Nissan Dualis Engine Problems

For starters, make sure the oil used in the service was the correct Nissan recommended oil. Even if it was have the oil changed again. The spare wheel is a full-sized one, being a normal 16-inch wheel, but because it isn't the same size as the road wheels, which are 18-inch, it is speed limited.

If the noise is a metallic rattling noise, then you might be on the right track here. But as well as the timing chain, it could also be the tensioner that keeps that timing chain tight at fault. The fact that the noise goes away after a few seconds suggests that the tensioner, rather than the chain, is at fault. But they could both be worn.

What’s happening is that the tensioner is hydraulically operated and needs engine oil pressure to do its job. When the engine has been sitting overnight, there’s a slight time delay between it starting and enough oil pressure reaching the tensioner to tighten the timing chain and stop the noise. What you’re hearing is the chain flailing around until the tensioner steps up and takes the slack out of it, at which point it stops rattling and goes silent.

Why doesn’t it happen every time you start the engine? Because the tensioner needs time for the oil to drain completely out of it. If the engine has only been stopped a short time, there’s sill enough oil in the tensioner for it to build up pressure quickly and keep things quiet.

You might be dealing with a broken engine or transmission mount that is allowing the driveline to `flop about’ when it’s running. The looseness is allowing the small vibrations from the engine to turn into big vibrations that are causing the exhaust to hit something it shouldn’t be. Perhaps the engine is running rougher than usual, at which point you need to look into its tuning.

But, equally, you could be looking at a simple rubber exhaust mount that has either broken or jumped ship, allowing the exhaust to flail around under the car. You really need to get the car on a hoist and look underneath to see what’s loose and what’s not where it should be. A good mechanic should be able to pin point the noise (and its cause) pretty quickly.

That's a pretty impressive innings for a Dualis. You obviously maintain it well and drive it sensibly. The engine light on your dashboard is telling you that the car's on-board computer has noticed something isn't right and needs to be fixed or reset. This could be anything from a stretched timing chain to an oxygen sensor in the exhaust system or dozens of things in between.

The best approach is to have the car scanned to see what fault codes the computer throws up. From there, you'll have a much better idea of what the problem is.

The orange or yellow engine light means the car is still safe to drive, but you still need to have it looked at as soon as you can to avoid doing further damage to whatever system is not working properly. If the warning light (of any sort) is red, then you should stop driving as soon as it's safe to pull over and have the vehicle towed to a workshop.

For some reason it’s going into ‘limp home’ mode and the reason for it doing that needs to be found and fixed. You have clearly had the runaround from the dealer and Nissan, and you would appear to have been extremely patient, but it’s time you got nasty. You need to take control of the situation and demand that the car be fixed. Ask for a meeting with the dealer and a Nissan rep and request a plan of action they will undertake to fix the problem. If that fails use the powers you have under the new national consumer law to pursue Nissan. Don’t worry that Nissan’s warranty might have expired, because the company is still responsible for the product under the consumer law if it has sold you a car that is unfit for purpose or they have failed to fix a problem with it. I think you have a very good case against the company under the provisions of that law. Phone the ACCC on 1300 302 502 or go to www.accc.gov.au for more information on the law.

Modern, electronically-controlled engines have about a million ways to run roughly. Just because you’ve changed the coils and spark plugs, doesn’t mean you’re not dealing with an ignition problem. But, equally, the cause could be within the fuel system or even something like a dud sensor somewhere on the engine (and there are lots of them). You might even find it’s something utterly fundamental like a broken or worn out engine mount that is allowing the engine to flail about as you drive it.

But before you buy more parts which may or may not fix the problem, take the car to a workshop where the mechanics will be able to electronically scan the vehicle to see what fault codes are being recognised by the car’s computer. Only then can you start to make an informed diagnosis.

You may find it’s not the engine at all, but something in the transmission or driveline that is causing the vibration.