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-   -   2002 Altima - Belt slap/slip - dealer can't fix (https://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/altima/1822-2002-altima-belt-slap-slip-dealer-cant-fix.html)

Darin 01-30-2007 08:37 AM

2002 Altima - Belt slap/slip - dealer can't fix
 
Someone please help,

I have a 2002 Altima and am having a problem that has left every machanic that has looked at it stumped, including the dealer.

The problem:
When at idle speed or even sometimes at low RPM's the serpentine belt will clatter like the tensioner has gone bad. However, I have had the tensioner replaced and it has not resolved the issue. 2 new belts have not helped. The noise is worse when the AC is on...probably becuase of the extra load from the compressor. The dealer said they have seen this problem before but on this model but have no solution (Mercer Nissan in Lufkin Texas). The noise is very very loud, sounds like a cat traped under the hood at times. You can see the belt flapping when it happens. I love the car other than this problem and am willing to try anything to avoid buying another car.

Please Help!!!!

Thanks in advance...

mpe235 01-30-2007 05:32 PM

When the dealer replaced the tensioner did they replace just the pulley or the entire tensioner assembly. I have seen alot of guys try to shortcut and do just the pulley.

phatiregod 08-21-2007 11:31 AM

My '03 Altima 2.5 started having this problem last week at 100,000 miles. It started after I replaced the auto belt tensioner to fix another completely different noise. The first noise is gone but now the belt slaps like crazy when the AC is on and the car is in gear. In park or neutral or with the AC off, the noise and slapping goes away. I'm going to change the serp belt and see if that fixes it. Also, I'm going to check every pulley for debris that may have gotten into the grooves while working on it. If neither works, I'm going to bring it in to the dealer. Any luck with yours?

mpe235 08-21-2007 05:51 PM

Double check your belt routing. It is kind of strange the way they run the belt. It can be put on the wrong way which leaves it too loose.

jhong1226 08-21-2007 07:02 PM

i definitely check the routing of the belts, migt have been routed wrong.

phatiregod 08-22-2007 10:46 AM

Last night, I checked the belt routing and it was good. Also, there wasn't any debris on the pulleys after removing the old belt. I installed a new Nissan belt and it seems to have cured the problem. When the trans is in Park or N and the AC is running, the belt runs smooth as silk. When its in Drive or Reverse and stopped, the new belt bounces a bit and the tensioner arm moves as well, but the slapping is gone...for now. My wife will let me know if it comes back since she uses the AC a lot. As a side note, the old belt was in pretty good condition after 100K miles. No cracks or splitting but it was a bit harder (not as pliable) as the new belt. The grooves on the new belt had a texture very similar to a fine felt or velour. I'm guessing that texture is supposed to absorb shock and it seems to be working. So to summarize, I installed a new belt tensioner first and then the belt. The bearing in the old tensioner was going bad which caused a different noise. By not changing the belt at the same time, the belt slapping started. With both items changed, both noises appear to be gone. Replacing the tensioner and even the belt was a bit of a chore. If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll describe the process since the Haynes manual gives very little info on how to do them.

byr0n 04-07-2009 09:00 AM

I have the same issue with a 2003 4cyl 2.5 altima, in idle and park no noise a lil bit rough feeling thought. Put the ca rin drive and ac on the belt flaps around and makes a bit of noise. Had the tensioner replaced and the serpentine belt nothing helped, If I remember correctly though early in this topic some 1 said they've seen people just replace the pulley thats exactly what he did just the pulley. Would that be what the issue is? If any 1 could help walk me through or give me some pointers and point me in the right direction so I can attempt to fix this issue myself would be appreciated.

phatiregod 04-08-2009 08:43 PM

One other thing to do...
 
Well, the belt slap didn't stay away for very long so we decided to bring the car in to the dealer for a look. The dealer found that the motor mounts were going bad and one was already bad. So I ordered four replacement mounts online and installed them over the course of a weekend. The replacement turned out to be much more work than originally thought and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they're a glutton for punishment or are dead set against paying extra for the dealer to fix. Anyway, this finally cured the problem. The mount that was closest to the belt was the worst one. The rubber had completely separated from the aluminum and didn't damp anything at all, which explains the belt slapping. About 6 months later we traded in the Altima for a '09 Rogue. Since the Rogue has the same engine as the 2.5 Altima, I may see this some years later, but I hope Nissan fixed it for good!

frftr187 07-01-2009 04:19 PM

Belt slap 2002 Altima at idle with A/C on
 
I have the same problem. Researched a lot online. I had the tensioner and new belt replaced also with no results. Found an article on a blog where a nissan mechanic in CA had to fix this problem and found that the problem was not A/C compressor or tensioner but was the Alternator. Appears that there is a problem with a one way clutch in the pulley on the Alternator when they go bad it causes this. Replaced the Alternator and so far so good, the belt slap is gone.

d0ugmac1 07-02-2009 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frftr187 (Post 41969)
I have the same problem. Researched a lot online. I had the tensioner and new belt replaced also with no results. Found an article on a blog where a nissan mechanic in CA had to fix this problem and found that the problem was not A/C compressor or tensioner but was the Alternator. Appears that there is a problem with a one way clutch in the pulley on the Alternator when they go bad it causes this. Replaced the Alternator and so far so good, the belt slap is gone.

Thanks for the tip!

tech22 07-02-2009 09:02 AM

My brother had the same problem with his 05 Pathfinder after he installed an aftermarket belt. So bad was the "bouncing" that the belt came off while going down the road.Problem fixed after installing a nissan belt.

AltimaPR 07-05-2009 05:02 AM

It's the alternator pulley folks.

Canguro 09-09-2009 02:51 PM

Well I have the same issue, change 4 mounts, tensioner pulley and last week new alternator this because failed of charge. Nothing wokrs, alternator was brand new, not remanufactured. Someone get out of trouble with other thing?

AltimaPR 09-15-2009 08:37 PM

How much did you pay for that alternator? Was it a Nissan part or an aftermarket? Afermarket units that I have searched ARE remanufatured AND the used pulley is carried over to the remanufactured unit and is something not checked for faults in the rebuilding process. The alternator pulley is based on a clutch disc that may seize and create this vibration, same force tha it was designed to absorb. If you changed all that you said, there is nothing else to change in the belt path that may create abnormal vibration. My alternator is good, but the pulley was melted together. You do need a special tool inserted in the pulley to extract it from the alternator body.

Canguro 09-19-2009 11:54 AM

The alternator cost $699 dlls in nissan dealer and suppose is brand new not remfr. At this cost I cannot expect nothing less.
Last wednesday I remove the alternator, checked to see the "clutch" you guys speak of, and seems the pulley is free wheel both sides, then take it back to the dealer, and explain them what you say about the alternator clutch, they have no idea what I was talking about, so they show me another alternator, same spec like mine, and we check that the pulley have free wheel both sides, so there's no clutch, they check their info and nothing says theres a clutch in the alternator. I cannot imagine the function of an clutch inside an alternator. BTW, my altima is 2002 who comes with an original Hitachi alternator. Researches the web for more info about this class of alternator but nothing more mentioned the alternator clutch.

One thing I just remember is one of the mounts that were changed, wasnt bought from the dealer, because they were run out of it. The one that is on belt side. This one I bought it from after market and says is OEM. An friend told me that sometimes these aftermarket mounts comes with a harder rubber, causing vibration. You think this can be possible?


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