# how problematic is your 2.5L , 4 cylinder engine?



## freewayjoe (Jul 20, 2018)

the reason is ask this question is because i was just reading a well know canadian online automotive blog from 2010 : 




NEWS
69 COMMENT
*Here are 8 engines you should avoid*
SEPTEMBER 16, 2010
There are at least eight mass-produced engines in vehicles on the market today that have caused owners a lot of anguish.
--this what it said : 
*Nissan 2.5 L Four Cylinder*
The pre-catalytic converter built into the exhaust manifold of Nissan’s 2.5 L four cylinder engine can reportedly disintegrate as it ages. The ceramic material gets sucked back into the motor, causing increased oil and coolant consumption and, eventually, engine self-annihilation.
It’s a big problem among 2002 and 2003 2.5 L four-cylinder Altimas, as well as Sentras with the same motor. Then came word Altimas and Sentra SE-Rs equipped with the same engine built between January and May 2006 may experience unusually high oil consumption. This can lead to premature engine failure and possibly a fire.
Owners of any 2.5 L Nissan engine are advised to check their engine oil level frequently. This motor also reportedly loves to ingest the screws from the butterfly valves in the intake runners, another hazard that can score the cylinder walls.
-Anyways, i bought my 06 Xtrail in 2015 with about 208,000 klms. I have now about 225,000 klms. Since i got it, i changed out the spark plugs, oxygen sensors, the cam sensors, fresh tranny fluid, new air/oil filters and new fresh ''high mileage '' motor oil every 5,000 klms. Personally, i have been very pleased with the performance of my 2.5L, always peppy and smooth. Maybe i'm lucky? or the preventative , regular maintenance keeps the engine strong and healthy? I am semi worried about that '' screws from the butterfly valves in the intake runners'', you guys know of any Xtrail owner on here or elsewhere that has happened? is it something i can visually inspect or do i need a mechanic to check it out? thanks.....


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## X-hale (Apr 17, 2017)

My "pre-catalytic" converter failed around 200,000 km. As for being sucked back into the motor, that seems like an impossibility.
My engine has been totally reliable and I'd have to say one of the best 4 bangers I've ever owned.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

freewayjoe said:


> the reason is ask this question is because i was just reading a well know canadian online automotive blog from 2010 :
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There was a TSB issued in 2013 about this problem. Here's the TSB:



https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=2ahUKEwj45f6jsrXmAhWMjlkKHXu7Ax8QFjABegQIARAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.nhtsa.gov%2Fodi%2Ftsbs%2F2013%2FSB-10052246-5600.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1yw2Hr9BaNaFNogOZ3dkuk


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## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

On every oil change,i get 4L when i put 4L. My engine once in a while gets redlined, in summer or winter.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Hi guys, that service bulletin is for Altimas. I think really early editions of the X trail in Australia might have had an issue with the loose butterfly nuts in the intake manifold but they were never an issue in Canadian ones. And, the cat disintegration was mainly in SeR Sentras which were tuned quite differently. The japanese qr25de in the X trail, has not had many issues. American built versions in Altimas were not quite as good and again were tuned differently. Of course they are all getting older now, but I always found it a great engine with relatively good gas mileage and decent power.


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## freewayjoe (Jul 20, 2018)

I just online ordered a few things from Cnd Tire , hopefully do a small tune up Sunday if not raining out: 
*Mobil 1 Extended Performance High Mileage 5W30 Synthetic Motor Oil, 4.73-L*
(on sale at $35.45)
- air filter
-Fram oil filter

this one is ''iffy''...Gumout All in one fuel system cleaner. I say ''iffy'' as i do buy a small bottle of fuel injector cleaner normally once (sometimes twice) a year. Verdict is out if these cleaners really do anything at all, maybe a tiny bit of cleaning. But in all my years of using a fuel system/injector cleaner, i have never had any problems due to using it in my vehicles.
I may already have new spark i once ordered ( ordered 4 online, they sent me 8 plugs at the cost of four !) still sitting in a bag under my car seat. Will pull out old plugs in motor and inspect, then decide if i need to swap out.
-only thing i have not ordered is a cabin air filter. I do yank it out to inspect and clean. It was changed about a year ago. Will hold off if it still looks clean.....because a new one from cnd. tire is about $28.79 pre tax!!
-next time i may order once again from Rock Auto, i just did not feel like ordering and waiting 3-5 days from the usa to my front door. Cnd Tire has all my stuff in stock, some items on sale and next day in store pick up.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

https://www.napacanada.com/en/p/ALX3600727?partTypeName=Cabin+Air+Filter&keywordInput=cabin+filter



The above link will get you a cabin air filter that will fit for a good price at your local NAPA parts counter

The exact same cabin filter was used in most Nissan and Infiniti models, same for the engine air and oil filters.
The last couple of times I got all Denso filters from the Altima section of Rock Auto, as they were not showing in the Xtrail section. Still a perfect fit and the best quality I have found for a great price.
Cabin filters are ridiculously priced in Canada, and particularly at Can Tire which only offers the most expensive Fram ones.
Prime Choice that became AutoShack used to have them for $6


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## freewayjoe (Jul 20, 2018)

quadraria10 said:


> https://www.napacanada.com/en/p/ALX3600727?partTypeName=Cabin+Air+Filter&keywordInput=cabin+filter
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> ...


hey, thanks for the Napa link. ...the $11.78 Napa price is a very good price and more inline with what i expect a Filter should cost to begin with. What's with Cnd. Tire and the Fram gouging monopoly?? At just under 12 bucks at Napa, i might as well buy 2 or 3 cabin filters . Anyways, the weather here was plus 5 celcius and was partly clear, so i changed my oil (was pretty dirty dark looking !), new oil filter, new air filter, wiped down the interior, buffed up the headlight covers so nice and clear ( they look new). Was about to pull a spark plug or two to check out condition and maybe vacuum the interior, but it became 4:30 pm and sundown, my Husky was giving me puppy eyes . And now 9pm and we are off on our 4th and final walk ! thanks for the cabin filter tip ! cheers.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

With a Husky I would think vacuuming the interior just might me a full days work lol. No point buying 3 cablin filters, its the reg not a sale price. I always changed mine once a year.


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## freewayjoe (Jul 20, 2018)

quadraria10 said:


> With a Husky I would think vacuuming the interior just might me a full days work lol. No point buying 3 cabin filters, its the reg not a sale price. I always changed mine once a year.


Yah, a Husky in the vehicle can be a headache. I always lay down a huge old blanket to at least cover my rear seats and catch most of the fur. About 6 years ago i worked in a mechanic shop as a general helper/lite detailer/parts runner. The owner bought customers old junky vehicles cheaply and got me to ''clean them up, put them up on Craigslist!''. Many cars were filthy and had years of dog hairs in every nook and cranny. A powerful vacuum will only suck up so much. I found two little tricks to pick up more dog hairs: Make a bunch of tennis ball sized balls of masking tape, sticky side out and roll them over the seats and carpets. Sticky tape will grab the fur, just add fresh tape as needed. Use a fairy gummy rubber glove or dishwashing glove on one hand and drag it slowly against the dog hairy seats/carpets and vacuum with the other hand......the gloves drag the dog hairs out of their firmly attached spots and you can drag them towards the end of the vacuum nozzle. I spent many many hours on the lot vehicles trying to clean up dog hairs.....best i could do was make it 75-85% better then what it was. --back to the cabin filters, i may just buy two at that low price. I too replace at once a year, sometimes tho they are not very dirty at all and i just use the air pressure line at work to blow them out cleaner. Reversing the vacuum hose to ''blow'' can sometimes do the same.


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## enb54 (Jan 27, 2020)

I bought a 2006 X-Trail new in January 2007 and just passed it on to daughter #1 last month and it has 280,000 Km on it. Always used synthetic 5W-20 engine oil and changed every 5,000 KM, the only engine problems I've ever had was replacing 2 crankshaft position sensors, the latest was about 5,000 Km ago and of course the leaking oil cooler which I'll fix tomorrow. Other than that, replaced the heater blower motor, one brake caliper assembly, 2 front passenger side wheel bearings, resoldered the daytime running light module PC board, replaced the serpentine belt twice, the battery (2 years ago) and also repaired broken wiring in the tailgate for the upper brake light and rear window defroster. It is one of the most reliable vehicles I've ever owned, I'm sure it's good for at least another 100,000 Km. Am now a Land Rover LR3 owner, which I'm sure will have some surprises in store for me, but since electronics don't scare me I should hopefully enjoy it (most of the time)...


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Have your daughter replace the front and rear struts, as well as the rear suspension arms so as to replace the bushings and she will really enjoy it! Basically the savings in not having to buy a new oil cooler will cover the cost of all of those parts.
Out of curiosity why did you use 5w20 instead of 5w30?


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## enb54 (Jan 27, 2020)

Was parking outside, hence the 5W-20, since she is parking inside we are going with the recommended 5W-30 next oil change (3,000 Km away)...


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## X-hale (Apr 17, 2017)

enb54 said:


> Was parking outside, hence the 5W-20, since she is parking inside we are going with the recommended 5W-30 next oil change (3,000 Km away)...


You should have used 0W-30 for cold weather, parked outside. It's a little thinner on startup instead of thinner at operating temperature like the 5W-20.


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