Hey guys, So Ive been having some issues with my G lately. I thought they were only minor issues but I think theres some big problems going on.
It started out with my startups being sluggish and the car not turning on after it being warmed up and driven around.
I checked the codes and I was getting cam shaft sensor codes. So I went ahead and replaced all 3 with Hitachi brand sensors. The problem persists. The car still wont start if I was previously driving. It will only start after it cools down.
But nows there is something else going on which Im not sure if its related or some thing else.

I was out driving just now and the service engine light came on blinking. I checked the code and pulled a P0301 Misfire. The car was driving like ****. 1st gear the engine felt like it was sputtering. Is this completely unrelated?
Is this something I can fix pretty easly myself? I really dont want to take it to a dealership that i dont trust. Does anyone have any good mechanics they can recommend? If any of you guys are good with G's and want to make some money let me know. I trust one of you guys more than the dealership.

 

A lot of people on here report problems with anything other than OEM cam/crank sensors, even if the aftermarket sensors "seem" to work at first. I would return the Hitachis and install OEM sensors from Amazon before doing anything else. Do you still have a code for those?

The misfire is more than likely something you can fix yourself with a little troubleshooting. It's either a fuel or spark problem. The first thing to do is to change the spark plugs if they're old and inspect the old ones for oil contamination or other problems. If you have enough oil in your spark plug wells that it contaminates the working surfaces of the plug, that's your problem.

My P0301 misfire was caused by a bad coil pack. At first it throw P0301 and then eventually starting throwing codes for a specific cylinder which was the one with the bad coil pack,.

If it's misfiring on random cylinders (check with a scan tool) it's something affecting the entire system - think fuel delivery problems or something like that, which are generally easy fixes. Somebody else can chime in here.

My recommendations:
1) Install OEM cam sensors
2) Inspect and/or replace spark plugs
3) With engine idling (and missing), unplug one coil pack. If the misfire gets worse, that coil pack is fine. Plug it back in, move onto the next pack. If you unplug one and nothing seems to change, it's bad and you should replace it

You'll probably hear from more people with more troubleshooting steps but these should get you a good start on ruling the simple things out.

 

I thought Hitachi was the OEM sensors for these cars.
Im going to switch coil packs around right now. Im really hoping thats the misfire problem and not low compression. Im going to buy a compression checker and check this weekend.
Im just puzzled on the sluggish startup problem persisting. It sucks because if for some reason I stall the car I cant start it back up.

 

Hitachi is a good brand but these are the only OE sensors: Hard starting is a symptom of bad sensors but I'm afraid I can't give you much more than that.

Low compression would cause a misfire on just one cylinder, not a random misfire like what you're getting, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Oil in the spark plug wells is a super common problem with our cars, and that could easily be your problem. If you wanted peace of mind you could check compression while you're changing the plugs.

 

csw is partially right. Use only sensors from Nissan and beware of brands like OEM etc. Yes they're more expensive but our cars prefer them and the peace of mind is worth the cost. OP you said you replaced all 3, unless you have a rev-up motor you only have 2 camshaft sensors. You also have a crankshaft position sensor so maybe that's what you mean.

The 0301 code is NOT an random misfire code. It indicates an issue with cylinder 1 which is the closest to the front of the car on the passenger side. That's the cool thing about the P03** codes, 0300 is a random cylinder misfire and the rest indicate which cylinder is malfunctioning. Follow csw's advice with the coil packs and the sensors then let us know if that fixes the issue.

 

Oops, thanks for the correction! Not sure why I thought he had the random code, doh.

 

Hard to crank or start when hot is usually signs of a failing starter, the solenoid gets hot and fails to engage or cranks super sluggish.

Check your coil pack on cylinder 1 for blistering on the epoxy resin cap, scorching or fouling in the spark plugs and we'll, corrosion on the contact spring insude the spark plugs and we'll. You can also just swap to a different cylinder and see if the problem changes the P30# code to a different cylinder.

Be sure to pull the plug to look for signs of contamination or damage.

 

That sounds like that could be the problem with regards to the the starter. It fires up great everytime in the morning But after it runs a while it won't start again. I haven't come across this explanation yet on the forum so thanks. Any way being able to tell if the stater is indeed bad(visual check, etc)

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Thinking about it I recently washed the engine bay. I covered the alternator and electrical parts but possibly y didn't cover good enough. Wonder if that has anything to do with it

 

Possible, normally I dont EVER recommend using water in the engine bay, too many electrical harness and sentive equipment. Spray cleaner on a rag and wipe things down, use detail brushes to get into crevices.

U fortunately it's REALLY hard to test for a heat saturation starter problem, I've used a heat gun while someone else watches surface temp with an infrared temp gun on a test bench with limited success.

 

Thx for the advice so far. Had to take an Uber to work today. Ill have all weekend to get this sorted out....hopefully.
On a happier note my Varrstoen ES2's came in today. Got a hell of a deal on Ebay. Got all 4 wheels for $400 and some change brand new.
I guess this vendor handles open box returns and discounts them by a lot. Was llucky to come upon it.

Also question for anyone who knows a thing or two on G20's. Im thinking about buying a 2002 G20 for a around $1500. I want a 4 cyl I can rack some miles
on and was wondering if these are reliable cars. I feel better having a 2nd car around as a backup just in case more **** like this will happen to my G.

 

Personally if you want the most reliable vehicle ever made look into an XV20 Toyota Camry (1996-2001). You can pick them up for about $2500 or less for a nice clean one and occasionally you find a super low mileage one for about $5-7k, you can't go wrong with one, they're almost NEVER abused (unlike Honda Civics) and typically last till 300k miles.

 

Alright so got an update.

Got to pulling out cylinders 1 and 3 this morning. When I pulled out the coil pack on cylinder 1 the head of the coil pack actually separated from the rest of the body. So I had to fish out body of the coil pack with some
needle nose pliers. Also pulled out the spark plug. Spark plug looks fine. The coil pack had some oil on the end and some corrosion where the head and the body meet. I re attached the head and installed it into cyl 3.

Put everything back together and fired the car up. No codes detected. Took a drive to the post office and it seems to be running fine now. Ill probably get some replacement coil packs anyways as its probably time anyway
to change them all. Id like to do a lot more maintenance as well such as valve cover/ gasket replacing, new clutch, new belts, etc.
Going to see if a new starter will remedy the issue Im having with sluggish/ no start up. If not Ill pony up and buy the $100 sensors....Im still confused on that tho. Ive done a lot of research on these cam sensors and Ive read that the Hitachi sensors are what the manufacture use. They are the OEM sensors. If anyone knows for sure would love to know.

 

When you say there was oil on the coil pack boot did you happen to look down into the cylinder to see if it had oil at the bottom? Did the spark plugs come out completely covered in oil at the top? A known point of failure is the valve cover splark plug well well seals and when they fail you end up with motor oil in the spark plugs and we'll and it can cause the exact same issue you were having. Definitely something to keep an eye on.

Yes Hitachi makes OEM sensors for many vehicles but they were not the supplier for the G35, there is a lot of disception in the industry about what is actual OEM parts and what is an aftermarket part built to OEM spec.

 

Another update :
​​​​​​Found a used oem starter locally on offer up for $30.
Installed it yesterday and car fires right up every time now.
I didn't realize how slow my car would crank until now It starts up super fast.
Had a bitch of a time getting it installed because the nuts were rusted. I noticed that 'hard to get off bolts' are the only issues I have with DIY maitinece. Everything else is usually straight forward and simple.
Anyways appreciate all the advice and help. Car is back to running great.