Hello everyone,
This is my first post here and I'm in need of some advice.

I am the original owner of a 2003 G35 Sedan with 70k miles. I've done regular maintenance since day 1 and the car has always ran like a champ.

The last month or so, I had been driving a lot with the tank on or close to empty. Yes, I know this is bad for the car and throughout it's life, I've always used 91 and had a min of 1/4 tank. One day, with the gas light on, the car just died. I turned the engine over and it would start and start but nothing. After a few tries of long starts, the engined picked up again but this time the Service Engine, and all other lights in the dash lite up.

I have driven the car since then for two full tanks of gas worth of miles but it has died on me a good 10 times (under load or no load). I used fuel injector cleaner with a 1/2 tank of gas but it did no good.

The funny thing is, since then the Service Engine light has not gone away and the car starts and drives just like normal with the light on. The second it starts turning off again, other lights like the VSC, etc light up and then it takes the car longer to start up (maybe 5-8 seconds) as opposed to the normal start of one second.

I am almost certain it's my fault for driving with the gas light on, but what do you guys think?

Is there a way i can reset or read the code myself?

Thanks for any input you may have.

I can say it won't go below 1/2 tank from now on, but lesson learned a bit late.

 

the obvious first step would be to get an OBDII scanner and read the code. they are not expensive

no need to assume that driving on a low tank caused your symptoms. for all you know you might have a dirty maf sensor.

no need to put liquid placebo in your tank either

 

advance or autozone can read the codes for free

 

Or take it to a Nissan or Infiniti dealer, they can diagnose the problem for you.

 

Don't take it to Infiniti, they will charge you $125 just to look at it.

 

I would guess a bad crank or cam sensor.

 

Sounds like the dreaded Cam Position Sensor demon.

 

WOW!!! that sucks man! hope you get it fix soon and let us know on the updates.

 

Cam Position Sensor
This could be the problem ^

Get it scanned, and change the sensor yourself. It was like a $500 job at the dealership for me.

 

Your fuel pump could b going bad IMO but everybody is gunna give you there best guess. The best thing to do is get the scanner or take it to someone to scan it and tell you the codes that comes you can research the codes to find out exactly what's wrong. Please don't go to the stealership they will charge you a fee to look at it and to come to find out the problem could be very minor. Hope everything works out keep us updated.

 

Sucks. Good luck

 

Thanks everyone for your replies. I ended up buying an ODBII scanner from Auto Zone for $60 and doing the scan myself. It turns out they don't offer the free scan in CA due to regulations. Anyway... I scanned the car and there was one code for P0340. I looked it up and it says "Camshaft Position Sensor A - Bank 1 Circuit Malfunction".

I cleared the code and the Service Engine light went off. Drove the car to work and back today and on mile 36 the car died and then again at mile 42. Both times the car started right up and no service engine light came on either time. I had my scan tool with me so I pulled over and did a quick scan on the side of the road and the P0340 code was the only code.

What do you guys think? From what I've read from others, this sensor appears to go bad at around 70 - 90k miles on these cars. I'm not about to pay $500 to the Stealer to fix so maybe I'll give it a go myself. Has anyone ever done one of these or know of a DIY with pictures?

Thanks again to everyone for your thought and 2 cents!




 

I just had mine replaced (there's two of them) about a month ago. I did not do it myself, had a local shop (charges as much as the dealership, but much more trustworthy) replace them. Same code, same sensor. He suggested replacing them both since they were the same age. The parts were around $200-$225 (I think one was $100 and the other was $120) and he charged me approx $150 labor (think I was charged for two hours).

Before you do anything, check out infinitihelp.com. There is a recall on the 03 cam position sensors for certain models (requires a VIN check). You may be able to get it done for no or little out of pocket. The campain number is ITB03-072. If you are not a member, you'll have to sign up to be able to download and view the PDF file. I tried to attach it, but it's too large. It's also a possibility that it's already posted somewhere on this site. A quick search may discover this.
GL!
rob.g

 

Absolutely right... I found the recall below:
2003 Infiniti G35 Recall ID from NHTSA: 03V455000
Auto Recall Date: 11/17/2003
Vehicle Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Estimated Vehicles Affected: 630000
2003 INFINITI G35 Defect Summary:
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR OR CAM POSITION SENSOR MAY HAVE AN IMPROPER SOLDER JOINT DUE TO SOLDER DEFORMATION CAUSED BY HEAT STRESS ACCELERATED BY THE EXISTENCE OF FLUX RESIDUE DURING THE SOLDERING PROCESS.
Defect Consequence:
THIS COULD CAUSE THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" WARNING LIGHT TO COME ON, CREATE A NO START CONDITION, CAUSE REDUCED ENGINE POWER, OR CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING DURING VEHICLE OPERATION, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANK POSITION SENSORS. CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR(S), AND IN SOME CASES, THE VARIABLE TIMING CONTROL SENSOR(S). VEHICLES INVOLVED IN A PREVIOUS RECALL CAMPAIGN, 01V357, ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS NEW CAMPAIGN. THE REPLACEMENT SENSORS USED IN THAT CAMPAIGN ARE ALSO AFFECTED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON DECEMBER 22, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200.
Notes: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC., R3021/R3022

If I register for infinitihelp.com will I be able to do the vin check there?

Thanks for your help!

 

Here's the VIN range (in red): If you register, you'll be able to download the entire campaign.

CAMPAIGN I.D.# / NHTSA #: R3021 / 03V-345
APPLIED VEHICLES: 2002-03 I35 (CA33)
2003 G35 Sedan (V35)
2003 G35 Coupe (CV35)
2003 M45 (Y34)
2002 Q45 (F50)
APPLIED VINS: I35
JNKDA*1**2T 000033 – 032047
JNKDA*1**3T 100004 – 100005
G35
JNKCV****3M 000030 – 021207
M45
JNKAY*1**3M 000042 – 000066
Q45
JNKBF*1**2M 000090 - 008703
APPLIED ENGINES: VQ35DE and VK45DE
NOTE: Use Service Comm. to confirm campaign eligibility.
INTRODUCTION
Infiniti has determined that some 2002-2003 model year Infiniti vehicles may have a defect which relates to
motor vehicle safety. The engine might stop running while being driven if the crank position sensor or cam
position sensor fails. This may also result in the “Service Engine Soon” light coming on or reduced engine
power. If the engine stops running while driving, this could result in a crash without warning.