Nissan designed this engine very badly. The dipstick doesn't show the correct oil amount. (Event when letting the engine sit on a flat surface overnight). This in turn makes it difficult to read. To top that off, the engine has a tendency to burn/consume oil. This can lead to low oil levels. Low oil levels leads to friction. The timing chain and guides need oil. Without it they will get worn out. It also doesn't help that the solenoid presses against a small area on the guide. When that breaks, it becomes an expensive headache. I'm glad I got rid of the car while I could.

There are, I believe 3 timing guides that the timing chain runs on. One of them is known for failure. It can either break off or slide off the bracket. This allows the chain to rattle. You may find the pieces of the plastic guides in the oil pan. Replacing these guides is important and solves the problem. They are plastic and after so many miles (115k in my case) they wear down and become thin enough to break off. Bad design in my eyes but replacing will fix the problem. Parts.com is a great site for OEM parts. 130857Y000 is the main culprit. Replace the timing chains while you are in there as they do stretch over time as well as tensioner, water pump, etc.

When i first took it to a mechanic they told me i needed a brand new engine but i thought that was too extreme. I decided to do my own research and found videos of that rattling sound coming from the engine and realized it had to be the timing chain tensioners. I quickly took it to Nissan to make sure i was correct and I was. the mechanic said they had just replaced the timing chain and tensioner recently. And then he gave me the estimate of $1865.22. Me being a student has forced me not to get this issue fixed yet due to lack of funds. But i went to research the problem more and i see this is a fairly common issue in Nissan autos and i just dont understand why this hasnt been resovled especially in newer models. I believe this issue should be a recall because there are thousands of people that drive on expressways or highways and if that chain breaks, that can turn into a deadly accident.

The timing chain tensioner has not completely failed yet, since the engine still runs, but the telltale signs are there. The engine knocking noise that increases with acceleration, coming from the location of the timing chain. It sounds a bit like a diesel. I want to replace it before it jumps and kills the engine, but don't have the money or hours and hours it takes to do so just yet. It has been like this since I got it 15,000 miles ago, so I hope it doesn't get worse any time soon. Nissan should issue a recall and fix this problem, or they'll be facing higher lawsuit costs in the near future.

The car probably had the problem when I bought it at 90,000 miles. I did not pay attention to the distribution noise at the time, as I thought it was normal for this car (clicking noise most perceptible at idle when outside the car, I could not hear it while inside the car). The noise never went away and at 135,000 miles it became louder and by then it was obvious enough that my mechanic recommended that I have it looked at by the Nissan dealer.

It is extremely disappointing because I bought this car specifically because it had a timing chain (that normally never needs to be replaced) as opposed to a timing belt that needs to be replaced.

It is further disappointing that the day after I got the car back, a severe leak developed with the power steering and the power steering hose had to be replaced the next day (at my expense of course, as the dealer claimed it was not related).

This is too bad because otherwise I really enjoy the car for its comfort and handling.