# 2012 nissan murano bad timing chain?



## Mcaldwell345 (Jul 6, 2021)

Hello i have a 2012 nissan murano with around 125000 miles on it. Recently it has started having some issues with its performance and the check engine light has come on. I had a diagnostic done and it threw several codes relating to the transmission and anti lock brake system. One of them indicated that the tranny fluid was low and it was slightly low when i checked it so i added some. That did not solve the issues, however, and they are gradually getting worse. I can hear a ticking or rattling noise similar to a quiet version of a motorcycle engine when turning on the car from a cold start and more prominently when i accelerate. My car seems to have less power and inconsistant acceleration. It acts like it doesnt want to go if i try to accelerate some of the time. It may or may not eventually kick in and accelerate normally after a mild lurch forward. Sometimes it will just rev up as though it is in neutral when it is in gear. It also has a bit of a putt or sputter to it as though it isnt getting enough fuel or there is air in the line somewhere, however i dont believe it has anything to do with the fuel system. When checking the oil after thouroughly inspecting it i did in fact notice very small and fine traces of what appear to be metal shavings in it. Based on my general knowledge of vehicles their common issues combined with various sources of research it seems to be leading me to a bad timing chain. However the common symptoms of the 2012 having a bad timing chain do not majoritaly fit with the symptoms im experiencing except for the trace amounts of metal shavings and the check engine light being on. I just dont want to waste a bunch of money on parts i dont need or misdiagnose the problem and have it lead to a more serious one. Any advice?


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## VStar650CL (Nov 12, 2020)

VQ's pretty much universally make a buzzing or sawing sound when the guides are worn out. Once the nylon is gone, the chain will start wearing away the tensioner and backing plates, resulting in lots of fine metal. However, nothing about cam timing will make the car rev without going anyplace. That's the tranny. I think it's safe to say you have multiple issues..


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Mcaldwell345 said:


> Hello i have a 2012 nissan murano with around 125000 miles on it. Recently it has started having some issues with its performance and the check engine light has come on. I had a diagnostic done and it threw several codes relating to the transmission and anti lock brake system. One of them indicated that the tranny fluid was low and it was slightly low when i checked it so i added some. That did not solve the issues, however, and they are gradually getting worse. I can hear a ticking or rattling noise similar to a quiet version of a motorcycle engine when turning on the car from a cold start and more prominently when i accelerate. My car seems to have less power and inconsistant acceleration. It acts like it doesnt want to go if i try to accelerate some of the time. It may or may not eventually kick in and accelerate normally after a mild lurch forward. Sometimes it will just rev up as though it is in neutral when it is in gear. It also has a bit of a putt or sputter to it as though it isnt getting enough fuel or there is air in the line somewhere, however i dont believe it has anything to do with the fuel system. When checking the oil after thouroughly inspecting it i did in fact notice very small and fine traces of what appear to be metal shavings in it. Based on my general knowledge of vehicles their common issues combined with various sources of research it seems to be leading me to a bad timing chain. However the common symptoms of the 2012 having a bad timing chain do not majoritaly fit with the symptoms im experiencing except for the trace amounts of metal shavings and the check engine light being on. I just dont want to waste a bunch of money on parts i dont need or misdiagnose the problem and have it lead to a more serious one. Any advice?


This would be a good time to post all the DTCs here on the forum. Some CVT DTCs can't be read by a standard hand held code scanner, so to be able to read those CVT codes, download a copy of the *CVTz50 app* for an android smartphone and get a VeePeak VP11 adaptor for your OBD-II port (the VP11 is the cheapest ELM327 that works correctly with CVTz50, not all of them do). With that, you can read any CVT codes yourself, read the CVT temperature in realtime, and also check the CVT-A/CVT-B count for any history of overheating. If something bad did happen, at least you'll get an inkling of what it was from the past evidence by seeing that the counts are greater then zero.


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