Any one ever get any chatter noises kinda like a rattle but not a knock in the bottom end or lifters, i thinking it might be a little stretched out timing belt due to 130k miles or a heat shield on the stock exhaust. i only get the noise when barely pressing on the gas pedal at low rpms. when reving up and normal driving you dont hear no noises. any one ever experienced any thing like this or might could enlighten me a little bit on what it could be? really hoping it is just a loose heat sheild on the exhaust some where. thanks for looking please keep answer simple i work too much to really get out there and tear in to the engine to check and see. thanks for looking

 

you don't have a timing belt, you have a timing chain and they don't generally ever need replacing. Only your ears are going to find where the noise is coming from - your two guesses are separated by about 7 feet and if YOU can't narrow down the source from the front of the motor to underneath the car, what exactly are we supposed to do?

 

Post a video.

 

if it's a "rocks in a coffee can" sound, that's clutch chatter and happens frequently at partial throttle < 2000 rpm.

the VQ doesn't have lifters. it's an overhead cam design. cam pushes directly on the rockers.

 

I believe I know what your issue is. first of all, check your oil pressure gauge. at idle, it should be at about 15psi. and 2000rpm, it should be about 45psi. If it is not, then immediately check your oil level. If your oil is low, and it's been a bit since your last oil change, then your car is either leaking oil or most likely burning it. the source if it's burning oil would be the ring around the pistons. it's not really a pertinent issue, but you must keep an eye on the oil level. as soon as you fill the oil back up (i would recommend an oil change with 5W40 oil, it's a little thicker therefore bringing your compression levels up a bit) your noise should be gone. what you are hearing is most probably coming from the top end. My explanation comes from dealing with this issue in the past week. again, I recommend an oil change with 5W40.

Also, I would add lucas oil pure synthetic oil stabilizer to the oil at a 20% mix ratio (4quarts oil, 1 quart lucas) this greatly reduces the oil burning.

hope this helps!

 

AS PerfZ says, the 350Z doesn't have a timing belt, it has a timing chain and although these can stretch they are usually considered to last the lifetime of the engine without trouble. There is a good chance that it could be loose heat shields as these tend to wear through due to constant heating up, cooling down and getting soaked with water causing corrosion and ill fitting guards, the other alternative is to change the viscosity of your engine oil and see what happens.

 

thanks guys i was just hopping i could find out if any one else was having issues with a noise like mine but i guess its not normal noise thats a coming problem. also i knew the z has a timing chain just when i first posted this post i was in a hurry when typing. ill try to get a video soon guys i just not sure if i do a video that you guys will beable to hear the noise properly and the noise is coming from the front of the car not sure where at cause this noise only happens at certain position in throttle and i only notice it when im driving easy. i do not hear the noise at idle or hard on the throttle.

I also got told that the timming chain guides wear out and break down and also they had bad timing chain tensioner in this year of 350z's not sure if its true or not

 

Did you even read my reply?

 

If the noise is coming from up front, you need to jack the front up and check there first. It could be one of the fenderliners, lower engine shield or other plastic piece has come loose. And while the VQ35DE uses a timing chain, it also uses an accessory belt to run the alternator, a/c, etc. so if you haven't changed that at 130K, you'd better get busy and research it.

As a original pre-order Z33 owner, let's dispel any rumors of bad TC tensioners on the '03s. Nissan did a good job with this version of the VQ and while earlier FWD models might have had some tensioner or guide issues, this one never did. Certainly, good maintenance is a must, as fresh oil lubricates all those parts together with the TC.

 

It's probably the cam followers. They will rattle slightly under certain conditions.