08 Versa piston Slap?

[nicholas]

Hey Crew
I have an 08 Nissan Versa with an increasingly noisy engine.
I have been doing 5k changes with 5w-30 - It is quite loud in the winter.
I have been doing some lite internet reading - many theories to this 1.8Liter engine noise.

Any mechanics in BITOG land that can confirm the MR18DE engine actually has piston slap.

Also what would be the best remedy to get the most out of this engine, longevity wise.

The dealer says the noise is normal, but something feels strange.
Thanks
Nik

 

[Samuraidog]

Have you ever tried synthetic oil? I used to own a Plymouth Sundance that had the same issue. Putting some synthetic oil in it seemed to help with the noise.

 

[Johnny248]

Pretty normal for a Versa. Those engines tend to start making noise pretty early on in their mileage. Just about everyone that has more than 50k that I see come through is pretty loud.

 

[bepperb]

Piston slap is an annoyance but usually doesn't lessen the life of an engine.

 

[abycat]

you sure its piston slap? Mine is louder in the valve train department in the winter but gets quiet when its warm. They also have very loud injectors (compared to the rest of the engine). On the versa forum i have never heard of one with piston slap or any other engine failures or what not. I did hear of a guy that needed an engine in 60,000 cause he didnt change his oil but thats about it.

 

[Johnny248]

I've put engines in these cars with 60k on them just for noise for good customers. Cars that had lof's done at normal intervals and not neglected. This Renault engine is just not very good. We see Sentra and Versa engines go bad quite a bit... Just not durable.

 

[SteveSRT8]

^^^I have to agree, though I have far less actual experience with this engine.

I am stunned that Nissan has had so many issues.