Good morning my gurus in the house.i have a v6 2004 nissan xterra with 154+ miles on it.and i have recently noticed a ringing sound evidently from the throttle body area.it was while checking out which part of the engine the noise is coming from that i noticed oil seeping out from the side of the engine...on both sides of the V.(i will post pictures to back my illustration)...that discovery put paid to why i had been losing oil and perceiving burnt oil...cos the oil seeps out and drops on the exhaust manifold.i have weighed it,and i think the ringing sound is from the camshaft.is there anybody that have had similar experience and can share?cos i want to know what the culprit is,and also to have solution profered.it rings only on high revv and has reduced slightly after i drained and changed the oil lastweek.also,there is no service engine soon light on.cc nissparts...cityNG..GAZZUZZ...siena et al

I thnk your gasket is blown from overheating which actually explains the 'pinging'- name for the 'ringing' sound you mentioned.

We are waiting for the experts.

BTT,thanks for your input sir.i dont have a blown top gasket as you suggested.altho at first i thought there might be a blockage in the cooling system and was planning to take the radiator for a wash before i den ruled it out.the sound is truly similar to overheating,but then it isnt. siena,sir,your analogy on black gum(or blue gum as the case may be)got me laughing.cos i have been told that black/blue gum is the solution.i was also told that oil isnt getting to the camshaft and thats why the ringing sound is there.i was told to open each valve cover and put a little oil in it before applying blue gum and then covering it..i will try to make the video as you av asked me to and den post it here

Do you know what a broken heat shield bolt sound like?

sultaan: Do you know what a broken heat shield bolt sound like?

oga sultaan,i honestly dont know.but dis sound coming from the area under the third picture i posted....

I always like to start from the easiest things first, unless it is inside the engine it not a major problem,

That metal shield in first pic is heat shield if a bolt on it is loose or broke it will be tapping/clanking on the engine just needs to be bolted back on but since we can't really know what your "ringing" sound is like just take a flashlight and look for loose missing bolt on compenents

Remember there heat shied on the catalytic converter too.

Oga sultaan,i have a feeling that its from the engine.as it doesnt sound except i revv the engine....mr siena sir,can i have your email addy?so as to send you the video via that medium?

You need two things.

1) Change your valve cover gasket. Please source a Nissan one as it will pay off in the long run. Clean all surfaces and maybe use some sealant (just a dab on both surfaces). There's shouldn't be a drop of oil past your gaskets when done right. This is one of my pet peeves.

2) Get yourself an auto stethoscope. A simple one is fine but you can get elaborate with electronic ones if you wish. I have a simple one in my collection. I've never had a need to buy the more advanced ones though I do handle them in stores. It's a really useful tool.

How was the issue sorted out