Check this before your powertrain warranty is up!

[bythabay]

Originally Posted by silverg35guy

Great Pictures! Is there a line somewhere on the powertrain warranty that says this leak is covered? Or do I need to call infinite services for a list?

The part is rocker cover / valve cover.

[bocatrip]

My 04 has 31,000 miles and the other day I smelled oil fumes for the first time coming into the passenger compartment. My oil has not been changed recently, and there were no cars near me to get this smell. Can this be a sympton of the same issue?

[4Dr.Madness.]

can dealerships say that one of your mods contributed to the oil leak? i have all the bolt ons, and i dont wanna here bs from the dealer.



QUOTE=bythabay;3825381]The part is rocker cover / valve cover.[/quote]

[SVTCOBRA]

Originally Posted by 4drmadness

can dealerships say that one of your mods contributed to the oil leak? i have all the bolt ons, and i dont wanna here bs from the dealer.



QUOTE=bythabay;3825381]The part is rocker cover / valve cover.

[/quote]

I think since it's a know issue, they wouldn't give you too much grief, but it depends on the dealership.

[shaf140]

During my 30/60 tuneup, Eugene checked my spark plugs to see if the tube leaks, and unfortunately they did. I had about 70,500 miles on it but I called up Peninsula Infiniti and told them my situation. i brought it in, they checked it, and they gave me a Goodwill fix and replaced all the valve covers. I guess I was lucky.

2003 AT G35 Coupe

[RISKINIT]

Well I just bought my "G" and it was about to hit 60k so I decided to check this issue sure enough it did have it there was plenty of oil in the well. Called local dealer in Orland Park, IL have an appointment this wednesday.

[suess 06]

i am new to these post but really glad i started reading these are their any after market covers

[allstockg35]

So do I actually need to pull out the spark plug to see if oil is pooling on the bottom or will I be able to see it right away when I remove the coil pack?

[bythabay]

Originally Posted by allstockg35

So do I actually need to pull out the spark plug to see if oil is pooling on the bottom or will I be able to see it right away when I remove the coil pack?

you'll see it right away when you pull the coil pack. Check the photos on page 1.

[SteveZ]

Originally Posted by suess 06

i am new to these post but really glad i started reading these are their any after market covers

None that I've seen other than maybe bling covers which will run more (only ones I've seen were powder-coated or chrome, not sure how they did that). Only reason to go that route would be if the gasket issue was replaceable, or a non-issue, or less $$$. Concern is that if AM covers leaked and you had damage, now you'd be outside warranty coverage...

[RISKINIT]

Well I finally got my G back today after like a week in the shop. They fixed the problem now it has an idle issue and its bogging very bad. They told me that its the MAF that is messed up. There is no cell does anyone know what this could be.

[5150DS]

Just found this on mine at 72k (passenger side rear cylinder), I am going to be pissed if they refuse to fix it. Maybe there needs to be a class action suit to extend the power train warranty to cover this.

[BeshoffBrian]

Hey guys, just tuned in on this thread. Better late than never. Thanks bythebay for the heads up

There are no SB on this condition as of this date. bythebay has obviously done a lot of research on this as evident from earlier postings, all of which we agree is accurate. We confirmed that the spark plug tube seals are not available separately, to replace them you must replace the 'rocker cover' which comes with the seals but interestingly not the valve cover gasket or plenum gaskets. Go figure!

Although theoretically the oil leaking into the tube could cause a problem with spark performance and resulting a drivability issue, in the limited cases we have seen, this has not happened. In each case we only found the condition only because we were in doing scheduled spark plug replacement.

Regarding warranty: If the time/mileage is under the power train warranty, this is a covered repair. Modification should not affect the dealership ability to warranty this condition. But again, it depends on whether the mod can conclusively have cause the symptom (unlikely) or if the mod adds additional labor to the replacement of the valve cover. I would imagine most dealers should work with you. It boils down to the dealer absorbing the difference in labor reimbursement Infiniti will provide from what it takes to do the job. I know we will

A number of posts reference the use of plastic valve covers as the cause. Its unlikely the material used in construction the cause of the leak. A lot of manufactures have switched to ‘composite’ (high tech name for fancy plastic) valve covers (some BMW M engines and M-B, heck even AMG’s 6.3 engine!)

The catch 22 of hanguk9117

Originally Posted by hanguk9117

I asked the dealership...and they said they can check, but if there is no issue then you have to pay for the service. If there is an issue, then they'll take care of it since its covered under warranty. In the case that there is no issue, the price they quoted me is $150.

This is a conundrum. While we are not going to recommend changes to the Infiniti service intervals, the performance enthusiast may want to consider replacing spark plugs earlier than 100,000 miles. While the plug will last that long, some people look for the performance edge. Lots of our customers change fluids before the maximum interval. (We have some customers that change oil at 2k mile intervals) Slightly early spark plugs can be considered in the same way and you consider to replace plugs at 6-yrs/70k mi. or during the 60k service. The overlap would be the ability to check the seal condition while under the warranty period. That beats paying a dealer to just to look. Just a thought regardless of who is doing your work.

Brian
Beshoff Infiniti

[SteveZ]

Originally Posted by BeshoffBrian

A number of posts reference the use of plastic valve covers as the cause. Its unlikely the material used in construction the cause of the leak. A lot of manufactures have switched to ‘composite’ (high tech name for fancy plastic) valve covers (some BMW M engines and M-B, heck even AMG’s 6.3 engine!)

Oh no, plastic has nothing really to do with it, every Nissan I've owned since 1991 (cars all) has had leakage after say ~3-5 years around the gasket for the VC/plug hole. KA24DE, SR20DE, now the VQ35DE. It's just this is the first one where you had to replace the entire cover just for a $10 ring gasket.

That's why this is a topic - if the gasket was available the same as older motors it wouldn't be nearly such a "big deal" for either of us. I just would have expected that sooner than later Nissan/Infiniti would start making VC's that don't leak oil onto my plugs...oh well

I am surprised not to see at least a TSB for this, and I don't see how plug(s) soaked in oil does not impact driveability - you just won't notice it perhaps before the plugs are due for replacement, and isn't it convenient that by the book is well past the warranty period expiration. Then you get to buy two rocker covers and pay for their replacement instead of two ring gaskets, that's harsh.

edit: but not as harsh as $1100 for a dual-mass FW, or $2400 brake jobs ($500 replacement rotors x 4 for the Brembo's) at 31k miles when I can buy Brembo 4 for $800...it's these kind of issues why I don't recommend the car to people any longer. I pity the kids buying used '03-'04's who have no warranty left and no idea what kind of service cost they're exposing themselves to. "You have a spark plug hole leak in your VC...$1000 please". Oops.

[bythabay]

Brian,

Thanks for your input on this issue. Do you have any contacts at nissan/infiniti that could help resolve this issue? I am assuming it would apply to all applications involving the VQ35DE.

Currently I am contacting different manufacturers for aftermarket solutions, but I have been unsuccessful so far.