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Engine cam chain and variable valve timing


kevlar

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Hi all,

 

I have had an on / off issue since my car went in for a service in February whereby the engine would stutter when accelerating.

I phoned the dealership right away (as it started doing this on the way home from them) and they looked at it and could find no issues.

 

It happened very rarely.

 

The car went in to a different dealership to look at some issues with the suspension and i mentioned this engine stutter.

 

After investigations they have found it has been running low on Oil, I admit recently I have forgot to check it as have been very busy.

However it has never used any oil the whole time I have owned it.

Nissan have discovered that the cam chain has stretched beyond tolerances and the variable valve timing sprockets may also need changing. They don't know the full extent until it is looked at further obviously.

 

So far they have quoted in the region of £3500 - £4500 to fix it. I'm reluctant to take it straight there, is there somewhere in the Bristol area ish that people would recommend taking a zed for engine work?

 

Thanks for your help!

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Cant help with a place to do work, but I would advise taking it to a specialist for a second opinion, the engine dose really need to come out to change the cam chain however it can be done in situ, but I think that pricing is rather steep to say the least even with the cost of Nissan parts.

 

What sort of mileage has the engine covered?

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I thought it was steep too guys but had no reference to cost for a new change etc.

It's done 82k and is a 2004 model. Such a shame it's in this state.

 

I was thinking of another car for that price too!!

 

I guess the hardest part is finding a specialist around here, I don't know of any 😜

Edited by kevlar
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Firstly I would be checking the servicing dealership's work as it is a bit of a coincidence that the fault only started on the way home from service.

 

Secondly, stretched chains resulting in missfire usually throw up a code.

 

Finally, a new genuine Nissan 3 x chain kit, slippers, guides and tensioners costs circa £350.00.

 

20 hours labour is ample for this job so depending on hourly labour charge, £1800.00 should cover it.

 

The job can be completed with engine out or insitu.

 

If you remove the front bumper, radiator support panel, radiator and condenser then access to the front chain cover becomes much easier without engine removal, and is doable in 10 hours to replace the chains etc with engine insitu.

 

As has already been said, best to get a second/third opinion from a VQ35DE specialist.

 

Alex. :)

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Thanks for the reply Alex, always good to hear your opinion :)

 

Agreed about the servicing dealership, although I'm not sure I can really do anything about that as it is my word against theirs and no real proof.

I'm going to phone around today and see what people can do regarding the cost.

 

Would it be possible to source the parts through you Alex? It may need variable valve timing sprockets too apparently. They cant be sure until the chain is done.

 

What does worry me though is that there maybe further damage such as piston rings as it could be burning oil. So the Nissan final bill could be even higher!

Edited by kevlar
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Unfortunately the servicing dealer will not except liability, but what I am saying is that the missfire may be down to "bad" servicing so this should be looked at this first. ie: plug issue, coil pack issue, wrong grade/viscosity of oil which may be effecting the operation of the VVT.

 

Before you start phoning around for prices, I would highly recommend that you get the car to a 350Z VQ35DE specialist for an informed diagnoses on the fault.

 

I have plenty preowned low mileage VVT sprockets etc. in stock so that will save you considerable cash if they are required, however the teeth are not prone to wear on the sprockets.

 

Regarding oil consumption, only you will know how much oil you are having to put in every 1000 miles.

 

With respect, you are putting the cart before the horse, so unless you have money to burn, best to get a proper professional diagnoses from a specialist, which can be done without removing and stripping the engine.

 

Regarding the chain kit, I can send you over a link where these can be purchased.

 

Alex. :)

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Thanks Alex you are a star! I was so gutted getting the news yesterday as I really do not want to get rid of the zed.

 

I'm guilty of not checking the oil recently (not good i know!), the car never has burnt any oil. Although the damn dip stick on the early cars make checking a pain in the arse!

 

Hopefully the sprockets are ok, good to know you have some though :)

I'll phone FCM Motorsport at lunch as I've heard/read good things about them and see what they have to say, they are only down the road from the dealership so it's possible to get the car to them to look at.

 

Feeling a bit more positive about the situation now thanks!

 

Oh and thanks for the advice, I've never had engine issues like this on a car before so am learning the ropes :lol:

Edited by kevlar
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  • 1 month later...

Thought I'd update as have been down to FCM Motorsport, John is a top guy and can recommend him. He knows jap cars for sure!

He doesn't think it is a timing chain issue and believed there was oil getting into the variable valve timing through a leaky gasket. (sorry can't remember exact details as was a while ago!)

 

I have fitted new spark plugs this weekend and in the process found that one was loose on bank 2 (one at the back) to the point where you could turn it with your fingers!!

Cleaned the throttle body and MAF while I was in there.

 

Also noticed that there was oil in the spark plug tubes for the back to cylinders. On reading it sounds like a common thing to occur on the VQ35DE and needs gasket and valve seal kit replacing?

 

I thought that the problem may improve now there is no loose spark plugs but it still stutters and runs rough with CEL on. I sometimes get a stutter and CEL is on with ESP and Slip light.

 

Oxygen sensor code has flagged on bank 2 previously however I couldn't see any codes when trying on the weekend. From my understanding an Oxygen sensor could mean that other things are wrong such as a bad coil pack causing issues that the sensor is flagging...

 

Not sure if to get new oxygen sensors next or maybe best to test the coil packs somehow?

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Bank 2 O2 sensors are primarily used for cat monitoring and not fueling, bank 1 is the primary O2 sensors, you would need to monitor the sensor voltages through diagnostics to see if you have any problems, but if your not getting any codes flagged it makes things a little more difficult.

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So Bank 2 O2 are the ones after the cat?

 

I'm not sure which ones were flagged now :(

I've ordered an OBDII reader to hopefully be able to read the code, I borrowed the other one for the day and maybe it is not reading all the codes.

 

The other codes that were logged previously were timing issues on both banks.

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Thanks Alex, now I know I'm not going completely mad. Only a little which I've been told is good ;)

 

I feel like the next course of action is a bit of a lottery on my car, felt an improvement with the new plugs but there is obviously still an issue :(

It seems like it is at it's worst on cold/damp mornings

Edited by kevlar
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Just took the zed out as now have an OBD2 reader. The car stuttered when leaving my street not long after starting.

CEL, VSC and ESP lights where on...

 

Logged P0340 fault code for cam sensor, makes me worried that it could still be a stretched chain :(

Heard people have replaced the sensors and all is fine, maybe worth a shot!

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  • 3 months later...

Been a while, but this has now been resolved so thought I'd let you know what caused it...

 

The eventually wouldn't start and the battery also went dead as it had sat for a while as I tried to decide the best course of action :p.

So I had it transported over to the guys at Horsham Developments.

 

After some deep thinking and investigation on their part they discovered that the flywheel had been fitted incorrectly when I had it changed along with the clutch over 1.5 years ago :scare: The crank position sensor had also given up the ghost. (along with a cam sensor needing swapping).

 

The zed has had a full service now also and it runs like new, so nice to be able to enjoy the car once again.

 

I cannot thank Jez and Craig enough at Horsham Developments, those guys are great and listened to my ramblings and made sense of it to get the car back in shape. Can't recommend them enough!!

 

Big thanks guys, I now know where my zed should go for any work :D

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