I have a 1999 Nissan Altima that makes a chirp/click sound in the engine area at regular 45 ? 60 second intervals and the engine loses power as though I took my foot off the gas for a split second at the same time. The sound is more noticeable (louder) while accelerating. I noticed it about eight months ago about the time I had belts replaced (coincidence?) and the sound seems to be a progressively louder since then. Any ideas?
1999 Nissan Altima chirp/click sound
Jul 29, 2005
5 Replies
Does the AC running make it more pronounced?
The AC does make it more pronounced.
The AC does make it more pronounced.
Does your tach drop? The tach has been dampened slightly so you may not see it, unless the surges are longer.
It might be something belt related -- check to make sure they have been tightened correctly and that the idler operates correctly (you might want to get a repair manual to your car - a haynes manual would explain how to do that).
I'd also check the connections to the battery and alternator. If you are able, check the voltage across the battery while driving. (you could, for instance, measure it on your cigarette lighter outlet
-- you should not see a significant change when the car surges).
Something like this could be caused by many things (ignition, fuel supply, etc). You may want to go to autozone or pepboys as they will - free - scan your car's computer using a special tool. The computer often retains its error codes so, if an error code has been thrown, it might get you a clue as to what is really going on.
Remco
tighten or replace the belts with factory OEM parts
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