redtomatoman

Mine did the same thing. It was on for 1.5 days then went off. Still, obviously, failed compression and leakdown testing. Left head needed to be replaced. Mine was almost completely symptomless. Hope you still take it in for diagnostic testing. I think leaving leaking cylinder would be destructive over the long term. Peace.

Make sure they do compression testing (both wet and dry) and leakdown testing. Tell them you want the test results. Compression should be at least 140psi wet. I never got a specific number but the Pentastar compression psi is in the 150s when new, I believe. With mine, the lifters were also wearing so they replaced those. Have them look at everything. If they're fine,ok. But as long as they have the engine open have them check as much as they can. Peace.

Left cylinder head? Even with the warranty, this cylinder misfire thing is a drag. Plan on 1-2 weeks without the DJ. It would be much worse if you had to pay for the repair, but it still sucks man! Best of luck. Peace.

Just a few more things. The Altima has no ground clearance at all. It is a car, but it doesn't handle uneven dirt roads well at all. My wife feels it is very noisy inside when driving on the highway compared to my DJ. Gotta give it the nod on mpg though. . . 36 mpg overall so far. 95% highway. Peace.

Have a 2016 Nissan Altima rental this week. Not nearly as nice to drive as my 2011 DJ. Likes: Engine has plenty of power, transmission shifts super smooth, base comes with backup cam,great fuel efficiency. Dislikes: Steering wheel is too small, interior controls are wonky, seats are a strange material, no lumbar adjustment, backup cam screen is small. Overall the Altima is not as fun to drive as my DJ. Lots of interior noise and twitchy steering. Small steering wheel makes that worse. Engine and transmission seem good but I'm afraid to use all of the power. Maybe that would get better with time. I miss the cargo space of my DJ this week. Anyway, good car, but I prefer my 5 year old DJ overall. Peace.

I love my DJ, but man it's like sensor madness on these new cars. I have no idea what's going on in this case, but it seems like some sensor caused you to be stranded. Which is worse, the problem it's sensing or the sensor? Ha! Compared to my Dakota, the DJ is more like the space shuttle! Sensors on everything. I suppose it's better now? I'll be waiting for an update. Good luck.

Thanks. This will be first long trip since the cylinder head/rocker arms/lifters replacement. I'll just take it easy. . . Peace.

I will have 2 gallons of water. My mobile phone will be charged. My tires are all adequately filled, but I did discover that my spare was low. 35 psi vs recommended 60 psi. Remedied that today. I really hope I don't need my spare! I expect that I will be fine, but I've got nearly 300 miles of 100F+. I'm going to try to get through Needles before it gets too hot. Thanks for the comments. Peace.

Try what bigtsr is suggesting. It may not work as bram has a point. There is a chance the volume settings are different for incoming calls vs outgoing calls. Have someone call you and play with the volume. If that doesn't work, do what you should always do and disconnect the battery for 10-20 minutes. That may reset everything and solve this problem. Peace.

I will be driving the DJ through Needles and the Mojave desert this weekend. Supposed to be 122F in Needles. I will be checking the tire pressure. Just had coolant changed at the dealer. Oil changed less than 200 miles ago. Any suggestions? Probably will need the A/C for the drive. Ha! I plan to drive right at the speed limit or slightly slower. Comments. . . Peace.

I had my cam phaser replaced on my 2011. Mine had no symptoms. The symptoms you describe certainly could be a timing issue. Good luck. Peace.

I'll just add this. I went with the slotted drilled rotors and green stuff pads. They have been perfect for about 5000 miles so for. Smooth, grippy, no problems. No rotor warpage or pulsing at all so far. Peace.

EBC rotors & pads. You'll be set after that. Peace.

DJ sat all night. No noise on cold start up. Sounds normal again. I forgot to mention in my last update that all the left side lifters and rocker arms ended up being replaced as the tech initially thought the cold start sound was coming from the lifters. So they opened my engine for the cylinder head replacement and they opened the engine again for the lifter and rocker arm replacement. I just hope all this engine work got the original engineering gremlins out and it doesn't lead to engine problems over time. I hope to keep my DJ for a long time. Maybe I'll wash my DJ this weekend. Clean cars always run better. . . Ha! Peace.

OK. So I got my DJ back. Seems to run fine so far, start up noise was gone today. Tomorrow morning will be the true test. Here's the story as I understand it. Left cylinder head was replaced. Left intake manifold was replaced due to oil in it. From a defective pcv valve? Not sure. But anyway intake manifold was replaced. Somehow during the left side repairs the left exhaust manifold bracket was not replaced, or fell off, or was not replaced correctly. The bracket was missing causing a cold start exhaust leak that would resolve when the manifold warmed up after 30 seconds or so. That's what I'm being told. So far, so good. Any changes and I'll update here. Peace.

So I went to the dealer today. My DJ was nowhere to be seen. The service manager and tech servicing my vehicle were not available. Not sure if this is a cover-up of incompetence or simply events unfolding. I am hoping they didn't f**k something up. The service writer made a nonspecific statement about waiting for exhaust parts. This service writer doesn't know anything, I'm sure. I was told that they would call me today. Nothing. . . Shit.

Update: My DJ is not yet ready, but I did get a chance to speak with the service manager. The tech is replacing the hydraulic lifters as some of them exhibited play which the tech thinks is responsible for the cold start noise. Got a chance to look inside my pentastar. Pretty fancy. The cam shafts looked good with minimal wear. Not sure if they are replacing the rocker arms as well, but I think its just lifters. Two of the lifters definitely had play and could be moved between the thumb and index finger. I hope this is it. The service manager did not think there was any oil restriction to the top of the engine. Cam phasers were off, but no problems with those according to the tech. I guess its just a waiting game now. I hope this solves my noise. Peace.

Update. . . I dropped off my DJ on Thursday. I suggested all the things that were posted here to the service manager. No OBD codes. They did some sort of computer cam alignment and the cold start noise is still there upon cold start demonstration yesterday. Was told by the service manager that he will speak with the tech and get back with me today regarding what is the next step. He seems to think its something simple. I hope he's right. I'm nervous they will open the engine, get knee deep into it, not see anything out of place, close it, and I'll still have the noise. Or worse more problems. . . Peace.

As promised. . . The clack/chatter lasts about 30 seconds then fades away. Not cold today, not sure if it would last longer if the engine was colder. Any ideas? Not sure if I should take it into the dealer. As stated earlier, the DJ seems to run fine. Normal gas mileage and seems to have normal power. I noticed a little whine while accelerating today. Not sure if its just paranoid listening or not. Normally I'm listening to music and not getting after the accelerator. Peace.

Thanks Animal. One other thing. . . I noticed that the dealer put in 5-20 oil instead of 5-30. Original recommendation was 5-30. Newer Pentastars have a 5-20 recommendation. Just thought of the oil thing. Peace.

Forgot to mention that an internet search suggested piston slap. I also wanted to ask if folks thought a change from dino to synthetic would improve things. Peace.

My DJ seems to run fine but it has a loud clacking noise when starting cold. It almost sounds like an exhaust leak. The sound quiets after about 15-20 seconds. I will post a YouTube link when I can start cold again. Since the cylinder head replacement, my gas mileage has been pretty normal; 22 mpg average with a 70-30 highway-city mix. Any ideas? No trouble dash lights. Trying to decide whether or not to take it to the dealer. Arranging a cold start with me there will be a hassle. Peace.

I have had good luck with Michelin blades for the front. Peace.

My only advice is to get the V6 Pentastar. I didn't see the engine specified. If this doesn't have it, skip it. Maybe AWD implies V6, not sure. Peace.

I recently had mine done. Same thing. #4 misfire. Runs fine after head replacement. Cold startup sounds a little different though, there's a new metallic rubbing/squeek sound that goes away after 10-15 seconds. Good luck.