Nissan Versa Forums banner

Versa 2010 - Noise When I turn on the key

7231 Views 17 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  legatinho
Hi There,

I just bought an used 2010 versa SL here in Canada. It has 86k on it, and its nice little car. I'm replacing my 1998 Altima, and although I had some reliability issues in the past, overall I still like the Nissan for not breaking too much on me.

On my altima, I had a solenoid type of noise every time I turned on the ignition key without starting the engine, coming from the engine area, was never able to figure out where exactly it was coming from, but the car didn't fail, so that's a good thing.

On the versa, I experience a noise when I do the same thing, but it sound more like an impact driver! lol

I made a little video, and you can hear the noise, right after the beep beep (from having the driver's door open). I did it twice.

Versa Engine Noise - YouTube

Is this normal? If not, any ideas of what could be causing this noise? Is my car dying? :crying:

Thanks! :smile
1 - 18 of 18 Posts
Probably part of a normal self test for something, but it is excessively loud i will agree with you there. Sounds like a solenoid pulsing. CVT or conventional tranny?
to me it sounds like a starter when the battery is dead...
Get a mechanics stethoscope and pinpoint where it's coming from. You will figure which part in 2 seconds.
Well my versa doesn't make this noise but our 2011 rogue makes the exact same noise. I read online that the throttlebody can make this noise. Part of a diagnostic self learn for plate position. I hope this is normal. We just picked up this rogue not too long ago.

Also my versa is 5spd and the rogue is a cvt. not sure if that matters.
Hi There,

I just bought an used 2010 versa SL here in Canada. It has 86k on it, and its nice little car. I'm replacing my 1998 Altima, and although I had some reliability issues in the past, overall I still like the Nissan for not breaking too much on me.

On my altima, I had a solenoid type of noise every time I turned on the ignition key without starting the engine, coming from the engine area, was never able to figure out where exactly it was coming from, but the car didn't fail, so that's a good thing.

On the versa, I experience a noise when I do the same thing, but it sound more like an impact driver! lol

I made a little video, and you can hear the noise, right after the beep beep (from having the driver's door open). I did it twice.

Versa Engine Noise - YouTube

Is this normal? If not, any ideas of what could be causing this noise? Is my car dying? :crying:

Thanks! :smile
I have to say that the noise does not sound "normal" to me. Neither my 2009 and 2012 versa have ever made that noise, and if that was a "normal" sound, I am sure that Nissan would not be selling too many new cars. As to the cause if you were trying to start the car when the noise sounded, I would have said the pinion gear on the starter could be the cause, but you state that it happens before you try and start it. If I were you, I would take it into a dealer and have it looked at. It could be something very simple, or it could turn out to be something that will leave you stranded on the side of the road. It will be money well spent. Good luck
Thanks all. It's a 1.8L with CVT. I can only hear the sound when I'm in the garage, outdoors it's really hard to notice.

I will try to pinpoint where it is coming from, and keep you posted!

Cheers
The noise seems very amplified on your video. It is pretty quiet actually. Well at least on our rogue it is. Please post up any info you find and I will do the same. Hopefully we can fix this issue or find out that it's normal.
Today I asked my wife to turn the key while I stand there listening. We did it a few times, and the noise seems to be coming from the CVT area (bottom right part o the engine bay). Very strange! Since it's still under powertrain / cvt warranty, would a dealer take a look at this for free, or do I have to pay a diagnostic fee?

I never had to take a car to the dealership for issues like this, so not sure how it works! :)

Thanks!
Today I asked my wife to turn the key while I stand there listening. We did it a few times, and the noise seems to be coming from the CVT area (bottom right part o the engine bay). Very strange! Since it's still under powertrain / cvt warranty, would a dealer take a look at this for free, or do I have to pay a diagnostic fee?

I never had to take a car to the dealership for issues like this, so not sure how it works! :)

Thanks!
If it does in fact turn out to be the transmission, the power train warranty would cover all costs. If it turns out to be something else, then I would assume that there would be a charge regarding the diagnosis. You can speak to the service manager to see exactly what that might be prior to having anything done. Good luck
I will need to look into mine again because it seems to be coming from the top by the throttle body. Hopefully this isn't anything serious because I just got this rogue. If it is serious it needs to be figured out within the next 2k miles because thats when the limited warranty expires.
if it's a ticking coming from near the TB (throttle body), it is in fact the TB readjusting. A TB should ONLY do this if the battery is disconnected or the TB is unplugged. The fact that it happens repeatedly is a sign that something is amiss. Can't say if it's critical, but there is something definitely not at 100%

Now the other noise, like an impact drill, if it's coming from the CVT area, is definitely the starter. Could be caused by a weak battery, a bad connection (corrosion), or a weak starter.

Another noise you may hear periodically is the fuel pump priming, after turning the key, before engine cranks. This sounds like a small electric motor buzzing or whirring for a few seconds. totally normal.
Thanks! I just realized the starter on the versa is in the front, so yeah, looks like that's the culprit. :)

The car is currently starting fine, should I be worried? When it fails, will it be sudden or will progressively get harder to start the car?
you can usually coax a weak starter to keep working for a time. longer crank times or multiple cycles may be needed, along with a few hammer hits to the solenoid may be needed.

you should also get your battery checked, load tested, and clean the terminals to promote the best connection possible between the alternator, starter and battery.
soon as I get a chance and a helper I will bust out the trusty stethoscope and pinpoint exactly where it's coming from on my rogue. It may be the starter. There is no other signs of starter issues. Cranks quick, no excessive draw when starting or anything. I will post up when I figure mine out.
I took the car to the dealership, they said it's normal noise. I can't really hear it if I'm inside the car. I remember my altima made some noise as well, but it was not the same.
Normal or not I want to know what it is still LOL. It doesn't seem to be an issue at all and just like you this noise isn't very audible on the rogue. Your video makes it sound like a jackhammer in your face.
Haha, that's because I put the camera right at the engine. It does sound like that if you stand right there :D
1 - 18 of 18 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top