Greetings, Nissan fans.
At the end of a long drive in the desert (from Las Vegas to Phoenix), I got caught in stop-and-go traffic on the freeway. I heard a fairly loud whine from the inside rear of the car. It also acted like it wasn't getting enough gas unless I stepped on the accelerator more than I normally do in stop-and-go traffic (lots of jerking if I only stepped on the accelerator softly). The car seemed to be running just a teeny bit hotter than it normally does, even in the heat, when the whine was occuring. I was running the air conditioning at the time. No strange noises from the front of the car--just the back.
I got home and let the car rest, and I haven't heard the whine since. Nor has the car had acceleration problems. Just to be safe, however, I replaced the fuel filter, which I thought might have been overworking the pump. The old one had been on for 20k miles.
Could the fuel pump be on its way out? Will it go out all at once or gradually? (i.e. Will it suddenly leave me stranded or will I know when it's time for a replacement?)
What about the fuel pressure regulator? Could that be overworking the pump because of a little extra heat from the engine? Is the fuel pressure regulator an electronic or mechanical piece that could fail, or just metal with no moving parts?
Car stats: 184k miles, clean air filter, fresh oil, full coolant level, good working order, and no previous signs of trouble regarding fuel consumption.