I wouldn't bet my life on it, but I highly doubt there is any connection. I'm pretty sue if there was any link to these failures and the type of oil used that Nissan would have been all over it (remember all the ester oil crap) as a way to avoid paying for repairs that otherwise do fall within warranty periods. IMHO, if you just think about the ridiculous pressures these little paper gaskets are subjected to, it's little wonder they don't hold up, regardless of which oil is being used to push them out.

It is an old tired bit if misinformation that modern (i.e. since circa 1980) synthetics CAUSE leaks in cars, old or not. The earliest synthetics did use a composition that was hard on seals, but those days are long, long gone. Nothing about any synthetic sold since those old days will cause the slightest damage or deterioration to your engine seals, in fact they most likely keep them more properly conditioned so they last even longer!.

Nowadays, when people perceive that their car leaks after switching to synthetics, it is only because the molecular structure of the oil is more 'slippery' and, unlike its average petroleum based counterpart, will easily find its way past seals that have already degraded. Additionally, the improved detergent action in most synthetics will clean up varnish that has been acting as a defacto "calking" around tired seals, which further allows the slipperier oil to seep on past them.

In either of these cases though, it is not the synthetic which has caused the leak, it merely found them where they already existed.

 

Update: Out of curiosity I tried Lucas Oil (stop a leak) the P0011 has not appeared in almost 3K miles and the car is running fine.I'm not a fan of using oil additives that could later have an effect on the engine, but I has already 123K miles and If i try to trade it in I would get roughly 5k according to Edmunds. It is not a magic Fix but I refuse to pay over $2K to change the seals on a car that will be driven by a girl back and forth the neighborhood high School and college.

 

Hi guys first time poster, sorry if this was covered.

Do both P0011 and P0021 simultaneously show up together for a blown gasket? I had a cel with just p0011 on both banks but not p0021. I think I know the answer to my question is to get a pressure test to be sure, and that's what I plan, but in the meantime I'm still curious.

Thanks!

 

No, I don't think that a p0021 will ALWAYS show up in tandem with a P0011. It may very well happen, but I do not believe it is any kind of a rule. Sadly, if you get either one, you should pretty much figure you're screwed. Sorry, and good luck on your repairs.

 

Thanks and ouch. I figure chances are probably pretty low of a bad sensor on both banks. I'll do a pressure test soon. Either way I've already decided im getting it fixed, I love the car so much and its been reliable so far. It still has plenty of life left and if this is one of the only major repairs for the next few years then I'll be happy. Even Subaru eventually fessed up to their gaskets and extended the warranty, shame on Nissan for ignoring this.

 

Definitely check your OP first; no sense in opening her up unnecessarily, but yeah, if you get that code, it's almost a given. Painful as it may be, please do follow up and post back here with your discovery/results. It always helps to add more experiences here to the collective knowledge base.

 

Hey guys, thanks for all the useful info here.

My '07 has over 73K miles on it and i'm about to take it to the dealer for a check-up, since my Elite Warranty Expires at the end of the month.

I'm going to have them check the oil pressure just in case.

So the info that's needed for this test is:

"On page LU-19 of FSM they say the following is normal.

650RPM - more than 14psi

2K RPM - more than 43 psi

@ oil temp of 176* - which is NOT fully warmed up"


“there is no way that it should be reading 90 psi at 2k rpm unless the oil was too cold or was of a higher than normal viscosity”

Provided that the conditions above are met, anything lover than 14 & 43 would be an issue.

 

I have an 04 coupe with 121k miles and these codes have been on for about 2k miles...
If I take the Intake Valve Timing Solenoids off and clean them or replace them, will this fix the P0011/P0021 codes?

 

Okay I'm rebuilding my 04 g35 after that gasket on the back blew out and lost all my oil pressure and spun a rod bearing I went to the dealership and showed them the part number that I found on here but when I got it it did not fit must be for an HR motor? But if anyone can help me find one for my year model that be great!

 

Hey guys, what symptoms do you get from the P0011? Just wondering what the symptoms are leading to the code being shown. Thanks!

 

What is the recommended course of action if I am out of warranty yet want to mitigate the long term risk of driving the car without spending thousands on replacing this gasket? I have 150k miles on my 07 G35s. I have the infamous codes also....should I be thinking about trading in my car before catastrophic motor failure?

 

What exactly are you asking here? You say you already HAVE the codes, yet you want to mitigate the long term risk of having to spend thousands to fix it. What risk is there when you have already developed symptoms? Your nightmare has already arrived; it's here now! You either fix it or watch it deteriorate further.

As far as whether or not you should trade in the car at this point; I guess that's up to you to decide whether or not it makes financial sense. I will say that it would be completely unethical for you to trade and/or sell the car without disclosing the problem to the new owner, so don't forget to assume a depreciated value for the car in its current state of "needing immediate maintenance"; anything less would be completely sleazy!

 

Thanks for your response. I phrased my question haphazardly. What I meant to ask was "What are the greater risks of driving a car that displays such symptoms?" I can continue to drive the car with the codes but I was wondering if it will lead to eventual engine failure.

Nonetheless, thank you for your response.

I would never sell the car to another owner without disclosing such information. However, I would trust that a car appraisal by a dealer or a business such as Carmax would take the condition of the car and any of the codes into consideration before offering a trade-in value. I wouldn't go as far to point out every flaw that I've ever come across in the history of owning the car.

 

Well, as we know, the root cause of the problem is the failure of gasket(s) that seal an internal gallery that directs pressurized oil to critical components of the engine which rely on there being very high hydraulic pressures to carry out their specific functions properly. Two such critical engine functions are the variable intake valve timing control and tensioning of the timing chains.

When proper oil pressure is not maintained, typically the first outward indication is the inability to advance the rotation of the intake camshaft as necessary, and hence the P0011 and P0021 engine codes appear. Additionally, the timing chains will be loose and contributing to even more valve timing error by this point. Further, your engine relies on oil pressure for general lubrication as well, so a loss of system pressure effects virtually every moving/rubbing part in the engine.

By the time you are showing the P0011/P0021 codes, you are already experiencing degraded engine performance and some degree of decreased lubrication, so engine wear is substantially increased already. Eventually, it will trigger the low-oil-pressure lamp too. At that point, you may have virtually no oil pressure at idle and at low rpms, so YES, bearing damage, throwing a timing chain, and eventual engine failure becomes quite possible too.

As to how long your engine can continue to operate like this, I can't say. Some people have noted that they drove that way for months. To my way of thinking, it's a little bit like asking: "How long can I play Russian roulette before I cant anymore?" Oil is your engine's life-blood, and oil pressure is your engine blood pressure, so think about your doctor telling you that your blood pressure is 70/40 and that you needed immediate attention, but you're asking about how long you can go if you don't do anything?

 

Recently my 2005 G35x (about 160,xxx miles) started making a loud clicking noise and was made worse when I accelerated. It also popped the P0011 code about the same time. I checked my oil and there was NOTHING! Since my car is older I am very good about basic maintenance and I am well within the mileage before needing another change. If the gaskets are the answer whats the general expense, DIY and shop?