Power loss at 3500
 

Hello all,

I’ve got a 7 speed, 2009 base model with 150k miles. R2C intakes, FI exhaust, art pipes. I’ve had little to no issue with the Z, besides the CSF crap radiators. Well today, I attempted to pass a dump truck, and the power cut off, as if I was redlining the vehicle. Oil temperature was 180, water temperature was fine. No SES lights are being thrown nor is the brake light/VDC light coming on. I parked and turned the car off and fired it back up, using my paddle shifters I went from 1-3, and again promptly around 3500-3600 the power cuts. Furthermore, I tried even in park to rev the car and it won’t go beyond 3500. Lastly, I’m at a 1/4 tank of gas if it’s any relevant information. I feel like it’s fuel related, but I’m not mechanic by trade. Any input fellows?

Maybe dirty throttle bodies?

I cleaned those at 100k while changing spark plugs, but I realize that was 50k miles ago. The thought occurred to me it could be a vacuum leak as well.

Get an OBD scanner and see if any DTCs have been thrown or are pending.

Does the fuel starvation only come into play around turns?

I thought of that, but when I got to work I parked it and revved it, still the same issue around 3500.

At that high of mileage I would hope you did all your general maintenance up until now. Sounds like a possible fuel related issue to me but you will not know until you diagnose your car. I would suspect dirty,clogged,or faulty fuel injectors possibly same thing happened to a vehicle in the past I had. You will have to give more information the description you gave is quite vague.

Sounds like it is in limp mode ...I had similar situation happen to me .....I didn’t have any check engine lights but when I scanned it with a hand held it showed some codes ...can’t remember what they were ...I cleared everything and it was back to normal

I never had any problems with any of the CSF radiators I have had and they never leaked. My Z’s only benefited using the CSF radiators having checked the engine coolant temperature after installation.

Only happens on hard right turns, and only on some but not all Z's.

Yep sounds like limp mode to me. My manual Z did it when I first got it and was still getting a feel for the transmission. I stalled it out at a red light and then real quickly tried to start it right back up. It started but was in limp mode until I parked it and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Limp mode, as far as I know, doesn't let your engine rev past 3500rpm. It's an engine mode that is meant to prevent damage to your motor that the car goes into when it thinks there's a problem.

It happened to me a few weeks ago too when I damn near stalled it but didn't. Hey what can I say, I'm not the best manual driver, sue me.

Check transmission fluid...5mm Allen plug near front of pan.
It could be low & Trans temp went too high.

That’s a good point I didn’t think of. I do have a Stillen 19 row transmission cooler. I’ve had it flushed and refilled every 50k, so I am due for another, I’ll give it a peek.

You’re one of the few on this forum then. There’s a thread a mile long about their cracking and leaking issues. I had 3 crack on me so I went back to stock.



So on my way home from work tonight (45 degrees outside and 35 mile drive). I filled the car up, and decided to attempt exceeding the 3500-3600 RPM, and it did so without hesitation or blip. I’m still curious and concerned, and think I’ll have Nissan at least pull any codes. If issue persists I’ll offer an update.

Update 2020:

I expect to be made fun of, but I had it happen again, and this time an SES light came with it. Turns out I didn’t tighten my gas cap enough ��. Just in case anyone else has this issue.

The SES light was caused by a loose gas cap that kept the engine from revving past 3500 rpm?

My car sometimes does this where it feels really sluggish (due to dirty MAF sensors per the obd II scanner). You don't have to wait 10 minutes, but rather, turn the car off, open the driver-side door, and the start back up.

That or just clear the codes with the scanner.

Really? Not being a smart@$$, but the gas cap doesn't take much before it's tightened. My gas cap barely turns 25 degrees before getting the tight click.

Yeah, I always feel like it doesn’t take much to get the first click, but when I had the codes checked it was throwing 12 repeating codes for the fuel door not being turned enough. Maybe with my Z approaching 200k, the sensor there is just “old”. So I just make sure it’s for sure snug now.

The sensor is a pressure sensor. It doesn't care if the cap is actually there as long as the tank is sealed. It's possible that the sensor is going bad but that would be very low on my list.

Check the threads where the cap screws in and make sure there is no dirt. Check the o-ring on the cap (a very small coat of grease may help it seal*).

It might be time for a new cap.

*The grease will tend to capture dirt but only when you have the cap off.