2004 Spec V questions/clarifications

[Racer 49]

I know these items have been discussed many times but I am hoping to gather all of the answers in one location.

I'm looking at a 45,000 mile, 2004, Spec V. However, I'm nervous after reading about the pre-cat issues and the butterfly screws.

Are there any "safe" years? Were these problems corrected for 2004? (it doesn't look like it)

Were there recalls and fixes for the 2004 cars?

What percentage of cars run into these problems? Is it inevitable that 100%of the cars will have these problems?

Is there a mileage that once it is passed the car is safe from these issues?

I may be re-locating to the Dallas area and it looks like their emission testing is by OBDII scanning? With a header replacement are there any code issues or would the car pass an OBDII test.

Thanks for any info provided. I realize all the info is out there but its scattered and tough to dig out.

[boyrs]

i have an 02 ser that i drove 'till 85K before doing the butterfly and precat fixes, the screws where all tight before i did the locktite, and the precat hadn't failed, but when i took it off the upper screen was distorted but not broken.

Don't know about the 04-06, but have heard they were suppose to be void of those problems. but the butterfly screw fix is real simple and cheap (only thing that really costs is the gasket if you replace it, which i did because of the miles, but others have said they didn't) and as far as the header, i've heard the second o2 sensor is behind the cat on 04-06 sentras, so eliminating the pre-cat shouldn't throw a code, i have my second o2 sensor on the header so i had to get a spacer (or ghetto sim) to keep mine from throwing a code. my car passes emissions just fine, but they do a mirror check on my cat to make sure i don't replace my down pipe.

you can get the VIN and call nissan to see if there are any current recalls for it. personally think the risk of the problems increase greatly in relation to how aggressive the car is driven.

[Racer 49]

Thanks for the reply. I love the car on paper but am unsure because of these potential problems. Part of me doesn't mind putting a header on the car if it passes emissions. However, this will also be an autocross car and I don't really want to bump out of stock. I'll have to think some more.

[lilgee88]

im almost pretty sure they corrected those problems for the 04-06

[WILL88]

hello everyone, im a current owner of a 99 altima, and want to change my ride, I started seeing 2004 sentras SPEC-v's and have no clue about them. I have heard so many issues on 2002's in regards to MAF's and other sensors that I really want to know what is the situation with these cars I saw one with 63K miles on it....

all comments and issues are welcome, situation is that Im in Costa Rica and parts here are very expensive so I really want to know what to look for, I have owned a 200sx, altima and am looking for something newer this year..

thanks

[boyrs]

I like the sentra look better, but personally think you'd be happier with an 04 Altima SE-R, the 3.5 makes it worth the extra $ if you can find one.

about the sentra, my buddy has a stock 05 spec v and hasn't had any major problems with it and he drives it pretty rough. with the FSM and ordering parts online, you should be able to keep basic maintenance and fix minor problems without having to rape your bank account...

[WILL88]

Originally Posted by boyrs

I like the sentra look better, but personally think you'd be happier with an 04 Altima SE-R, the 3.5 makes it worth the extra $ if you can find one.

about the sentra, my buddy has a stock 05 spec v and hasn't had any major problems with it and he drives it pretty rough. with the FSM and ordering parts online, you should be able to keep basic maintenance and fix minor problems without having to rape your bank account...

ars are almost double the price in the US, for example those altimas are almost $20K, and the specv is like $11K

any issues with the MAFs?

[boyrs]

2004 Nissan Altima - Private Party Pricing Report - Kelley Blue Book

2004 Nissan Sentra - Private Party Pricing Report - Kelley Blue Book

under $3K difference on the used third-party, but it's ur location that would make it difficult to find a decent price.

you'd need to ask in altima forums about the MAF in those... as far as my exp. with sentras, neither mine (02) or my buddy's (05) have had issues with the MAF, but we might just be lucky. I have seen several posts on this board dealing with MAFs, but not sure the conditions that caused the MAF to go bad so I can't really help confirm anything there. a bad filter or water ingestion could easily screw any MAF up.