My son's 2006 G35X is throwing both the P0345 and P0021. The P0345 was first and I had the sensor replaced. It also had/has VDC OFF and SLIP lights lit. Within 20 minutes of getting the car back, it threw the P0021. Again, shortly after getting the car back, it is throwing both codes again. After reading through this site, I initially thought he might have the oil gallery gasket problem described here: https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-sed...ous-about.html I checked his VIN and it says the vehicle has the VQ35DE engine, not the VQ35HR. I'm not seeing that the DE has this problem. In addition, the oil was low a couple of quarts, so that was added and then the oil changed several days later. I had reset the codes and it seems to run fine at lower speeds, but when you run at highway speeds, it gets very rough and shutters and the codes and lights come back on. The day the first code was thrown, it stalled out in the middle of a busy road. The oil was sludgy initially, so I thought maybe I should add some Marvel Mystery Oil to both the oil and fuel as was described in some other posts. I need advice on what my next step should be.

 

How many miles are on his car? Sensor failure at high mileage (over 100K) is very common for our motors. The P0345 is a faulty camshaft position sensor on the driver's side of the motor and the P0021 can also indicate that the same sensor has failed or that the crankshaft position sensor is failing. The important factor though is replacement sensors should only be OEM to be sure the car will play nice with them. Some members have used aftermarket sensors successfully but far more of us have had disappointing experiences. Ask the mechanic and see if he used aftermarket or OEM, my guess is he used aftermarket. If he'll allow you to provide the parts the best place to buy OEM is on Amazon, they're usually 30-40 percent cheaper. I'd recommend replacing the 2 camshaft position sensors and the crankshaft position sensor all at once. They're actually very easy to DIY if you have someone with basic car repair skills in your circle of friends. HTH

 

It has a little over 100,000 on it. The camshaft bank2 and crankshaft were replaced with OEM parts. My son took the car for a drive this morning for a few miles. A couple of hours later it wouldn't start and is now throwing P0300. That's the first time that code has come up throughout all of this.

 

P0300 Random cylinder misfire, has anyone pulled the spark plugs recently? If not I would definitely do a full inspection of the plugs AND the coil packs. Look for scorching or discoloration of the spark plug well boot, corrosion of the contact spring inside the spark plug well boot, bulging/cracking/scorching of the epoxy resin encapsulation (black flat shiny part on top). If the plugs have 60k on them just plan on replacing them all with OEM plugs NGK PLFR5A-11

Still possible it's a bad cam/crank sensor though, one of the benefits of taking the vehicle to Nissan for a diagnostic is they can read the ACTUAL SENSOR ITSELF with an oscillator to determine if it's actually good or actually bad. No guesswork, the dealership software Consult-II or III can do much more than generic diagnostic machines at most mechanic shops.

 

Thanks for the info. Brand new plugs were put in when we have the 1st sensor replaced. I just checked the receipt. They are part number 5343 which comes back Denso IKH16. The other part numbers are 23796-EG22A and 23731-AL61A. Having the vehicle towed to the dealer shortly. They won't be able to look at it until tomorrow.

 

Denso IKH16 is the Denso equivalent of the NGK LFR5AIX11 plug. They are both irridium plugs where the G35 came OEM with platinum plugs, irridium ones are typically regarded as an upgraded plug over the platinum and using those Denso's is not going to CAUSE a problem like you are suggesting so I doubt the plugs are the problem. The mechanic will know more when they're removed and inspected though.

23796-EG22A is the driver side cam ACTUATION SOLENOID, this was likely replaced in an attempt to resolve code P0021

23731-AL61A is the driver side cam phase sensor, this was likely replaced in an attempt to resolve code P0345

How those two codes relate to actual engine function, the engine reads cam position via the phase sensor and makes adjustment to cam timing using the solenoid. The solenoid uses OIL PRESSURE to physically turn the cams, the engine expects a certain movement and compares the values it's receiving back from the phase sensor. If it doesn't detect the cam is moving the correct amount or if it doesn't detect the proper signal from the cam sensor it will send diagnostic trouble codes (DTC's are those P#### codes) and a service engine light.

I suspect the issue is all related to the oil problems, being 2qt low on oil causes a drastic drop in pressure, the actuator is driven on oil pressure. Having "sludgy" oil as you say can also cause a problem with the cam actuator, I suggest having the oil AND FILTER replaced with the proper viscocity oil, it's possible you have a bad filter causing the problems. It's also possible that running the engine 2qt low on oil (yikes btw...) damaged the camshafts, there are little keyways cut into the end where the phase sensor is (signal plate), those keyways are basically a magnetic pickup that the phase sensor reads, it's possible the oil got cooked inside the valve cover and damaged something, the engine will not show signs of overheating because the liquid cooling system is still functioning but moving parts will get SUBSTANTIALLY hotter due to poor lubrication. There is also a small metal screen filter for the cam actuator to keep debris from the oil from entering the solenoid, your mechanic can remove the actuator and visibly inspect the oil passageway for any debris possibly also related to the low oil problem that may be blocking oil flow, he will need to replace the O-ring on the actuator probably, I think they are technically a single use item.

The good news is your mechanic did use Nissan OEM parts. The crank sensor might still be the culprit but it's not currently sending a DTC so I would direct them to start with the possible oil problems.

Drive it into your son to check the oil level in his vehicle WEEKLY, preferrably first thing in the morning before it's been started for the day, $5k for a motor is no fun, these problems were likely caused because of it...

 

I just got a call from the Infiniti dealer. They said that the timing is thrown off and they are going to write me up an estimate and send it to me tomorrow. They also said I might want to just completely replace the engine. Either way, it doesn't look good.

 

Yeah the amount of time and labor required (for the Infiniti dealership) to break the motor down to figure out EXACTLY what is clogging up the actuator and throwing off the timing you would probably be better off cutting your losses on the vehicle. The cost of a NEW motor at their going labor rate which I think requires 25 hours for the engine swap plug the cost of a motor (even a used motor will be over $1500 at their price, new is around $5k) you're already exceeding the actual value of the vehicle.

Probably best to sell it as-is and try to get $2500 out of it if it has a clean interior/exterior, if you were able to do all the work yourself for the motor swap then it would only end up costing you about $1500-$2k after a couple other replacement parts that you might as well replace while the motor is out.

If your son is a new driver I highly recommend a basic Honda Civic, they're incredibly bullet proof and you can typically get a newer (thus less potential issues) model for the same price you would be paying for a luxury sports coupe/sedan like the G35.

 

Thank you for your input. I'm still waiting for the estimate from the dealership. We got slammed with a snow storm and half their staff didn't show up for work on Friday.
In the last year, I've had the Y pipe replaced, belts replaced, new tires about 4 months ago, new sensors and new plugs. If anyone wants it for $1500, I'd let it go. It may end up in a salvage yard. I'm outside Albany, NY area. I'll be deciding in the next few days what to do with it. Worst case scenario, it's getting towed back to my house.
Son is now looking at this, but I'm concerned it could develop the rear gallery gasket problem that's about 2K to fix. https://www.southpointautoplaza.com/...Y_17349384.veh
Also looked at this today: http://www.superautocare.com/2013-Ho...7/Details.aspx

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

That G37 is equipped with a different motor than you are thinking. It has the VQ37VHR not the VQ35HR. The VHR is a very solid motor and I wouldnt expect any issues aside from typical 100k mile problems, plus it has the benefit of being an AWD model which it sounds like you need in you area. Downsides are almost strictly monetary given the increased cost of insurance and fuel economy over the Civic.

The Civic is a solid choice as well and will likely have a longer lifespan as long as your son isn't recklessly banging gears and knows how to properly drive a manual transmission.

However something sounds INCREDIBLY FISHY about an '09 G37x coupe selling for only $10k.... I would definitely have a pre-purchase inspection done by your local Infiniti or Nissan dealership.

 

My gut feeling is the G37x has a rebuild/salvage title.