Thread: Strange noise sometimes, and slight overheating

My car is a 98 sentra se with a vvl swap, I bought it in late december the engine had approx 60,000 since then I have put somewhere around 20,000- 25,000 miles on it, all highway

Today I was driving down the highway and I looked down at the scan gauge said 204° wt (normally around 176- 186) I started panicking I turned off the a/c and it started going down, I made it home, overflow tank was empty radiator was full, so I started washing the radiator out (had some bugs on it but not much), the black paint was coming off of the copper, also when I was washing it out I hit a spot where the water foamed up (could it be a really small hole?), once every one or two weeks I have to fill the overflow tank back up, is it the radiator causing it or something else?

I replaced the thermostat about 2 months ago, water pump is probably a year old, the oil was mid way on the dipstick so I added some

Sometimes I've been hearing a weird noise maybe once a month I can hear it faintly for a sec as I'm starting it up, it kind of sounds like a diesel idle, I mainly hear it when I let the rpms dip to low when I'm starting out in first from a stop, but I can never make it repeat. I've been noticing a tiny bit of aluminum chips in the oil drain pan when I change the oil (pretty much every 3 weeks)

And for the last 2 weeks if I dont let the engine warm up to at least 120- 140 it will hesitate at around 1200-1500 rpm, the check engine light is on for the iat sensor and knock sensor circuit (i think, I have to pull the codes again), I can clear them just after starting the car and they will stay off (they only pop up when I turn the key) any idea? Could it be rod knock on this engine too?

start saving for a new engine

I dont know if it matters but the car was supposedly tuned for 87 octane which is what I have been running, I'm getting 30+ mpg highway going 80 mph at about 4000rpm, I tried running premium for a few tanks and there was no difference in mpg or sotp feel, I was told that ve's were supposed to run premium

I also use castrol syntec 10w-30 with nissan filter, it is weird that the engine sounds fine throughout the rpm range buy only sound weird sometimes

I guess since this will be the 5th engine in the 2nd car that the sr20 will not hold up to constant highway driving, ill probably be getting away from the sr20's for a daily driver

What engine/car will hold up to nearly 150 miles a day 7 days a week for a few years?

you should have been running at least mid grade. esp. in florida heat. you do have 10.3:1 compression after all. ive put over 60k on my sr20 with 20psi or more on it (mostly highway) and its fine. its not the engines fault.

you do realize the fans dont even kick on until 212 right? whats the weather like down there? your runnin a/c so i assume its pretty hot.. i wouldnt worry to much just keep adding to the over flow tank as needed..

im not sure what to say about the flakes in the oil

you change oil every 3weeks... i thou it every 3month or 3000miles...well that what i do. I think you should be fine with what lynchfourtwenty said.

That is far from accurate. I work all around texas and I used my VE car as a daily driver for 5 years with the VE and 3-4 in the beginning with the DE. Usually driving 300-55 miles to wherever I'm working on Sunday, then Friday when I get off, drive the same 300-500 miles back home.

I have not been left stranded once. Actually, I take that back. My starter went out when I was out of town one week, but it didn't leave me stranded. Parking on hills ftw! My VE now has over 100,000 miles put on by me, plus whatever the motor had when I got it from Miko and is still running strong.

I pulled the DE out to replace it with the VE because I used a step down harness to run an obdI ecu, the harness failed and the motor started missing badly. I was stupid and continued to drive it home instead of parking it and it melted the plug in one cyl and warped the a valve or the seat in that cyl. Comp test showed 80 psi in that cyl, 165-168 in the other three. There is no doubt in my mind that it would have lasted alot longer if I wasn't complacent.

The heat index was 102° yesterday, I just get worried when I see high temps, the coolant hose under the intake manifold got a hole in it once and I saw 275°, so recently anything over 200 gets me worried, when the a/c is on aren't both fans always on? That's what I have seen so far. What is the highest temperature range you have seen in your car while driving?

The gas station I usually go to doesn't have mid grade (sams club), but the BP by my work does, I just put some mid grade in it this morning we'll see what happens

I drive about 1100- 1500 miles a week between work and school, 3000 miles comes up pretty quick, everytime I look at the oil on the dipstick it is still clear at 3000 miles, I usually do about 4000 depending on how I drive it between changes, I should start getting it tested, anyone know any good places?

I very well could be wrong, that statement was just from my experience, I'm sure you have way higher temps there than we do in south florida, whats the temps there now? How long does your hot season last? And whats the coldest it got this winter there in texas?

I believe this engine I have now came from miko