 for the kit, and labor, they are probably charging 90/hr for 8 hours which is 720 bucks. trust me shop around and you will find better. I did one in my shop not to long ago, the car has 297K or something like that, and we only charged 725 for the whole job, so keep looking, you may find a better price.

but as for replacing a motor, that shouldnt be 6500. go to Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market. look up the motors, for my area, theres motors with 101K for 350 bucks, 136K 250 bucks, and thats to the public, not discounts to garages. and thats where they would get the motor is from a junk yard, and it takes only about 7 hours to swap those motors. So they were charging like 400 bucks and hour labor.


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