yes primarily rev-up


doesnt hurt to check though...

 

I need to check my plugs and also my warranty status. I doubt a 03 holds any sort of warranty, even though I'm at 66K miles. How much oil are we usually talking about? Like everybody else I find it absurd to pay $200 for something that clearly should have been in the TSB. If its not a lot of oil. I say just clean it every oil change or every other oil change and put some dialectic grease on the coil pack and call it a day.

 

Parts are more than $200. The oil isn't going anywhere and the amount isn't going to draw down things overall. But, I was throwing random misfire codes. I don't know how much the coil packs and plug boots cost but when I had this happen on a KA24DE the flooded plug also was misfiring. That motor has zero VVL and can tolerate a lot. Not so sure I'd gamble a $5000 motor on $300 worth of parts (covers x2 at least $300). Pics here - mine on some were quite a bit of oil, most of the well was full.


VC_and_TB

quite a bit of oil as you can see from the level and this wasn't the worst of 3:

 

Exactly. Many people including myself are not going to drop this kind of cash, when 10-20-30K miles from now the same issue can occur. I haven't popped the coilpacks off yet, but from reading this it seems it is very easy. Thats why I say when you do an oil change just clean up the hole and the boot. Now if this issue is across multiple cylinders, then I would do the repair.

I can clearly see why this would cause misfire codes, but costing a motor? I don't see that happening, unless someone keeps driving with the misfire.

 

Good points, you'd have to be a moron to run it bad enough long enough to do any real damage, that's definitely an exaggeration. But those people are out there! I just cannot believe what for three other Nissans is a $10 gasket requires new covers, that is just crap for design. I usually do the plug hole gaskets about every 2-3 years on my SR20DE's if I have the VC off, just because it is so simple and cheap. That and since their VC design has built in eventual leakage if run the motors hard, I end up popping the covers for one reasons or another....

Thankfully at least this time, the dealer picked up the repair tab. I did have 3 of 6 so I didn't see it as optional, either. I would have just bought the covers and done it myself if they didn't allow it under warranty, not such a complicated job or anything. Just really have to do yourself a favor and remove the entire plenum, upper and lower, give yourself enough room - I think you could do it w/o removing the lower plenum half maybe, but it would be more of a PITA.

 

R&D Factory is talking about making replacement VC with replaceable gaskets... haven't heard/read an update about it though...

I hope they dont wait for a bunch of interest before deciding to make them... typically people aren't going to glamor all over something just because its an idea - but if made, they WILL sell!

 

Started replacing my plugs today. 6, 4, and 2 had a bit of wetness to them from oil....just a bit...didin't think much of it....

got to 1, 5, 3 and 1 had major oil in the coilpack before the plugs. i stopped there and called infiniti. bringing the car in on monday morning. i'm on an extended warranty till 100k.

 

Just wanted to update you all - thanks to this bulletin, I got mine repaired under warranty. Since my warranty runs out at 98k I feel that since this is now a documented issue on my car, if I have trouble with this same thing after 98k, they should still fix it at no cost since it is supposed to be fixed already.

 

Ok this is bull****. Have the ****ing covers been revised in any way or not? Wtf is the point of changing them for the same ones?

I guess making a custom gasket is a better way to go.

 

this scares me , i will change my spark plugs soon and see if this is the matter , hopefully not !

 

I hear you, it's pretty much damage control. At least now someone else paid for my parts and labor at 58k miles and just under 6 years ('04 with late '03 pickup) - no telling if it will last another 60k and 6 years, but by that time if I did have to replace it, I'd just buy the parts ($$$ ) and do it myself. Lots of time involved here, I just look at having had it done as dodging a $800 repair bill.

Props to the OP,too, that info was very helpful in getting them to honor this under the last few months of my Powertrain warranty. They had the car all day, there's a lot of crap in the way to replace these that has to come off the top of the motor.

You should have time with your MY unless you racked up 70k+ miles, just check it until end of warranty. Having the gaskets integral with the damn covers and not replaceable, that just sucks. Otherwise this would be $20-40 worth of parts, my other motor spark plug seals on the SR20 or KA24, I change when I do the VC which only stays leak free usually for ~6 years, too. But those seals cost about 10 bucks, that's the difference.

No way to know if the material has been changed, or if they will last better - if they last as well, then I'm at 110-120k and 12 years. I'd be ok with having to pay for one set in 120k miles.

 

That's not acceptable at all. Actually this whole deal with people getting refurbished/new engines and still burning oil is not acceptable AT ALL. Even a built motor will have the same problem with the valve covers. And even though 60k miles is about 5 years of service it's still not acceptable.
**** Nissan. They should of ****ing revised the covers and PCV system years ago. And I not interested in a ****ing HR or VHR in a 3700lbs 2nd gen.

Now I have to check my mothers Murano too even if it's not a Revup.

 

What I really want to know is what the **** happened between the VQ30 and VQ35???

The VQ30 didn't ****ing eat oil not even passed 200k miles and the valve covers didn't leak oil in the spark plug tubes even when they leaked outside the cylinder heads. I changed spark plugs and coils on a 140k mile Maxima and had NOTHING in there. Original ****ing covers too.

 

nissan never fixed the problem in any of the vq's.

Why would they? they just have the customer pay for a new one. shady business

4th gen maximas
5th gen maximas
altimas
etc etc

http://www.freshalloy.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=136199
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...g-chamber.html
http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...eak-again.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...2094934AALD9nE


it looks like the maxima guys are using 6th gen valve covers to fix the problem.

 

Yeah, replacing "*******" leaking VC's is right up there with needing a "*******" replacement engine.

Stay on "*******" topic, pleeeze.