Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've been having an issue with my car that at this point, I'm not sure what to do. I drive an '05 Nissan Sentra, bought it brand new; only owner.
Lately, I've been having issues with the heat in my car. These issues initially started back in '10. Toward the end of '10, I was experiencing issues with my heat becoming lukewarm to cold during idling. I was also experiencing other issues (hard starting, rough idling. etc.) Around February '11, it turned out I had a blown headgasket. So that was replaced. Right after the headgasket was replaced, I experienced heat loss. No heat at all, idling, driving, etc. Took it back to the dealership, turned out there was an airpocket in the sytem. They bled the coolant system, and it seem to fix the no heat problem, but I was still experiencing lukewarm to no heat on idle.
By this time the weather was getting warmer, so I didn't press the issue. Come winter of '11, and of course the lukewarm to no heat on idle issue is relevant again. I started again experiencing issues similar to before regarding the headgasket (hard starting, rough idling, etc.) Turned out the headgasket was leaking and needed to be replace again. It wasn't even a complete year since my last headgasket repair. The headgasket was repaired last month (Jan '12). After the repair, I experienced the complete heat loss issue again.
This time the dealership told me I had a swollen radiator cap and this was allowing air to get into an otherwise airtight system. They replace the cap and bled the system, I had heat for about a day, then it went out again. I took it back, and they diagnosed it as a failing water pump. He also told me they checked the hoses and heater core, and they were fine. So they were confident the issue was with the water pump. So I had the water pump replaced and pretty much still experience the same heat issues. Now it seems the heat is working intermittently. When I drive there will be no heat, then all of a sudden a rush of heat will come through the vents and work again.
Wondering if the head was ever pressure tested for a crack when the head gaskets were replaced?
As many times as this engine has experienced localized overheating spots due to failed head gaskets, "air pockets" from incomplete bleeding procedures, failed radiator caps, etc ...
What is the extent of peripheral or consequential damage that presents? You need to take this car to a qualified technician who can properly diagnose the situation re coolant flow & mechanical failures that present. A water pump in this engine is a most unlikely intermittent failure point ...
What is considered a qualified technician. I've only taken my car to the Nissan dealership. I'm not sure how more qualified I can get? Nissan has actually extended (for free) an engine warranty up to 100,000. (I'm currently around 68,000). I complained about the multiple headgasket repairs.
So I really don't want to take it anywhere else because I will have to end up paying for the repair if it's engine related. And I wouldn't even know where to look for a "independent mechanic" because all we have around here are chain repair shops.
I was repped for this post, which brought it back to my attention.
This is just an update for anyone who maybe experiencing the same issues with their Sentra.
I ended up getting rid of it back in June. It turns out this whole time the engine was bad. And this whole time was just a long process of it going bad, and eventually just quitting. It would cost $4k+ to replace the whole engine, which was nearly half of what the car was worth. So I moved on to a non Nissan.
When I was extended the warranty by Nissan Corp. I was told I only needed to reference my case number for future repairs. So I did just that in this case, and the dealership stated they couldn't find anything about my warranty. At this point, I was just like forget it, as I was already fed up with the vehicle and was in the process of buying another car anyway. Also, I didn't want to deal with the new engine, and potential problems with that one (if not the same problem).
I honestly don't remember the exact diagnosis as it was told to me over the phone, so I don't have a write up slip to reference too. From my memory, it was something in the head gasket that was damaged or cracked from when it blew the first time. So with each repair afterward, they replace everything "around" the problem area, and didn't find it until they thoroughly checked the engine.
OK... since the OP is almost a year old, but the post was bumped, it was brought to my attention.
We have a 2004 Altima. My son's Father's vehicle, but I originally drove it when it was new (he like to have me in the newest vehicle.) While it was still new, we had an issue with the temperature dial on the dash. It's a foggy memory; I think it just broke. We could turn it from cold to hot and the temperature wouldn't change at all. The vehicle was still under warranty so repairs were covered. We never felt like the repair was done correctly as the heat in the vehicle never got more than comfortable. (When I got a new vehicle in 2006, my heat is so toasty, sometimes I think it's baking/frying my skin.)
My son now drives the Altima and he's having this issue of the heat going cool while idling. We just assumed it was a by-product of the original dashboard heat dial. Reading Sunsprit's post has me wondering about all the possibilities...
Anyway, thanks for bumping the post. I certainly wouldn't have seen it otherwise.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
