Need a bit of help!

[khon]

I own a 08 Frontier V6, SE and have had some issues when it starts in the morning. It keeps making this sort of buzzing/skreeching noise until it warms up. The sound is intermittent and not constant. I took it to my dealership last January and they replaced my tensioner and belt, yet it did not fix the sound. I only hear it when its been sitting outside overnight in the winter and colder months, nothing in the summer. Talking to a nissan mechanic, not the one who worked on my truck, he said it may be the alternator pulling lots of power in the morning when its cold, but it persists for about 15-20 minutes until it is warm. Could this be the issue?

Here is a recording of the sound. Let me know if anyone has hear/dealt with this problem, if it is in fact a problem
http://www.fileden.com/files/2012/11...tier_noise.mp3


Cheers

[mikekrus]

Almost sounds like the acc belt slipping to me, maybe look closer at that. maybe tensioner pulley is not putting good tension.

[Skibane]

Could also be the power steering - They can be kind of cranky in cold weather. Does the sound change any when you turn the steering wheel?

[zash]

alternator bearing or power steering pump starving for fluid when cold maybe

[HeavyDuty]

Depending on the mileage, I would look at the belt to check it's condition, if it's worn, replace it and the tensioner pulley or tensioner assembly. You can get a Bando belt and Goodyear tensioner on eBay for around $80.

The test for the newer belts is the depth of the ribs as well as obvious cracks. There's a depth gauge Goodyear provides to dealers, I have one in my glovebox but haven't needed it yet. Point is, it could be squeaking & needing to be replaced but still look OK.

$.02

[khon]

I just checked the power steering fluid, its full and a good color. I started my truck cold this morning and got my girlfriend to turn to wheels back and forth, the sound didnt change at all. Also, the noise is quite loud. I park across the street and can hear it standing inside my closed front door. Being that it only happens when its cold, and the colder it is the worse it seems to be, would this only a minor issue or maybe just a situation with the cold weather and nothing to worry about? My dealship doesnt seem to be helpful even when I take it in.

[Skibane]

If you can hear it that far away - and it lasts for a full 10-15 minutes after startup - That doesn't sound normal at all.

It could also be your air conditioner belt slipping. The A/C compressor runs whenever the heater is set to the "Defrost" position - So you might try turning off the heater and defroster to see if it goes away.

If worst comes to worst, you could leave the truck outside at the dealership overnight, and then have a tech listen to it the next morning while you start it up.

[Mathster]

early 08 model? could it be the early stages of a timing belt issue?
what oil are you running?

[khon]

Umm off the top o my head not sure the weight, conventional whatever the manual suggests. Would the timing chain issue only be hear when cold? Even if I drive for a bit then park the truck for say 3 hrs in minus twenty the noise does not come back, only when left over night