2013 Nissan Sentra aka Sylphy

**17Sphynx17** · March 21st, 2022 04:49 PM

Radiator Fan recently konked out. Luckily, I was already outside the house before the car overheated.

Was able to check coolant levels and found it between min and max. So the volume going up to max probably evaporated due to previous events where the radiator fan wasn't kicking in already.

Had it done outside casa, same shop that does my family's aircon repair here. Replace Fan Motor, cost me around 4k and got it back already.

Also bought Nissan Coolant for the Sylphy, 1 bottle from Nissan to refill the tank back to Max Level. 350php for 1 bottle.

Can't blame the car for having the fan fail since I could barely use it daily, much less weekly due to COVID. Something was bound to break.

**17Sphynx17** · September 29th, 2022 10:49 PM

Just had the Sylphy serviced over the weekend. At 40k kms mileage, they performed a "50k PMS". It is 8 years old so I have no qualms and I did request it be a "heavy" PMS because it has been 3 years since they checked the car.

- They didn't replace the spark plugs even after 3 years so that was a good thing for me at least that they didn't need replacing. They are Iridium Plugs required, even for the 1.6 NA Engine.
- They saw the tachometer issue that I has been a recurring persistent issue whenever the car hasn't been used for 2 days or more. They said that have managed to "adjust" and "correct" the malfunctioning tachometer analog reading. Haven't used the car yet so I don't know, but I will see it if is working already next time without needing for a full car restart. The fix ended up resetting the digital readings of the car, except the odometer. Battery was also clearly unplugged as the radio lost all the saved stations.
- I requested CVT reset, check MAF Sensor and checking if Throttle Body needs cleaning as I felt when in gear and full stop there is "some shudder"/idle seems to drop below minimum sometimes. After PMS, issue seems resolved from what I could see on my drive after pickup.

- I may come back to have the car worked on again for FR Suspension replacement as I have delayed having it done for more than 3 years already. I already checked outside Casa and there are no OEM shock absorbers and/or shock mounts. And Nissan branded ones still are ordered through Nissan PH anyway, so might as well have it done in the Dealer Casa as the price I got wasn't too far off from what I got from Nissan. But I'll just defer it for 3 mos to 6 mos max.

- Due to the suspension issue repair pending, alignment couldn't be done. So I most likely am suffering from "uneven" tire wear though it isn't prevalent yet on my Yokohama Bluearths. They have only 20k kms on them approx and I have them rotated every 10k kms at least. Still no apparent "drift" on any direction when traveling at 60-90kph so I think, if ever there is an alignment issue, it isn't as major.

**17Sphynx17** · August 20th, 2023 02:09 PM

Just making an update.

Since PMS last year, only clocked around 1500kms. Not doing as much travelling for work nowadays.

But, reason for post. It has been about 4.5 years since my last (First) CVTF change. It has only been around +/-15,000kms clocked since I've first had it changed. I felt the transmission seldomly slip between (Simulated) 2nd & 3rd gear though rare. So I brought it in for a possible CVT Reset/Firmware update as I had my car battery changed a few months earlier.

Diagnosis they found is the sensor detected a "CVT Degredation" of 66XXX which meant the CVT Fluid was already dirty and in need of replacement. I had it done, but it turns out, my CVT Filter was also gunked up. Perhaps because the Sylphy is almost a "garage queen" due to infrequent use, my guess is that hastened the build up. No metals were found when they drained my CVT Fluid but because the filter needed to be replace (Can't just be cleaned), it needed to be ordered from the plant, so it added another few days.

Few thoughts I had in this service.
1) Since there is actually a physical sensor in the CVT that does log the degredation rate, and the findings via computer diagnosis showed this, I wonder why there is no warning light on the dash for this? Seems odd. Do other JP Brand vehicles have this warning light for the likes of Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Subaru? I am curious
2) As it has been a while, I looked at the service booklet again. During my first CVTF change for the Sylphy, the original discussion with service technicians at Nissan was CVTF change was every 40,000kms (no time mentioned). I remember this specifically as I had mine done under 30,000kms, where the car was almost 5 years old. In the booklet, it actually mentioned CVTF needs to be changed at 100,000kms or 60months (whichever comes first) - but for normal driving conditions. So, I am in the ball park when it comes to the number of months before CVTF needs changing on both occasions I've had it done.

**dr. d** · August 20th, 2023 07:38 PM

comment lang,
"ang dami namang problema ang sylphy mo!"

**17Sphynx17** · August 20th, 2023 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by dr. d

comment lang,
"ang dami namang problema ang sylphy mo!"

I personally think it is regular maintenance items that I report due to my (lack of) usage to be honest.

In my time owning the vehicle, my regular usage of the vehicle (number of kms per year) has been tapering down since 2017 and the lockdowns made sure I didn't even reach 5k kms in a year.

CVTF change is something really important, and in the 9 years I've owned it, this is just the 2nd time I'm having it done (interval being close to the maximum interval when I started noticing some slipping - seldom)

So rather than "maraming problema", I'd say par for the course, especially if madalang gamitin. Yung mga nagstuck up like Aux fan and dirt build up sa radiator dahil nga nakapark lang madalas at di napapaandar. Swerte na nga hindi kinain ng daga yung wiring. hehe!

**moneyp** · August 21st, 2023 12:43 PM

Anybody know which nissan dealer is a good place to get replacement part. I need replacement rack and pinion for my 2015 sylphy.

Thank you in advance.

**17Sphynx17** · August 21st, 2023 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by moneyp

Anybody know which nissan dealer is a good place to get replacement part. I need replacement rack and pinion for my 2015 sylphy.

Thank you in advance.

Nissan Philippines Dealer Locator - Autohub Group

You can try calling one of the autohub dealers near you

Nissan North Edsa Service (not under autohub) 09177132221 is the number you can try to call this dealer as well.

Upside if you buy and have it done by Nissan, there should be a limited warranty (parts w/labor is 6months the last I checked), but you can verify with them.

Price wise, as the Sylphy wasn't much of a seller, price is practically the same bought through Nissan Dealer or Casa/Service Shop (+ markup).

Good luck