Three problems related to engine head gasket leaking have been reported for the 2002 Nissan Altima. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Nissan Altima based on all problems reported for the 2002 Altima.
Valve cover gasket leaked oil on the ignition coils causing the engine to not crank. I had car towed to mechanic. The mechanic said the valve cover gasket leaked oil on the ignition coils. I had just replaced all 4 of the ignition coils over the course of the last year and a half due to them going bad one by one. While driving in the city, an ignition coil would go bad, causing the car to sputter and shake badly as if trying to stall in traffic and while stationary. The engine light also was flashing. Very scary for me. This happened 3 separate times as each coil went bad. When the valve cover gasket allowed oil to leak on the ignition coils, an ignition coil had to be replaced again.
Car was diagnosed with a head gasket leak, consistent details with all the other noted head gasket failures.
1. The failure found at June, 6 2008 at mileage 65,000 miles 2. It has misfire code cause by very small cylinder head gasket leak 3. The gasket is replaced and the head cylinder is resurfaced.