engine problem
6.9
fairly significantTypical Repair Cost:
$749.00
Average Mileage:
82,314 miles
Number of complaints:
50 complaints
Most common solutions:
- replaced intake manifold gasket (30 reports)
- not sure (19 reports)
- replaced intake manifold gsket (1 reports)
Helpful Websites About 2000 Nissan Altima intake manifold gasket leak, car shakes
2008Sep 15
Altima
- Automatic transmission
- 98,000 miles
hi my friend has the same problem with her altima with the intake gaskets .im a mechanic and im in the process of fixing her car its a lot of work so don't feel like your getting scammed or ripped off . ive also had the same car and it was a pain every week something would give me a problem . i also replaced the transmission 2 times i dont think i would ever buy another Nissan product .
2008Jan 01
Altima GXE
- Automatic transmission
- 95,000 miles
I work full time, am a full time student, and a single mother! I have been replacing parts on my 2000 Nissan Altima for about two years now! I even got a new radiator 3 weeks ago... I am so tired, fed up, and done with pouring money into constantly trying to fix this car. It shakes so bad, yes, it makes my kids laugh, but it is annoying. All my gauges turn off randomly! so I can't tell how fast I am going, I just stay with the flow of traffic. My check engine light turns on and off randomly. I can not afford a new vehicle right now. I feel stuck, frustrated, and extremely disappointed with the level of performance of this vehicle. Seems like there is always something that needs to be replaced on this vehicle. :( I stumbled across this website, and I feel a sense of ease, that I am not alone. But still upset that will this problem being so common, there has been no recall.. I also found this website that has the 2000 Nissan Altima Reliability Reviews. http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Reliability.aspx?year=2000&make=Nissan&model=Altima
2007Aug 21
Altima 2.4L
- Automatic transmission
- 88,000 miles
Hi
First of all excuse my language, English is my second language
I used to think that Nissan is a good car , not any more after the Altima we had
it cost us so much money, especially with the shaking engine, the mechanic i deal with (which is i found out that he is stupid) told the problem of your shaking engine is cylinder # 4, so he change injector # 4 (it was not fixed) the he said it is the air sensor (same thing),then it is the distributer, (same thing),then he said take it to the dealer to find out what is the problem.
The dealer said it is intake manifold gasket and they said it will cost me 700, but I took it to another mechanic which end up paying 310 to fix it and the engine stop shaking, but I start hearing another sound which is plastic tension for the chain (timing belt) and that will cost 400 to fix it
People, this is not the only problems with this car, I have paid so much money on this car before I found out about this website, I wish I knew about it before now.
2008Jun 10
Altima
- Automatic transmission
- 83,000 miles
Uggg...car has been idling roughly at stops and engine light coming on and off sporadically. Finally found a trustworthy mechanic through a friend and he called to tell me that my car needed a "root canal." Intake manifold gasket needs replacing. Ironically there was a '98 Altima with the same problem at his shop that day. WTF. I came online to research and am furious that this seems to be a problem in far too many Altimas. I'm so irritated. Bought this car after having the nightmarish 1990 Ford Taurus. I will not begin dumping money into another car the way I had to do with the Taurus. Anyone know of any lawsuits...recalls...anything??? Oh, estimate is $800-$1000, having it done on Tuesday.
2008Jun 03
Altima LX
- Automatic transmission
- 9,999 miles
Well First off i only had my car maybe a year now i got it for a graduation gift. I think it really is a good car but bout 3 months after i got the car it started sounding really bad kinda like a chain or like it had no oil in it. so i went to det the oil changed thats when i found out it had a gasket leak.
2008Aug 26
Altima GLE 2.4L
- Automatic transmission
- 135,000 miles
Sounds like I have the same problem here, shakes terribly when i stop the car at a light or stop sign. Haven't had it fixed yet but it is definitely getting worse.
Car has yet to die but I can see it happening soon ... also getting the smell of gasoline inside the car. Scheduled to replace the intake manifold gasket this week will update the price when i get it.
2008Jun 05
Altima GLE
- Automatic transmission
- 171,000 miles
I also had suggestion to replace the intake manifold gasket and knock sensor on my 2000 Altima. With this many problems, there needs to be a recall. I am looking for a someone else then Nissan to install the gasket.
2008Jan 01
Altima GXE
- Automatic transmission
- 120,000 miles
Well, you can add me to the group. I too have a 2000 Nissan Altima. Car runs excellent, as long as I do not come to a stop or red light. Then it becomes an embarrassment to be sitting in the car as it begins to shake and nearly stall everytime.
I don't know what it's going to cost me to fix this yet. I feel lucky to have stumbled across this web site as I can now say with confidence what the problem is. By the way, I also pulled a miss fire code on the 4th cylinder.
Is this something that can be done outside a shop...
2008Jan 30
Altima
- Automatic transmission
- 83,000 miles
I also had to replace the intake manifold gasket and knock sensor on my 2000 Altima. With this many problems, there needs to be a recall.
2008Jan 07
Altima GXE L4
- Automatic transmission
- 79,000 miles
after reading similar complaints, i am sure that my 2000 California emissions Altima GXE is plagued with the same intake manifold gasket problem. The car shakes when idle and in the drive position, the shake is not too bad if i move the tranny to neutral. Sometimes it feels as if is almost going to die out.
My question, if i don't get it fixed will the problem get worse?
Thanks
2008Jan 01
Altima 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 45,000 miles
Same as the many, the car shakes when idling. I shift into neutral to cut the vibes, but it still idles low and sputters. The car is my mother's. She is in her late 70's, babies the thing and is far from a demanding driver. Since the shaking she doesn't trust the car and won't go anywhere near it. My father's already replaced the cheaper parts and, as usual, it hasn't solved the problem. I'm glad I found this site and have a much clearer understanding that, alas, we are not alone. Before I found this out, Nissan Altimas were on the short list of vehicles I would like to own. No more.
2008Jun 16
Altima GXE 2.4L
- Automatic transmission
- 130,000 miles
My Altima threw a P0304 code the other day and started stumbling at idle - nothing too bad but annoying enough to notice. Figured the ignition stuff was due replacing but, after I replaced the plugs, wires, cap and rotor, the stumbling is still there.
I did reset the code and it didn't come back on.
Spraying carb cleaner around vacuum hoses, it became clear that the plenum's (top piece of the manifold) gasket has a leak around the area of cylinder 4.
(for those that don't know, carb cleaner gets sucked in where there might be a vacuum hose so you'll notice the engine running better for a couple of seconds once that happens)/
I'd like to do this myself but looking at the manual, it almost looks like the head has to come off, just to gain access to the manifold's mounting bolts. Anyone know that the procedure is? The Nissan manual seems to avoid the issue and just shows an exploded view..
2008Jun 05
Altima
- Automatic transmission
- 180,000 miles
Wow. I had been wondering for the past 4+ months. I had the check engine light come on. The computer read it as a misfire on cylinder 4. Replaced spark plugs and wires. Was thinking about changing the Oxygen sensor next but came across this site. My mileage is way above average so I'm thankful for that. I know a good mechanic who always done a great job and will take this to him. I deal with it by shifting to neutral when I come to a stop.
2008Apr 01
Altima GLE 2.4L 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 97,323 miles
Well first off, i started to notice that my car would idle really rough when i was at stop lights. It got worse like 2 weeks later after the problem started. To the point my car stalled and thought it was going to die. I cannot believe that Nissan does not have this under warranty. Its sh*tty. Cost me 750 to fix this problem and not happy at all.
2008Apr 19
Altima GXE 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 64,000 miles
I had teh intake manifold gasket leak at 38,000 miles. It just happened again at 64,000 miles. Dealer not helping. Charged too much to fix. Nissan regional service rep contacted. They are not willing to help. The repair cost $1500!!!
2008Mar 26
Altima GXE 4 cyl
- Manual transmission
- 98,000 miles
Sounds like I have the same problem, though at this point not as severe. My rpm's are not fluctuating to where the car nearly stalls, and the shaking is minor at this point. At first I thought I had a muffler leak, and there are some rust holes in the outer shell of the muffler. But after taking it to a mechanic I trust, they said the muffler was fine, and proved it to me� plenty of compression there. They said the noise was from the engine missing, and to try new plugs, etc. So I did myself. Plugs, wires, roto, cap, injector cleaner. I'm up to $90 so far with no change. So I'm taking it in for them to check the IM Gasket on Monday. Will see what happens. Thanks Nissan, I bought this car because I was sick of problems with every American vehicle I had ever owned. Now I know I can't trust Nissans either.
2007Dec 01
Altima GXL 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 60,000 miles
I guess my problem is the same as the rest of you. My Altima is idling rough at stop lights. It's to the point that I am afraid it will stall. The check engine light comes on, & when I have it checked, it says cylinder 4 misfire. I have replaced the spark plugs and that didn't help. I replaced the plug wires....did not help. I ran 4 bottles of injector cleaner through it........did not help. Then one day the code said O2 sensor, and ignition running 'lean'. I replaced the O2 sensor......did not help. I replaced the distributor cap.....did not help. I happened to find this website today while I was looking for possible answers, so I guess my problem is the intake manifold gasket. Lucky me! A cheap fix! Ha! Ha! ONLY $400 TO $1200 from what I have read here. Nissan engineers should be forced to commit hari-cari. By the way, I have a '98 Altima that purrs like a kitten....never has had a problem like my 2000.
2007Apr 25
(reported on)Altima GXE 2.4
- Automatic transmission
- 49,000 miles
Only 49000 miles and this car shakes rattles and rolls at idle. Not to mention the awful vibration noise if you accelerate quickly from a stop. Anyway, the rough idle cost me 200 bucks worth of plugs wires cap rotor filter and labor. Sure enough. It did not fix the bad idle. After spraying starting fluid under the EGR valve, along the intake manifold, the engine revved up for a few seconds. I am 99% positive this is going to cost me 6-700 more bucks to correct the leaking intake manifold gasket. This should definitely be a recall!! Before buying this piece of junk I was under the impression Altima's were highly rated and reliable. Don't believe it. It is constantly vibrating and shaking, replaced both O2 sensors, replaced driver window switch, catalytic converter, entire exhaust. And besides all the mechanical crap, it has the most uncomfortable car seats I have ever sat in. I will never buy another Nissan!
2007Dec 19
Altima GXE
- Automatic transmission
- 100,000 miles
I too have this problem. My car shakes when it is in park and the engine light goes off and on randomly. I'm very annoyed with this and do not want to have to pay to have it fixed. I had my dad look at it and he thought it had something to do with my battery cable because it was loose but after reading this I know it is the intake manifold like everyone else said. Seriously, if there are this many problems with this it is obviously a problem with the manufacturing and should be recalled!! FIX MY CAR NISSAN!
2007Dec 30
Altima GXE 2.4L
- Automatic transmission
- 96,063 miles
Please reference to my #27 post.
I spoke to a 2nd mechanics about the problem and mentioned the common complaint with the intake manifold gasket leak. He seems to disagree with that cause based on the fact that I only see the rough idle and service engine light intermittently. He said if my car does have a intake manifold gasket leak, I should see the symptoms continuously.
Currently the rough idle and service engine light happens may be once a week and then the light goes away for a week before it comes back. Do you guys see your symptoms continuously? Thanks.
2007Dec 12
Altima GXE 2.5L V4
- Automatic transmission
- 56,000 miles
This is my 2nd time replacing the intake manifold gasket. The last time was in the summer of 2004, totally cost about $600 in addition to the warranty covered cost. End of last Nov it came again. I just have one mechanic replace the gasket but after two weeks the engine started to miss at idle. This car is very very annoying. Nissan should have a recall on this.
2007Dec 26
Altima GXE 2.4L
- Automatic transmission
- 56,500 miles
The same problem resurfaced again and Nissan was not willing to help one bit not to mention that their Consumer Affairs Department was so unprofessional. I am for sure never buying another Nissan again. At this point, I have decided to not fix the vehicle until the problem gets really bad. Since this appears to some sort of defect and Nissan is not willing to issue a recall of any sort I have contacted an attorney in hopes of filing a Class Action Lawsuit. I started the process with the attorney (who filed a class action law suit against Nissan in the past for an unrelated matter, but regarding one of their products and I believe he won) about a week ago (1/24/08), but have not heard back from him - cross your collective fingers for all of us. I will try to keep this website updated regarding his decision whether to take this case on or not.
If you have not had this problem happen to you a second time be forewarned that it will happen. A dealer quoted me about $1,000 to fix this problem while independent mechanics quotes varied between $600 to $900.
2007Dec 30
Altima GXE 2.4L
- Automatic transmission
- 96,063 miles
Pretty much the same intermittent symptoms as others have described here:
Service Engine Light on
diagnostic codes read P0304 - cylinder 4 misfire
Rough idle at stop lights
Spoke to a local mechanic about it and he said there are three likely causes:
1) intake manifold gasket leak
2) bad fuel injector
3) bad spark plug
But judging from this site as well as other Nissan forums, it seems the mostly cause is the intake manifold gasket leak. I will have to take it to a shop to confirm.
2005Jun 11
Altima GXE 2.4L 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 32,223 miles
The Check Engine light came on and I took it to the dealer who informed me that the Intake Manifold Gasket needs to be replaced, which I authorized. It doesn't end there, see my next complaint!
2008Jan 16
Altima GXE 2.4L
- Automatic transmission
- 102,000 miles
My check engine light went off around 102,000. I took it to a local shop for repairs and they said that I had a misfire at cylinder 4 and my radiator hose had a hole in it. They initially told me my cylinder problem would be fixed with an engine maintenance package. I got the hose fixed and the engine maintenance package believing that my problem would be fixed. When I picked up my car they said that if my problem persisted that my intake manifold gasket would need replacing and it would cost an additional $750. I paid $480 for the engine maintenance package and radiator hose. After 4 days the engine light came back on. I went for a second opinion from a different mechanic and this time I was present at the diagnostic. The mechanic showed me that my spark plug at cylinder 4 was wet with coolant/water and oil and he compared it with a dry cylinder 3 spark plug. The power output of cylinder 4 was also lower then cylinder 3. He pointed out that the car had a coughing noise coming out of the muffler. The diagnostic codes read P0304 and P1320. He concluded that my engine head had to be replaced and it would cost me $1400 in labor. He said I was better off getting a new engine. His cost to replace the intake manifold gasket was only $250. My car is still leaking coolant; actually I had to pick up a container from the store. He said something is going to blow if I don’t get this fixed soon.
I wonder if I should go to the dealer for a third opinion or just trade this car in. I really want to keep my car another year. I brought it new and this is my first major problem
2007Apr 16
(reported on)Altima GLE
- Automatic transmission
- 75,000 miles
Nissan knows about this problem. I did a search on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website (http://www.nhtsa. dot. gov). There have been at least 4 complaints filed, one of which (#10145161) states "Nissan has a program to correct any unusual defects after the warranty is expired but they refuse to honor their agreement". I did find the same complaint in other categories, as well.
I suggest EVERYONE on this forum who is having this problem file a complaint with the NHTSA. The more people complain about this, the more likely they are to force Nissan to do something about it. When complaining, it will help if you reference the existing complaints:
#10167168
#10145161
#10100639
#10163901
I think I have this problem, but my Altima hasn't stalled and the check engine light doesn't come on. The rough idle at stop lights is annoying as heck, though.
2007Dec 19
Altima
- Automatic transmission
- 74,000 miles
I guess my complaint will now be #23 for the same issue as everyone else below. In December I had the Service Engine Soon light come on. The engine idles a bit funny and seems to not have the powe it use to. I have 74,000 miles on the car. Looks like I need to take the car in and get it fixed before I cause bigger problems.
2008Jan 03
Altima GXE 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 70,000 miles
They are quoting me $700 at the dealer.
I just had my local mechanic replace wires, plugs - spent $400
That did not fix it at all.
2007Nov 10
Altima GXE
- Automatic transmission
- 85,000 miles
This should be a recall item. It is poor engineering. I am going to try to talk to someone at Nissan about this. I know I will have an uphill battle, but I am going to keep being a pain to them. I will keep this site updated on my progress, if any.
2007Oct 31
(reported on)Altima
- Manual transmission
- 80,000 miles
I just wanted to add to the list of complaints. I absolutely love my Nissan - and was bummed to learn that others have had this same issue and that Nissan has been unresponsive. I took it in to the dealer and had an estimate of over $800. They also told me I have a leaking valve cover which they estimated at another $155. I am currently shopping for a mechanic here in the East Bay rather than use the dealer. I should mention that I have been taking my car to the dealer for years and they have been great, but from what I have read, I could probably have this fixed for cheaper. Other than this issue though, I have had to do absolutely nothing to my car, other than routine maintenance.
2007Oct 05
(reported on)Altima GXE 2.4L V4
- Automatic transmission
- 60,000 miles
I had the same problem exactly on my 2000 altima GXE. The engine light is on, the engine shakes, and there is misfire noise at the exhaust pipe outlet. It is the intake manifold gasket issue.
I wish I had read this webpage earlier. One of the dealer asked for $1200 to repair it, another one asked $890. I eventually payed $810, I payed $300 more!!!
Nissan should take the bill, as eveybody said. If Nissan does not reimburse me that money, I won't buy any Nissan anymore!
2007Sep 17
(reported on)Altima SE 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 101,350 miles
I just got back from the dealer and they gave me the $1200 estimate to replace the intake gasket and knock sensor. (Codes PO100 and PO325). Gasket= $995, and knock sensor=$275. I stopped by my local mechanic and made an appointment, I am expecting to cut that repair charge by about half. The car has been idling rough, shuddering and stalling, even when moving at low speeds, and hesitation has been a regular issue. I lived with it for a few months, had the fuel filter and plugs replaced and ran some fuel injector cleaner through the gas tank. I wish I had found this site earlier!!
2007Jun 11
(reported on)Altima GXE 2.4L
- Automatic transmission
- 47,926 miles
I purchased this car brand new from a dealer. Symptom developed with relatively low mileage at 45K miles, then the check engine light came on. I took it to the dealer, and it was diagnosed as intake manifold leak. I was fortunate that it was still covered under warranty.
2007Jul 18
(reported on)Altima GXE
- Automatic transmission
- 50,000 miles
The "service engine soon" light came on at about 46,000 miles and was diagnosed to be a vacuum leak in the intake manifold gasket. I, too, think this was an inherent defect and should warrant a recall.
2007Apr 12
(reported on)Altima SE
- Automatic transmission
- 58,000 miles
Thanks to all who posted this problem. My mechanic diagnosed the problem as the fuel injector and was going to replace it at a cost of $400. It wouldn't have solved the problem and it would have cost an extra $500. Perhaps I will start going to the dealer. They should be more familiar with the "normal" problems of this car.
2006Aug 03
(reported on)Altima GXE
- 57,000 miles
My complaint is in regards to my 2000 Nissan Altima GXE 2.4 $cylinder premature failure of the intake manifold gasket due to heat around the cylinder 4 area from the EGR pipe which bakes the gasket into leaking. I have a 2000 Altima with 57,000 miles with an intermittent idle fluctuation, I have also had stalling while driving the vehicle. I am really upset with this as the cost for repair for this is $600. This is a design flaw by Nissan and should be covered as a recall or emissions warranty (being that the check engine light comes on with code P0171). Reading all forums on the Internet this is happening to all these models. Every 40 to 80 thousand miles this happens over and over. I believe this needs to be addressed before the vehicle stalls out while in drive with a person in the back of me who rear ends me. Very much a Safety/Emissions issue that needs to be addressed by Nissan!
-Neil
2006Aug 07
(reported on)Altima
- 60,000 miles
I drove for about 6 month with the engine light on (P0304 - cylinder 4 misfire). I finally had to fix it (had to smog the car). It cost me $520 not including the spark plugs and wires I had replaced, during troubleshooting.
The new gasket gets it to run great though (I guess I got used to the rough idle during the 6 months).
Now I have to start working on the air conditioning that's been broken for a couple of years...
2007Mar 05
(reported on)Altima GXE
- Automatic transmission
- 87,500 miles
I had the exact same problem that others have reported. The car started to shake and the RPMs would spike up and down while sitting at stop lights. I never had the car actually stall, but it felt like it was getting close to that point. I reported it to my local mechanic and he knew right away about this problem. Sure enough, the intake manifold gasket was bad. He replaced it and the problem seems to have gone away for the most part.
2007Mar 01
(reported on)Altima SE 2.4L
- Automatic transmission
- 79,000 miles
I too have the same problem with my Nissan 2000 Altima (bought in LA but now I have moved to the Bay Area), engine has a rough idle which I notice only when I stop at a red light, not when driving.
I took it to the dealer (Boardwalk) who ran the diagnostic test and confirmed its due to P0304 and that I had a vacuum leak from intake manifold gasket. They said it would take $750 to fix which seems in the range of what others paid.
Since a lot of you have had the same problems I was wondering how we could contact Nissan to report this issue . Does anyone know of other sites which talk about similar complaints.
I would definitely keep the old gaskets, just in case I need them.
2007Feb 10
(reported on)Altima
- Automatic transmission
- 90,000 miles
A long time ago I started hearing some rattling sort of noise in the front. Took it to Carmax, as I have the Extended Warranty. They said it was a loose belt and charged me $80 since belts aren't covered by warranty. The problem didn't really go away and only got worse. Around 89,000 miles it began to shake when idling and the noise was worse. The check engine light would come on intermittently. My husband found the info on this site, I printed it out and took it to Carmax and told them to fix my manifold intake gasket! They wouldn't refund my $80 from the first visit, nor would the pay me $80 for diagnosing it myself. Ha. Oh well. They did $600 worth of repairs, which was mostly covered by my extended warranty (which expires at 92,500 miles). They discovered that the problem had also caused premature wear of my spark plugs, however, and the warranty would not cover that. It is still making a pretty rough noise occasionally, but it is no longer shaking. I guess I'll have to take it back and have them look at it again.
2007Feb 06
(reported on)Altima
- Manual transmission
- 125,000 miles
I've got a 2000 Nissan Altima and just had the same problem another person here reported: Started idling really rough and engine light came on intermittently. Cracked intake manifold gasket. I've got 125K on it and, other than regular maintenance, have only had to ever replace a cracked radiator. The other person here reported it cost her $450, my mechanics came back with $600. They're a reliable place with a good rep, though, and usually charge a little more, but the work is reliable.
Another problem I'd noticed before and they're going to fix is the head gasket was leaking oil. That's a $136. So almost $900. I'd be griping except it's cost me almost nothing for 7 years, so I can't really gripe. It's a good car, I'd buy it again in a minute.
2006Dec 15
(reported on)Altima GXE 2.4L V4
- Manual transmission
- 140,500 miles
I bought my 2000 Altima brand new, and just hit 140,000 miles. Up until now I have not done any repairs to it, just regular maintenence such as belts, filters, flushes, tires, brakes, etc. It's been a great car. Then my check engine light came on a few weeks ago. The car still seemed to be running okay, but the idle was a little off, and you could hear a misfire in the muffler. My friend ran a test on it and it came up a misfire code. I had just replaced the spark plugs a little while ago, but we went ahead and did the plug wires and the distributor cap just in case. But, the check engine light was still on and it still idled a little rough.
So, I read online about the intake manifold gasket. It seems to usually happen at lower mileage, I kind of wish mine did and maybe it would have been under warranty! But, I just got the intake manifold gasket fixed, $14 part and $460 labor. But, it was worth it. The car runs great now.
Just a side note too, about 2 years ago, maybe around 90,000 miles, my temperature gauge started bouncing around. It never went up to the hot zone, but it would bounce around like crazy between cold and normal running temp. I had the system checked out and they said everything was running at normal temp. So, instead of taking the dash apart just to fix a gauge, I've just dealt with it the last couple years. But, now that the intake manifold gasket has been fixed, the temp gauge is working completely normal again. I'm not sure what one would have to do with the other, but it seems to be fixed. The only thing I can think of is maybe the temp reading is somewhere down by the gasket and it started to go bad a couple years ago?? Anyway, it's fixed now and still running like new.
2006Dec 12
(reported on)Altima GXE 2.4L V4
- Automatic transmission
- 73,400 miles
It was very helpful to read other posts here! I just moved to a huge metropolis and took my beloved Altima, which I did purchase new in Northern CALIFORNIA, into a shop for an oil change and to have them inspect the cause of the rough idle. When they came back with a $540 repair estimate, I thought I was about to get ripped off, so I decided to research it a bit more before going any further. All the symptoms described herein match mine: The Service Engine Soon light has lit up for a few minutes, then gone off. The engine idles rough, particularly when stopped, but still noticeable even when driving. The power is still good. The shop said that they used a smoke machine to test if there was a leak. That having a bad gasket creates a vacuum that pulls cold air into the intake manifold, causing the engine to run lean, which also makes it run hotter. They said it could damage the valves in the long run, so to get it repaired promptly. This should have been a recall issue--shame on Nissan for not taking care of it.
2006Dec 13
(reported on)Altima GXE
- Automatic transmission
- 102,000 miles
My Altima had the same problem as mentioned by the others. At idle the car would shake and the engine would be on the edge of stalling. Apparently the problem is that the intake manifold gasket leaks air into one of the cylinders, thus causing the stalling and shaking. I had it fixed at an independent mechanic for a rather steep price of ~$989.
2006Apr 06
(reported on)Altima SE
- 59,000 miles
Intake manifold gasket went out just before the warranty expired, not certain about the mileage. Dealer replaced the gasket at no charge. Service manager came out to have a heartfelt talk with me to advise me that I also had a serious problem with my front brake pads. He said the pads were worn down almost to metal-on-metal, and that it needed to be fixed immediately. I thanked him and left, picking up a pair of pads on the way home. When I removed the front pads, not one of them had less than 50% of the pad left. I could have driven several thousand miles more before needing to replace them.
Now, at 110,000 miles, I have had the same problem again with the blown intake manifold gasket. The computer code shows a misfire on cylinder 4. The engine runs roughly and the sound at the exhaust pipe does not sound good. A dealer wants $810 to replace a gasket that I can buy from AutoZone for $5.99. With the great number of owners with the same problem, it seems abundantly clear that this should be covered by Nissan as a design defect.
Interestingly enough, the new service manager advised me that my car would not start up to pull it into the service bay for testing, and that they had to jump start it, and that I needed a new battery for $115. That battery was only 2 years old and still under warranty from AutoZone (I had paid $54 for it and it came with a 7 year warranty.) I took the car to AutoZone for them to test it (I never did have any problems cranking the car) and the battery and alternator tested fine. I can't help but wonder if the person who went to pull the vehicle into the shop did not know that you must depress the clutch pedal fully in order to start the car. My trust in the Nissan dealership repair shops is not too high.
2006Nov 26
(reported on)Altima GXE 2.4 16V DOHC
- Automatic transmission
- 29,350 miles
Hello,
Just got the 2000 Altima back on the road (Put my 78 280Z up for the winter). And the check engine light came on & it has a miss at idle now. So I read up about the intake manifold gasket issue on the web and try the carb cleaner test around cyc 4. Sure enough I could change the idle and even stall out the engine if I wanted to. This was in the dark with a flash light. Seamed almost like bad seals around the fuel injector.
Anyway looking like this typical gasket issue. Car only has 29,000 miles. Does anybody know if Nissan has updated the part and part number? Anybody try the old anti-seize compound on the new gasket trick? (Old hot rod tip for keeping header gaskets moist & flexible) I only want to do this job once :)
2006Oct 30
(reported on)Altima GXE
- Automatic transmission
- 61,000 miles
I am just adding to the complaints. The exact same thing started happening to my car recently. It starts to shake, and the engine surges, especially when idling at stop signs or stop lights. My husband and I have already tried replacing several parts ourselves, but the problem persists. We replaced all 4 spark plugs, the spark plug wires, the distributor and rotor, and the fuel filter. But no, problem still persists. I am scheduled to take it in to the dealer this week -- after reading the posts, I should just tell the dealer to replace the intake manifold gasket and be done with it....!
2006Mar 25
(reported on)Altima GXE
- 60,500 miles
I took my Nissan Altima year 2000 with SES warning to Pepboys and after detecting a P0304 (4th cylinder misfire) they advised me to get a tuneup which ended up replacing the not-so worn out spark plugs and the wires. After doing that and damaging me with $200 expense on replacing spark plugs/wires, when the misfire did not stop - they concluded that intake manifold gasket is the root cause and it will be $450 worth of repair for that.. that was very annoying to hear!
Looking at posts on the internet after that I came to realize that P0304 almost 100% corresponds to a malfunctioning intake manifold gasket. Surprisingly, I noticed all the posts mentioning P0304 code and the manufacturing year 2000 or 2001, there must be some correlation here leading me to believe that this is a Nissan design problem.
2005Nov 24
(reported on)Altima GXE
- 66,000 miles
There are so many different points that when taken together make the conclusion obvious (to me anyway) that there is an engineering or material defect on the KA24DE in regards to the intake manifold gasket. From reading the posts of dozens of owners it appears it is happening to engines made in the 00-01 timeframe. You don't see posts about this on engines before or after that period. Isn't that odd? If this were just some random problem then you would expect to see about the same number of posts on P0304 and gasket leaks for ANY year car. But that is not the case. Just about all the posts concern specifically 00-01. What we cannot tell from the posts is whether this spike for 00-01 only concerns the California engine. Of the 2 guys that checked (myself included) - both were the Cali model. I'm trying to get in touch with the other guys that posted on this to ask what model they have.
What we do know is that Nissan redesigned and changed parts suppliers for the KA24 in September of 99 (the beginning of the '00 model year). Again the same time this problem starts showing up in greater numbers as documented in the posts.
The first hand evidence I had is when I took off my intake manifold and checked the condition of the gasket. The side with the leak was at cylinder 4. When I took off the gasket, the material at the cylinder 4 side was what I can only describe as "baked". It was hard and brittle and would just crack or snap very easily. The closer the gasket was to the number 1 cylinder it remained more pliable and would have more flex instead of just cracking like hard plastic. Obviously the gasket seems to hold up better closer to cylinder 1 because it is cooler there - that is where the passage for the coolant is. It's easy to understand how the gasket material will crack after being subjected to lots of heat (at cyl 4) and engine vibration over the years.
You asked for statistics to back this up. Well if you look at the posts - just about all of them say this problem causes a P0304 code to get thrown. That is a misfire at cylinder 4. Again, if this were some random problem - couldn't we reasonbly expect a normal distribution of the cylinder misfire code from P0301, 302, 303, and 304? But that is not the case. I don't think I have seen any posts on anything other than P0304. Which combined with what I saw firsthand leads to the conclusion that either there is extra heat around cylinder 4 above what the gasket material is rated for - which is an engine design issue. Or the gasket supplier used inferior material that did not conform to the Nissan spec for this part.
Assuming we give Nissan and their suppliers the benefit of the doubt that they consciously didn't want to put inferior materials in the car (which is what I believe), the most logical explanation is that the gasket is being exposed to more heat than it was designed to withstand. The fact that of the 2 cars verified so far happen to be California emission vehicles it seems plausible to me that the extra heat is related to the emission control devices these cars have - specifically the extra cat converter. You have to agree that there is more exhaust backpressure from the extra cat especially as it ages and tends to get blocked. This backpressure makes the engine work harder and get hotter.
I'd love to know what changed in 02 to eliminate this problem. Was it an engine redesign or different gasket material. I am not familiar with the '02 KA24s but I would assume they were redesigned for 3rd gen.
So that's my case. I wish I would have saved the old gasket so I could post a picture of it and you could see the shiny baked side as opposed to the duller normal looking side that comes from the heat differential on the engine. But it was so brittle it just snapped into little pieces very easily.
I hope this helps clarify the issue. Again, the smoking gun is contained mostly in the posts of guys talking about the P0304 code and how to fix it on the various Nissan bulletin boards on the net. I don't think it's necessary for me to copy and paste them all here - it's easy enough to do a search and read for yourselves.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2004Aug 08
Altima 4
Although this intake manifold gasket problem has only recently been diagnosed, I feel it has been a problem coming to a head for years with my car. I cant even think off hand how many unnecessary diagnostic tests, spark plug changes, filter changes and so on I have paid for over the last 4 or 5 years. I have ALWAYS had the same complaint...the car rattles and shakes like its about to to blow up! It only stalled for the first time this week. BTW...that damn check engine light has been on since about six months after I bought it. The dealership told me they could find no explanation for it and that I should ignore it....my next question to them of course....How the hell do I know then when I have I real engine problem if Im supposed to ignore it? They were out of business next time I called. UGH!
Lisa O.
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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