# 1.6 liter Nissan engine,How dependable?



## NeHomesteader (May 27, 2003)

Hi,
We bought a 1999 Nissan Sentra last fall with 130+k on it. It has the 1.6 liter engine in it. Do you know how dependable they are? We have never owned a Nissan before. Previously i'd had a 1991 Honda with no problems. My husband is not overly fond of the car and thinks that this motor probably wont last due to it being so small. Can anyone tell me if they have ever owned one or had problems with them. Thanks alot,Dawn


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

We have a small Nissan truck from 1992, manual transmission. 4 cl. 2.4 Lt engine. It was inherited from family.

Its been beat to heck and treated like a big truck.
It has over 250k miles on it and still hauls one ton of hay with a 1 1/2 ton flat bed trailer.

We have never done any work on it other than tune ups and oil changes and brake pads.

She is starting to show her wear finally this year. She just started burning oil and eating gas. DH is doing an engine overhaul this summer.

I love that Nissan!!!


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## cfabe (Feb 27, 2005)

My brother has a 97 sentra with that engine with 230k miles on it and the engine is doing just fine. These engines also had a problem with the front crankshaft oil seal, but it's not a terribly hard part to replace. Took us about 3 hours in the driveway, never having done it before. If yours does start to leak you need to keep an eye on it. He actually got the car for free because it was leaking oil so bad and the owner thought it was junk, fixed it and has driven it another 80k miles so far, having to replace the seal agian once in there. 

He has also occasionally had a problem with the engine flooding on cold start when the temp is below 20F. He found out that if he pulled out the fuse for the fuel pump it would start, then he could put the fuse back in and it would run. I advised him to try it with the gas pedal all the way down, some cars use that to signal "flooded engine, give no fuel".

Overall ours has been a very dependable car, and the engine is in fine shape despite being run low on oil on a number of occasions due to the oil leaks. His is a manual transmission and the clutch is just barely holding on, but it's original and at 230k miles I think that's just fine. When the clutch is gone he will probably replace it himself and keep driving the thing.


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

I don't think a 1.6 litre engine is a 2400 pound car is undersized - especially to a point that would effect the longevity of the engine. I have a 1.6 litre in a Mazda 323, which is maybe 2200 pounds, and it is perhaps oversized.

According to Wikipedia, your engine :

The GA16DE is a robust extremely reliable little engine with a displacement of 1598cc's. In North America it was used in the 1991-1999 Sentra, 200SX, and NX models. Later-model GA16DE (95-99) engines had better cams, straighter intake ports and performed slightly better. Despite being designed for economy, GA16DE-powered cars are also somewhat popular in tuning circles, due to a smooth powerband and good response to bolt-on modifications. In the UK it featured in the first 3 incarnations of the Nissan Primera featuring good fuel economy and despite its low displacement sparky performance thanks to its Twin cams and 16valve configuration power (based on the 96-99 1.6 primera) is 98 bhp (73 kW) @ 6000 rpm.

Even if you ever had to replace your engine or transmission, there is lots of JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) replacements available - meaning very affordable and very high quality.


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## vallyfarm (Oct 24, 2006)

It is every bit as good as a Toyota 22R, and that is saying a lot. :goodjob: Without abuse 250,000 is fairly common. I know several friends that have WELL over 500,000 on them. The 2.4 truck engine is almost as good. Neither will set any speed or fuel efficency records, but my ex's sentra got around 34 mpg highway. My truck with the 2.4 gets around 20. Mike


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## NeHomesteader (May 27, 2003)

Thanks everyone for your great information. It makes me feel alot better about the car. I love it and it is in very good condition so I was hoping you'd say all this. I will say that you are right on saying that about the crankshaft oil seal because ours does leak. A very slow little leak but it still does. Should a person replace it now or wait? Thanks SO MUCh for your replies.Dawn


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## cfabe (Feb 27, 2005)

If you would be doing the repair yourself and can afford to have the car out of service for a couple days then I'd do it now. The part is under $20. If you're going to be paying for a mechanic to do it I'd wait until it gets really bad, just to save on the expense, because it's probably a 2-3 hour repair.


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## Jim S. (Apr 22, 2004)

Nissan makes good engines and good cars. They are engineered to run 200,000-plus miles with routine maintenance. My wife's 93 Sentra has 193,000-plus on the original clutch. Nissans are not "gew-whiz" trendy, but they are darned good cars equal to Hondas in longevity but without the high used sticker price. Best of luck with yours.


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## NeHomesteader (May 27, 2003)

When you talk about maintainance,other than routine oil changes etc, do you have to replace the timing belt on a Nissan like you do on a Toyota and Honda and if so,after how many miles? Thanks,Dawn


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

If you're going to be doing the maintenance and/or repairs yourself, you may want to consider purchasing a manual. Available from most auto parts stores, these manuals will show details for both repairs and maintenance - including when certain maintenance items should occur (like timing belts). 

Timing belts are one of those things which you do not want to have break - as depending on your engine, a broken timing belt can cause other damage. In most modern small engines, timing belts must be changed - usually around 55,000 miles or 4 years or so (perhaps your Nissan is a bit different).



dawn said:


> When you talk about maintainance,other than routine oil changes etc, do you have to replace the timing belt on a Nissan like you do on a Toyota and Honda and if so,after how many miles? Thanks,Dawn


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## cfabe (Feb 27, 2005)

As I recall the nissan 1.6 engine has a timing chain not a belt so it does not require timing belt replacement.


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