Nissan VQ40 cold start Rattle

[Okis14]

Cold start Rattle solved?

My frontier is pretty low mileage but has had the “normal” VQ40 cold start rattle after sitting all night. I’ve seen tons of post about it and all the different reasons why. I know the timing chain tensioners bleed down overnight which can cause slack for the first couple seconds. I was reading the factory service manual for the frontier and it recommended Nissan ester oil. Doing some research on different weights and oil composition, I decided to try HPL 0w40 based on all the positive feedback here on Bob is the oil guy. I wanted to see if the 0w and ester base would help with the cold start rattle, and it seems to help. I have tried a few different oils experimenting to see what helps. Valvoline restore and protect 5w30 was extremely loud and the rattle almost sounded like a minor rod knock. I Then i tried Mobil 0w40 euro and it made the rattle sound like a tick. (Before video) AMSOIL Signature Series 5w30 muffled the knocking a bunch, but it was still present. The HPL is the last oil I tried. (After video) The rattle is almost gone completely, I can’t hear it In the truck anymore. I don’t think oil filters matter, as I used oem Nissan, Amsoil, Bosch and now a fram synthetic endurance. Im thinking any brand of oil with a decent amount of esters would help with the cold start rattle? The 0w40 made the rattle considerably quieter than 5w30 regardless of brand. Here are some before and after videos to compare and the pages I refrenced from the FSM. For reference, it’s a 2016 Nissan Frontier Pro4x with the VQ40 and approx 28k miles. Im done experimenting for a bit and will run this HPL for a normal OCI. Both videos are first thing in the morning after sitting all night.

Before


After

 

[JavierH19]

12 years after the first post, not bad. Thick oil saves the day, Mobil 1 runs the loudest from experience and Quaker State / Pennzoil European have run the quietest. Good to see hpl 0w-40 solved it, It's about .4-.5 hths more than Mobil 1 0w-40 so maybe that helped more?

 

[charbaby]

My first VQ engine, an '04 Altima 2.5(VQ25DE) was the worst for start up rattle especially on cold mornings
(less so on warm-er mornings), when parked over night or just for long periods such as 8 hrs getting out of work.

The engine would also rattle if I didn't let oil pressure build up before starting off down the road, again, especially when colder outside.

However, if I parked the car slightly lower on the passenger side where the oil filter is mounted, I could eliminate the rattle during start up. Apparently, even filters with silicone anti-drainback material didn't help. And larger/over sized filters were not the answer either and often made the rattle last longer, so I stayed with the OE spec filters.

My engine in fact did like thicker/heavier grade oils(W30/W40) for general-ness/everyday-ness as long as the first number was a 0W or 5W for those cold start ups. I didn't want/the engine didn't seem to like a 10W/15W except on an 80*-90* F July mornings so, I just stayed with mostly 5W30, 0W30/40 grades, temperature dependent.

 

[Okis14]

12 years after the first post, not bad. Thick oil saves the day, Mobil 1 runs the loudest from experience and Quaker State / Pennzoil European have run the quietest. Good to see hpl 0w-40 solved it, It's about .4-.5 hths more than Mobil 1 0w-40 so maybe that helped more?

Haha BITOG is great, I have learned so much over the years. I’m glad this rattle is quieter, I know everyone says it’s normal but it’s still hard to listen to every morning. Do you think the ester content has any effect on keeping the tensioners primed?

 

[Okis14]

My first VQ engine, an '04 Altima 2.5(VQ25DE) was the worst for start up rattle especially on cold mornings
(less so on warm-er mornings), when parked over night or just for long periods such as 8 hrs getting out of work.

The engine would also rattle if I didn't let oil pressure build up before starting off down the road, again, especially when colder outside.

However, if I parked the car slightly lower on the passenger side where the oil filter is mounted, I could eliminate the rattle during start up. Apparently, even filters with silicone anti-drainback material didn't help. And larger/over sized filters were not the answer either and often made the rattle last longer, so I stayed with the OE spec filters.

My engine in fact did like thicker/heavier grade oils(W30/W40) for general-ness/everyday-ness as long as the first number was a 0W or 5W for those cold start ups. I didn't want/the engine didn't seem to like a 10W/15W except on an 80*-90* F July mornings so, I just stayed with mostly 5W30, 0W30/40 grades, temperature dependent.

I was reading on another forum about parking on a decline to keep the oil over the sump or something along those lines. The engine is definitely quieter on 40 wt overall. I’m looking forward to the UOA.