Dose anyone else have a clatter at cold startup after the x has been sitting a day or two? I think it might be the intake valve timing control after sitting for a day or so, the oil drains out and at startup it clatters for a second or so till the oil pressure builds, sometimes its light rattle and sometimes its a real loud clatter.. any else hear this?

That sounds to be something that is very common on any model X. A lot of other people have the same thing in the other models as well. Guess it's just something that Nissan has yet to figure out how to get rid of it.

Not mine.

Hydrolic timing chain tensioners would do that, do we have hydrolic timing chain tensioners on our 2005's?

Fab

yes 2005 xterra if I don't drive it for a day or two then at cold start it will make this clatter for a second or so,, if I start it everyday its fine,, just if it sits for a long time, I think its the oil draining out of the valve timing controls on the camshafts and when it start they are clattering till the oil is replaced,, no one else hears this clatter noise??

Yes, it's most likely your valve lifters are filling back up with oil that has drained out. Very common on Xterras. I have switched to a Mobil 1 oil filter which has stopped the problem for me. Others swear by the OEM Nissan Oil filters. Give 'em a try!

the 2005 xterra dose have hydraulic timing chain tensioners but,, it dose not have hydraulic lifters it has shims over buckets for the lifters,, i dont think its the lifters or the hydraulic timing chain tensioners,,

drivingtopluto,

So what do you think the noise could be caused by?

Curious, Fab.

I think its the intake valve timing control,(IVT control) I have the schematics of the engine and from the looks of it the only thing that could make this noise is the oil draining out of the intake valve timing controls that are mounted on the front camshafts they fill with oil to control the duration of the cams, the computer knows how much oil to let in and out to set the timing,,, and from the look of it if there was no oil in them it would clatter, .....

This mechanism hydraulically controls cam phases continuously with the fixed operating angle of the intake
valve.
The ECM receives signals such as crankshaft position, camshaft position, engine speed, and engine coolant
temperature. Then, the ECM sends ON/OFF pulse duty signals to the intake valve timing control solenoid
valve depending on driving status. This makes it possible to control the shut/open timing of the intake valve to
increase engine torque in low/mid speed range and output in high-speed range.

Hey, thanks, as I learned something new today!

/raises hand to agree on both.

My 350Z used to do this chronically, since it used to spend a bit of time in the garage between uses in the winter months. Long intervals can cause the upper half of the engine to get bone dry on oil for a split second. One time the clatter was disturbingly loud, but it was gone after a second.

I also swear by Nissan original filters. They have a bypass that actually works, and doesn't open (and stay open) at the mildest increase in oil pressure. At $5 a piece, they're worth every penny.

I will try the Nissan original filters and then 10w oil,

Any updated experience with this? Mine does it and it is annoying. As high tech as this powertrain is, this seems like a low tech problem that could lead to unnecessary wear at start-up.

stop buying those orange oil filters...absolute garbage. My 4 liter jeep did this once and only once when it had a Fram filter on it.