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Anonymous Posted on May 01, 2009

I have a 2002 nissan altima 2.5L with an oil leak but why is the oil always black shortly after a change or fill?

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  • Anonymous May 01, 2009

    no, i was reffering to the oil in the engine

  • Anonymous May 01, 2009

    o ok. i understood about the dirt but this is like the next time i check it. it also have a bad rattle to it now. how can that be fixed?

  • Anonymous May 01, 2009

    engine. sounds more on top around the heads and spark plugs area

  • Anonymous May 01, 2009

    this is my first time on here so im new to this and i didn't give a rating... i don't even know how yet...i appreciate anything anyone can tell me. i thank you for what you for your input

  • Anonymous May 15, 2009

    I have the very same problem with my 2003 Nissan Altima. It drank almost 10 quarts of oil in less than 3000 miles. Top it off the oil is pitch black when it is full. 

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  • Posted on Mar 15, 2010
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Black engine oil after an oil change can mean a severly worn lower half of an engine possible main bearings.

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If you are talking about the spot being black on concrete or the oil on the bottom of the engine?
Oil loves dirt also depending on the type of filter you are using will determine the color or how clean your oil is. I recommend using WIX they are not cheap but they do work. After a couple of oil changes you will notice your oil will not appear so black. The black is deposits in the oil.I also recommend using a good brand name oil that won't break down and changing every 3000mi.

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  • Anonymous May 01, 2009

    Well this should still have answered your question but if not I will go into more detail. When your engine is running it will build up deposits in the oil (carbon and broken down oil molecules, acids) if the filter is not removing these it will appear black. Or if you are using a cheap oil it will break down sooner, or if the oil isn't changed regularly it will be black

  • Anonymous May 01, 2009

    Is it a body rattle or an engine rattle

  • Anonymous May 01, 2009

    I see that you gave me an innappropriate rating that was unnecessary. This is a free service to you and costs me my time. I hope someone else can help you I won't

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Healeyman

mike kirschbaum

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  • Posted on May 01, 2009

SOURCE: 2002 Nissan Altima with an oil leak

Don't forget to change the filter with each oil change. When you change the oil, the soot from combustion sticks to the inside of the motor and does not all come out with the oil. Also there is always a little old oil here and there in the motor that does not drain out, and that will give it's color to the new oil. You can have your motor rinsed, but it is more important to change the filter regularly. Stay with one brand of oil, don't switch around. You can change the viscosity (30w/40w) from summer to winter. It's not a great idea to have thick oil in a motor if it gets below freezing outside. A rattle can be a heat shield coming loose, you'll have to have help to find it.

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2002 Nissan Altima 5 speed. The engine is always surging up and down.

Question edited for clarity and maker.
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Clean Throttle Body and Mass Air flow Sensor (MAF). Check oil level and top up to the upper line.

https://www.google.com/search?q=2002+nissan+altima+clean+throttle+body

..
tip

Troubleshooting oil leaks on Nissan Altima

    Your Altima uses a variety of different oils to lubricate various components. Normally, these oils won't leak. But when you do find a leak, you will almost always need to have extensive work done on your Altima to correct the problem. However, before you can replace anything, you need to know what kind of oil it is
    Check for brown or black oil leaking on the ground or on the side of the engine. This is engine oil. It lubricates critical engine components. A leak means that an engine seal has failed and needs to be replaced

    Check for red oil. Red oil is trans fluid. On your Altima, it most likely means that you have a rear main seal on the transmission that has failed. However, any seal on the transmission is possible. Transmission leaks need to be fixed immediately. A transmission can fail catastrophically in 20 minutes of driving if there is insufficient oil in the transmission

    Check for amber or brown oil leaking from your trans. This is transmission gear oil found only on the manual version of the Nissan Altima.

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2answers

2002 nissan altima that starts but has low idea and when i hit the gas there is black smoke.

well black smoke means you are burning up engine oil. low idle means you have less compression. you might want to check your gaskets! does th engine oil level go down after a drive?
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Leaking oil from the back of the engine

Here is a basic write up for troubleshooting a engine oil leak

http://www.ehow.com/how_5953916_troubleshoot-leak-1995-nissan-altima.html


Hope this helps

Positive feedback ALWAYS welcome :)
0helpful
1answer

Engine

A leak that large is should be very very easy to spot.

Put a piece of cardboard under your engine after it has cooled down and see where the oil falls.

Than you can look from above to see where the leaks is realative to the engines critical oil sealing points.

Hey...you could have a rusted out oil filter too! Or...something major like a engine seal leak. Your oil pan could be punctured too!

If you go to an oil change place they will inspect the undercarriage as part of their service.....maybe they would tip you off as to whats leaking? It wouldn't cost much more or less than a visit to a mechanic for a checkup.

Good luck and be careful.
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2answers

Nissan altima 2002 burning excesive oil what to

You have to identify where the oil is leaking. Check the spark plugs if it has oil, you may just need to replace the oil seal in the plugs. If you meant actual burning from the exhaust, you may want to check the head gasket and the piston rings if the oil seeps into the combustion chamber.
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1answer

My 2002 altima has an oil leak... but why is the oil in the engine always black even after i fill it or i change it?

I cant help you solve your leak problem without more information... but... your oil will be black from a mixture of carbon deposits and acid. Some of this is from the blow-by when the fuel is ignited in the combustion chamber, some is from the oil breaking down when heated by the engines high tempurature. The more frequently you change the oil along with using very high quality oil (like a fully synthetic oil), the less carbon will be built up. Some people rarely change the engine oil, after a while (a few yrs of infrequent oil changes) the carbon will be substantial enough to blacken very recently changed oil.

The moral of the story, oil is cheap, engines aren't. Change your oil frequently it really does matter. IMHO
0helpful
1answer

2002 Nissan Altima with an oil leak

Don't forget to change the filter with each oil change. When you change the oil, the soot from combustion sticks to the inside of the motor and does not all come out with the oil. Also there is always a little old oil here and there in the motor that does not drain out, and that will give it's color to the new oil. You can have your motor rinsed, but it is more important to change the filter regularly. Stay with one brand of oil, don't switch around. You can change the viscosity (30w/40w) from summer to winter. It's not a great idea to have thick oil in a motor if it gets below freezing outside. A rattle can be a heat shield coming loose, you'll have to have help to find it.
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