giggsyson Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 evening everyone, after some much needed help / advice. my 350z has been working fine, no issues....until today Drove it earlier, was all fine. Returned to car about an hour or so later and as i tried to start it it sounded like it wasnt going to start but then it fired up but my engine management light, traction control light and the one with the car + slippery lines all illuminated. I drove the car back and all was fine, it sounded fine, felt fine. Got home, turned it off to try and start it again and it did the same again - sounded like it just wasnt going to start. We have had a lot of rain etc recently and I drive down country lanes on my way to work so my car picks up a lot of mud / dust etc. could this have interfered with a senson or am i looking at something more hefty? any ideas? Thank you David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Have you got a code reader or done the pedal dance to find out what the error code was? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giggsyson Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 Hi thanks for the reply No, not yet. Im at work tonight so I will have to have a go at that later. I was just wondering if anyone might have had a similar experience and perhaps point me in the right direction as im not very good with technical stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Check your battery. Zed's do crazy stuff on a duff battery. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giggsyson Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 Well its funny you mention the battery mate, i noticed something the other day when i started the car i already had the wipers turned on and when i turned the ignition on the wipers seemed very sluggish compared to normal. the volt meter seems to read ok but is that a reliable read out? if its anything like the fuel gauge then i guess not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giggsyson Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 i dont know if this has anything to do with it but ive been using the z for daily driving for the last 2-3 months. my journey to work is only around 8-9 miles (some motorways) could this be draining the battery quick and therfore chucking up the issues ive mentioned? The slow starting etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Voltmeter is just a gimmick. You need to put a meter across it and check the voltage. 12v when not running, 14v when running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giggsyson Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 ah ok. Assuming my car starts in 12 hours time I will get it home and plugged into our battery reader at home and give it a full charge whilst i hunt out a battery for her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris AME Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Get your codes read, could be a camshaft or crankshaft position sensor if it turns over for a few seconds before coming to life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 The sluggish wiperrs might suggest the battery is on the way out - not sure how old your ZED is but we are hearing of more battery failures (obviously) as the cars get older. Do the headlights also brighten up when you rev the engine? - another sign of a weak battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giggsyson Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 cheers - i will attempt the pedal dance! if it is one of those sensors you mentioned are they expensive / easy to fit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giggsyson Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 my zed is on a 54 plate so is pretty old. Sure ive seen somewhere amongst the piles of receipts that I have with the car that its had a new battery but I couldnt really say for certain when. I havent noticed the lights to be honest mate, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Unlikely but also check the fuse box by the battery, this has been known to flood and cause weird problems ( noticed you said about the rain) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilster Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Sounds like battery. Z battery is pretty small so won't be a massive expense. Hopefully nothing more serious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Sure ive seen somewhere amongst the piles of receipts that I have with the car that its had a new battery but I couldnt really say for certain when. My original battery lasted just 2 years, mainly because the Zed had little use and stood on the drive for several weeks at a time. I obviously don't know the history of your car but if it stood on a dealers forecourt for several weeks/months then the battery life will be shortened by a considerable amount. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilster Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Check battery terminals also give them a scrub and bit of grease. I had a bmw bought a new battery and it turned out nothing wrong with the old one just crap on the connectors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giggsyson Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 cheers for the responses guys. Just to add, i went back out and started the car up from cold and it did the exact same, seemed to struggle but then fired up but there was a slight noise that ive never heard before, the noise disappears when i dip the clutch and returned when i lifted the clutch. I did this several times and each time the noise would disappear and then come back. Its a hard noise to describe. its not a rattle or anything like that and its not loud but it is noticeable.... im scared! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 cheers for the responses guys. Just to add, i went back out and started the car up from cold and it did the exact same, seemed to struggle but then fired up but there was a slight noise that ive never heard before, the noise disappears when i dip the clutch and returned when i lifted the clutch. I did this several times and each time the noise would disappear and then come back. Its a hard noise to describe. its not a rattle or anything like that and its not loud but it is noticeable.... im scared! That is almost certainly the thrust bearing - quite normal and I suspect that given your starting issues you are just paying keen attention to what is going on with your car, which you have never had to do before, but the bearing noise has probably been there all the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350zedd Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Check your earth connections are clean and bare metal while you're at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giggsyson Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 ah - i feel a little foolsih now. I did have the door open at the time which i normally would do so i suppose thats why i noticed it just then. So tomorrow i shall look at the battery, maybe give it a full charge? and do the pedal dance? would that clear the lights initially? then if there is something wrong with a sensor id imagine they will come back on? again, i apologise if these all seem like obvious questions but im not great at this stuff and my 350 has been pretty much bullet proof so ive not had to learn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 :lol: let the paranoia begin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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