On Friday the 13th I started the car and heard a sound like someone threw ball bearings onto a tin roof! I immediately shut it off and thought WTF is this? I knew the crankcase was full of oil as I had just checked it the previous day.

So I restarted it and heard the same rattling noise, like excessive lifter clearance, not a heavy noise like rod or main bearing noise. Again I shut it off.

After pondering my navel for a few more minutes I restarted it a 3rd time, this time figuring let it seize or blow it's under warranty. Finally I could hear it start to get oil pressure and the noise subsided and went away. This car has 6300 miles on it and has never done this before.

I then went in the house and called a Nissan dealer, and 2 Infiniti dealers one of whom sold me the car. His response was " There's no hurry to bring it in, we have had this a few times and when we do the next oil change we'll 'check' it".
The other Infiniti dealer who changed the oil and put in an additive that I DIDN'T WANT wasn't at all concerned and couldn't have cared less about it. The Nissan dealer said the engines are more or less bullet proof but admitted to owning a truck that " does it from time to time, but not for as long as you describe."

Sorry but I find none of these answers satisfactory especially for a new car that is under warranty. So I called Infiniti Customer Relations and pitched a fit with them, I wanted to get as much documentation as to what happened, when it happened, who I spoke to etc. I was given a "file reference number " that contains everything contained here.

It sounded to me like all the hydraulic lifters had bled down and didn't quiet down until they were full of oil again. In any case I don't consider this 'normal' by any stretch of the imagination and neither do the people I spoke to at Infiniti customer relations.

It mystifies me that dealers think they know better than the engineers at Mobil or the engineers at Infiniti. They think they can arbitrarily add something that isn't needed to the engine oil, just to make a quick buck. I brought that to the attention of the Infiniti folks too. The manual clearly says not to do it but the stealers think they know best. If Mobil 1 wanted something else in with their oil it would be in there to start with, not something you put in after the fact. The viscosity was 10w-30 I have no idea what it is now thanks to the stealership.

FWIW the car hasn't made the clattering noise again but the next time it does it's going directly to the dealer where it will be parked until it's fixed. I traded a Mercedes to get this car and I'll be damned if I will put up with this sort of nonsense from ANY car.

Tinsby

 

what ever came of this problem? mines got the same

 

holy thread revival.. lol

 

Mine has done this once or twice over nearly six years of ownership. Only for a second though, it's gone away immediately each time and it's impossible to duplicate so I never took it in for service..