P0011 and P0021 2004 G35 Coupe
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P0011 and P0021 2004 G35 Coupe
Hey all. Completely new to the Infiniti world... I recently purchased an 04 G with 120,000 miles on it for an absolute steal (<$2k). It runs well, except that it keeps throwing a P0011 and P0021 no matter how many times I reset it or change the oil. It doesn't start hard and idles perfectly. It mayyyy be losing some power, but since I've never driven any other G35 and it's the first time driving this one, I can't really say.
I've been reading that this is almost definitely an oil pressure issue, since the solenoids are essentially run off of oil pressure. The thing is, I just hooked an analog oil pressure gauge to the sending unit port and the oil pressure at idle reads 20 psi and reads ~60 psi at 4,000 rpm, which seems well within spec. To further complicate matters, I noticed that the PO replaced the VVT solenoid on bank 1 with a new Dorman unit, which leads me to believe this isn't a solenoid issue either. Oil used was Mobil 1 5w-30 with a Mobil 1 filter, at the appropriate level.
Since I got this car for so cheap, it's sort of serving as a project for me, but at this point I need to know if it's a problem even worth fixing. So, what do you think would cause this on a VQ35DE??
I've been reading that this is almost definitely an oil pressure issue, since the solenoids are essentially run off of oil pressure. The thing is, I just hooked an analog oil pressure gauge to the sending unit port and the oil pressure at idle reads 20 psi and reads ~60 psi at 4,000 rpm, which seems well within spec. To further complicate matters, I noticed that the PO replaced the VVT solenoid on bank 1 with a new Dorman unit, which leads me to believe this isn't a solenoid issue either. Oil used was Mobil 1 5w-30 with a Mobil 1 filter, at the appropriate level.
Since I got this car for so cheap, it's sort of serving as a project for me, but at this point I need to know if it's a problem even worth fixing. So, what do you think would cause this on a VQ35DE??
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Basically what that code says is there's a difference between what it EXPECTS the cam angle to be and what it's actually reading via the cam sensors.
Could be the actuators themselves if the solenoid is not opening properly.
Could be the cam phase sensors reading improper signals off the cam signal plate
However since there has already been one actuator replaced and it's UNLIKELY that both cam phase sensors are reading the wrong value my gut is saying the timing chain has skipped a notch (or two). This can easily happen while swapping out the water pump if you don't keep tension on it the entire time.
It would be worth the $30 bucks to get a cheap off the shelf cam sensor for one side to see if the error goes away. Normally I wouldn't recommend throwing parts at a problem (or recommend non-OEM cam sensors...) without actually troubleshooting but taking the timing cover off is fairly intensive and it would be worth the $30 if that actually fixed the problem.
Could be the actuators themselves if the solenoid is not opening properly.
Could be the cam phase sensors reading improper signals off the cam signal plate
However since there has already been one actuator replaced and it's UNLIKELY that both cam phase sensors are reading the wrong value my gut is saying the timing chain has skipped a notch (or two). This can easily happen while swapping out the water pump if you don't keep tension on it the entire time.
It would be worth the $30 bucks to get a cheap off the shelf cam sensor for one side to see if the error goes away. Normally I wouldn't recommend throwing parts at a problem (or recommend non-OEM cam sensors...) without actually troubleshooting but taking the timing cover off is fairly intensive and it would be worth the $30 if that actually fixed the problem.
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Thanks so much for the reply. Since the oil pressure reads so well, can we definitely rule out any issues regarding oil getting to the actuators? I’ve been reading about the vq35HR’s having the internal gasket blow out, which starves the solenoids of the necessary oil pressure. That isn’t an issue with the DE, correct? And even if it was, wouldn’t the oil pressure reading reflect that?
So, as you said, that probably leaves us with a human error resulting from an incorrect assembly of something in the past. Once I have the valve cover off, can I easily verify that the timing chain is on the proper position on the cam gear?
Assuming that the chain is in the correct position, and a cam sensor doesn’t fix it, what else is left? There are some posts online with people saying that their flywheel was installed in the incorrect position after a clutch install. Not sure if the clutch has ever been replaced on this thing, but it seems to be newer based on its action, so maybe that could be something to look at?
Thanks so much again for the help. I have pretty extensive experience in the German car and domestic truck world, but this is my first time jumping into anything Japanese, let alone something like a G35.
So, as you said, that probably leaves us with a human error resulting from an incorrect assembly of something in the past. Once I have the valve cover off, can I easily verify that the timing chain is on the proper position on the cam gear?
Assuming that the chain is in the correct position, and a cam sensor doesn’t fix it, what else is left? There are some posts online with people saying that their flywheel was installed in the incorrect position after a clutch install. Not sure if the clutch has ever been replaced on this thing, but it seems to be newer based on its action, so maybe that could be something to look at?
Thanks so much again for the help. I have pretty extensive experience in the German car and domestic truck world, but this is my first time jumping into anything Japanese, let alone something like a G35.
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Correct the pressure issue was an HR problem, you can't check timing from the valve cover it requires removal of the.TIMING cover which is covers the entire front of the motor.
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My first suspect would be that VVT solenoid that was previously replaced. Aftermarket parts on these engines is a hit or miss deal sometimes. Admittedly, a solenoid should just plain function or not but a wrecking yard piece shouldn't be too expensive just to test the theory.
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