Check this before your powertrain warranty is up!
 

EDIT: not 60k, but before powertrain warranty is up. This is covered under the powertrain warranty (70k on first gen Gs). Issue applies to both coupes & sedans.

I've ran into a few VQ35DE motors so far that have had oil pooling between the spark plug tube seal and valve cover when removing coil pack over cylinder #6.


In the video it is an extreme example of what will eventually happen if there is a leak that goes unchecked. I was just about to swap my plugs out at 60k and also spotted oil pooling at cylinder #6. It's at the dealer right now and they already replaced both valve covers under warranty. I highly recommend pulling out coil pack #6 and confirming you don't have a leak there while you're still under warranty. The spark plug tube seals aren't sold separately, they only come with new valve covers. See the invoice attached:

Attachment 92682

Attachment 99301

mods, please sticky this

Is there a TSB?

How easy was it to change the plugs on the VQ? I haven't even bothered to look at where the hell the plugs are in the motor or if there is anything blocking access to them.... but if it's anything like any of my previous Nissan vehicles.... it will be easy to change witih very few, if any, parts in the way which need to be removed in order to get at the plugs.

Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep and Mitsubishi V6's are the absolute worst with how they situate the plugs on their vehicles motors. Most of them require removal of half the head to get at the rear 3 on their V6 FWD vehicles, and even the 4 Cylinder Jeep motors aren't that easy to change with the way they're setup with the intake mannifold and throttle body directly over the rear 2 plugs and requiring it be completely removed.

awesome info thanks :bowdown:

anyone else out there seeing this problem?

one quick question....doesn't this fall under the powertrain warranty???

Nice find man! I replaced my spark plugs and don't recall seeing any oil. I am way out of warantee, but i will check anyways!

-Sean

as far as I know, there isn't.

Yeah, it's pretty easy to change them. Check my DIY video thread for a video on how to replace the plugs.

I think most people won't know there is a problem until the try to swap the plugs out at 100k :(

invoice posted

I had the same oil issue when I replaced my plugs last weekend, except I had oil in BOTH far spark plug holes. I am guessing those are plugs 1 and 6. My valve cover gaskets have never been replaced and I am out of warranty since my car was manuf. in 2002, I forgot which month.
Let us know what the dealership said and what the significance of this is. My brother's Maxima has had oil leaking in there for the past 60k miles he has owned the car and it's just sitting there. His is a 2003 Maxima.

The dealership replaced the valve covers; the spark plug tube seals were busted, that's why oil was collecting in there. If enough oil collects in there, it will leak down into the spark plug tube(s). If the oil gets down there and gets on the firing end of the plug, it will foul the plug. Also, by having oil in there, it can cause problems in the ignition system if oil is coating the plug. Additionally, the oil will degrade the rubber coil pack(s) and foreign matter can easily be introduce into the clean oil supply.

+1 wouldn't it?

^^^ it should... Mods can you please sticky this...

Sticky is a great idea... I'm going to request this be looked at during my next oil change.

Why wouldn't it? As long as the engine is covered under powertrain then you are fine.

-Sean

Oh man... i'm scared to check mine, I'm assuming there isn't a DIY video for changing out the valve cover gasket yet, is there?

By the way, for anyone that wants to read up on the service manual, it's called a "rocker" cover(it should be the same thing right?).

From the looks of it...it has lots of pieces to remove just to get to it. :icon43:

There isn't a DIY vid for that yet, but if someone wants me to do theirs and film it, I'm all for it. I would've preferred to do mine as well, but the dealer was warrantying it so they had to do the work.

i just had my oil and plug changed out yesterday and it happened to me...for me it was on 1 and 3...i am going to my valve cover changed very soon....

Have heard more and more about this condition lately. On other G35 forums too.

Definitely will be checking this before warranty is up. Gotta just love those plastic valve covers lol.

yeah, i found the same problem when upgrading my plugs... i hadda buy a new valve cover.

how much did it run you and who installed them for you?

just noticed they didn't recalibrate my throttlebody... grrr!!! Pulled over to the side of the road and performed the procedure from memory :)

turn ignition to off position, wait at least 10 seconds.
turn ignition to on, wait 3 seconds
press and depress the gas pedal 5 time in 5 seconds
don't do anything for 7 seconds
hold down the accelerator pedal to the floor until CEL starts blinking, then release within 3 seconds after CEL is solid again.

:biggthumpup:

How hard is this to check by yourself? I'm ****ting my pants now.

Plastic?!?!....d@mn, all this time, never knew that. :o That explains the amount of parts on that list to be replaced.

No wonder it leaks. Any aftermarket metal valve covers out there?

Plastic Valve Covers....?
 

it's pretty easy to do. If you watch the spark plug replacement DIY video it will guide you through the process of removing each coil pack and then you could examine them to make sure there are no leaks.

I'm actually not so sure the valve covers are plastic; I don't think they are plastic actually, but I could be wrong.

I would love an aftermarket valve cover solution in something a little flashier than flat black ;)

I sure hope they're not, but they sure do look like it on here, at least the inside of it...

https://g35driver.com/forums/archived-sales/228595-fs-brand-new-valve-cover.html

I haven't done this yet, but after we take out the coil pack to see if it is leaking oil (like the video bythabay posted), in the case that there is a leak...do we just clean the oil off the coil pack, re-insert the coil pack, and call the dealer to set up an appointment?

Will it be okay to drive for a a week or two after cleaning off the oil and re-inserting the coil pack? The dealerships here take a week or two to set up an appointment.

Well there could be two possible scenarios.

a) oil will be pooling between the valve cover and the spark plug tube, but won't actually pour into the tube over the spark plug

b) oil would have already accumulated past the point of pooling, and will start filling in the spark plug tube

if you have condition A, there is nothing needed, just re-assemble and explain the condition to your dealer.

if you have condition B, clean out as much of the oil as you can (by using a cloth or paper towel to suck up the oil, or some other means). Next, clean off the coil pack, and apply some dielectric grease to the inside of the coil pack where it would normally contact the top of the plug - this will help ensure a good electrical connection by displacing any oil that might enter the area.

Awesome info.

I'm assuming that these areas circled in red is where the plastic melts or warps causing an oil leak into the plugs?

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/g...lip/cover2.jpg

I wonder if we can simply reposition the seal or O-rings....maybe apply some gasket sealant in these areas?

IMO, buying a new one will eventually melt and leak after being exposed to the heat. It's about $200 a cover for each side. If your out of warranty, that's $400 if your unfortunate to have leaks on both sides. That doesn't even include the gaskets. :eek: Man!... what a stupid design by nissan :7:

Thanks so much for all the info man. Your DIY's are incredible as well. Do we have to *re-calibrate* our throttle body like you did in one of your previous posts in this thread after checking the coil pack for oil leaks?

And is re-calibrating the throttle body any different for a 6MT vs 5AT?

Thanks again!

I would assume that a low mileage car with 26,000 miles should not have this issue... Is this an incorrect assumption?

Take solace the VQ engine is the only engine to be in Ward's Top 10 every year since competition started 14 yrs ago. :)

http://wardsauto.com/reports/2008/te...ssan_3-7l_v-6/

The throttle body re-learn only needs to be done if you disconnect the wiring harness from the Throttlebody. The reason I mentioned it was because after the dealer replaced my valvecovers, they forgot to do the relearn on the throttlebody and so my idle was off. It's the same procedure for 6mt and 5at

It's probably more a function of time rather than mileage; I'd say you never know. This is the kind of thing I'd recommend checking before your warranty runs out,so you can save yourself the hassle of having to spend money on new valve covers & the time to replace them.

Gotcha, thanks again for all the help on this issue!

maybe someone can volunteer to make some polished aluminum or stainless steel valve covers with replaceable o-rings? :)

Attachment 92771

this is what i wanted to verify and still confusing....some people that has disconnected the harness and even vigorously opened and closed the flap inside to clean it had no problems with idling, including myself.

https://g35driver.com/forums/engine-drivetrain-forced-induction/230164-high-idle-after-cleaning.html

is it disconnecting the battery? the harness? rev-up or non rev-up? opening and closing the flap inside when cleaning? It'd be great if we can narrow down the cause.

^^^ Why not just perform the simple TB reset procedure when in doubt???

I've read of some people having idling problems and can't recover even with the reset procedure. They were basically forced to go to the dealership.

Being out of warranty, I was just hoping that wouldn't happen to me in the future.

Oh ok gotcha. That is certainly a frustrating symptom to diagnose - so many things it could be attributed to, as you mentioned.

I think they probably just didn't do the reset correctly.

:2: i was thinking that too, especially the ones that's gone through about 3 different throttle bodies already, I'm like WTF, it can't be that bad. Still have me a little paranoid though.

From the other forums/threads I've read on this topic, they're a type of plastic. They're not metal that's for sure ;)

Good info here on resetting/recalibrating things with pedal method. 350Z is the same for G35's:

http://www.technosquareinc.com/350reset.htm