# Help needed! Clicking sound from Pathfinder Engine



## Hookahey (Sep 19, 2016)

Hi everybody,

my 2010 Pathfinder (2.5 automatic) makes a strange clicking/ticking sound from the engine. I only comes up occasionally and Nissan was not able to detect the reason yet. Whenever it is there and I switch to neutral the sound disappears and it often comes up when I tow my boat. You can hear the sound in this video https://vimeo.com/179301412 

They already repaired stuff for more than 8000$ gladly covered by the guarantee. They repaired so far:

1. Differential
2. Turbo
3. Timing chains
4. 2 Injectors

I am really anxious that the automatic gear box or the engine itself could have a serious problem which could lead to a complete breakdown.

Can anyone help? It seems Nissan is not able to.

Thanks so much for your help!

Daniel


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

If you switch to neutral or park, does the noise go away completely all the time? If the noise is still there, there could be a problem with the timing chain assembly; from looking at the video clip, it also sounds like the engine is running very rough. It sounds like there is something loose that's rattling around. It also could be something external like a bad alternator bearing or water pump bearing; to test this, remove the serpentine belt and start the engine and see if the noise goes away.


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## Hookahey (Sep 19, 2016)

rogoman said:


> If you switch to neutral or park, does the noise go away completely all the time? If the noise is still there, there could be a problem with the timing chain assembly; from looking at the video clip, it also sounds like the engine is running very rough. It sounds like there is something loose that's rattling around. It also could be something external like a bad alternator bearing or water pump bearing; to test this, remove the serpentine belt and start the engine and see if the noise goes away.


Thanks for your reply. Yes, it goes away completely when I switch to neutral. Since the noise was there before the timing chains where replaced and afterwards I would be surprised if it would be there due to a bad assembly. Nevertheless I heard that there are toothed wheels or something like that which are connected with the timing chains. What makes me nervous is your remark that the engine itself sounds rough. My concern is that the engine itself could be damaged since one of the injectors was not ok for probably 2 or 3 months before it was replaced.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Why was the differential worked on; was the noise there before the differential was worked on? Does the car drive OK on the road in all gears? Is the noise there in Park? Is the ATF level at the full mark. If the color of the ATF is very dark like almost brown and has a burnt smell, then there is an internal problem with the tranny.


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## Hookahey (Sep 19, 2016)

1) Thanks for your reply! I bought the car used and the first owner told me afterwards that the differential was replaced because it was broken by Nissan as part of the guarantee. Therefore I can't tell whether it was there before they replaced it. 2) The noise seems to disappear in park. Since it appears only rarely especially after towing my boat it is hard to say if it always disappears but it seemed so the last time. 3) For my feeling the car drives ok in all gears. Never realised anything. 4) Sorry that I ask but since I am from Germany and not a native speaker, what does ATF stand for? ;-) 5) I forgot to mention that the unidirectional valve of the common rail system was also replaced since the car came off after I started it in a cold stayed (after it was parked overnight). The mechanics said that the fuel feed pipes were filled with air due to the defect valve.


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## Cusser (Apr 16, 2004)

ATF is automatic transmission fluid


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

ATF = automatic transmission fluid. Here are some more acronyms: FSM = factory service manual, ECU or ECM = electronic control unit/module, TCM = transmission control module.

I would suspect that the noise probably started after the differential was replaced. They may have also removed the tranny along with the differential and then during re-assembly some component may not have been secured properly.

You might consider performing an ECU/TCM code readout with a portable scan tool to see if any fault codes are set; this may help with your diagnosis or it may not.


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