Limp mode @ 3.5k rpm; no cel
 

hoping its bad gas... on the way home from work everything was fine...got off the highway... was sitting at a light... once it turned green and i started to accelerate fuel was cut at 3.5k rpm... like stated no check engine light... 13k miles on a base sport...

There have only been 5 other reports here of this level of limp mode. I had one of them. Just shut the car off, wait 10 mins and go from there.

If shutting the car off doesnt help and its not due to the oil temp. Check your intake bolts/clamps, even if they are stock. I installed my Stillen intakes and i forgot to check one of the clamps/bolts and it came loose. The whole intake pipe came off the throttle body and did the same thing you are discribing. Wouldnt let me go over 3500rpm. I had to get shift at 2500rpm and work my way up to 5th gear just to get 50kmh.

Try putting it into reverse. Something similar happened to AK just a few days ago. Putting it into reverse fixed it for him.

I'm really thinking it's bad gas... i can't remember if it was the last time i filled up, or the time before... but i got gas at some crappy gas station and wasn't thinking and filled up instead of just getting enough to get me by like i usually do.... wont do that again.

it's been acting funny lately... a few other issues aside from limp mode....

under very light accel... power delivery is "wobbly" if that makes sense... feels like having a warped tire almost... but under harder acceleration it's seemingly fine... i thought maybe it had something to do with the VLSD and it being so cold out... also in the morning when it's below freezing... i get this really loud rattling noise from the very front of the car... sounds like something obstructing the radiator fans.... it didn't go into limp mode on the way to the dealer.. but should know more tomorrow...

I'm lucky if I see 140 on the oil temp on a 20 minute drive to work in the morning...

by the way... one thing I've noticed... is that the throttle is mushy... (even before these issues)... depending where in the powerband youre at.... going to WOT it seems like it has to sit there and think about it.... like windows asking you... are you really really sure you want to accelerate? and then you let off the gas to engine brake and the car wants to keep accelerating slightly until it gets the message...

the clutch seems mushy too... like there is too much slip on engagement. my 350z clutch grabbed hard (and did so for 5 years, over 60k miles). almost feels like the AP2 s2000s with that stupid solenoid to reduce shock to the drivetrain....

really bad timing to say the least... i've been super busy with the holidays and really don't have time to be dealing with these issues on a brand new car thats bone stock... bleghhh

I had this problem once as well.
Happened about 4 or 5 months ago.
I just turned the car off then turned it back on after a few min and all was fine.
Hasn't happened since.

What, more than one person has reported this problem? Sounds like an issue to me!!! :stirthepot:

And now I'll :gtfo2:

Your Z is under warranty so just have the service department deal with it.

Good luck with that, without a CEL they wont even attempt to make it happen again.

dealer couldnt find anything wrong...

I asked the obvious question... the ECU is putting the car into limp mode for a reason... why is that reason not logged? That to me is a bigger issue than there actually being a significant problem because at least you know what is wrong and what needs to be done to fix it.

The cut in fuel is extremely abrubt, without warning, and DANGEROUS. Had I been pushing the car around a corner and it cut fuel like that, it would have been ugly.

Wishing I still had my 350. :shakes head:

Why has this issue only happened to the cars equipped with the sport option? I blame synchro rev match...

" also in the morning when it's below freezing... i get this really loud rattling noise from the very front of the car... sounds like something obstructing the radiator fans.... it didn't go into limp mode on the way to the dealer.. but should know more tomorrow..."



Im having the same exact problem did the dealer say why the rattling is occuring ???

Why don't you guys take the fascia off and see where the sound is coming from. Seems like the car is giving you some good clues...follow them!

I have a base model, still got cut to 3500rpm.

:hello: Dude...you better check on some anti freeze.

BUMP.....

So I found out today what that rattling noise is (the hard way). So I'm coming up on needing an oil change again (i had them change it when I took it in last time, because it was due then too).... and the "rattling" noise started happening again, but it was cold and it went away so no big deal. The next day... same thing.... now at 3000 RPM it's running rough. This is not good.... so before I could make it to work the car goes into limp mode. GREAT. Still rattling. Now I'm concerned because this rattling noise is starting to sound more like VALVES knocking. So I pull off the interstate... pop the hood..... check the oil. BONE ******* DRY. I had a friend come pick me up and take me to get some oil. When I removed the oil cap, smoke came out. Yay! Anyway... I made it to the dealership, but I know right now my engine is DONE.

This leads me to the question, why did the dealership not catch this the first time I brought it in? Surely they noticed the oil level was critically low? Did they really think filling it up with oil would make the massive oil consumption problem just go away??

I'm expecting a call from the dealership tomorrow morning, probably telling me that they are replacing the engine under warranty.

Time to go car shopping!!!!!!

so you're saying you didn't check your own oil for 3 months?

I don't understand. Isn't there a light that would warn you that the engine has no oil?! I mean doesn't the engine warn you about low oil levels?!

I would assume that the oil temp would raise to very high levels quickly if the level was low...

Well checking or not, a car shouldn't burn off 5 quarts of oil in 3 months. Even if there is a leak, even from the oil drain plug, the onus is on the dealership if they did the oil changes (and there is documentation proving they did it). On a stock car, serviced by Nissan, this is warranty covered 100%.

Yikes, do a lot of people have these issues? I am about to go get a 370z and now my enthusiasm is diminishing....

ok there are about 40,000 of these on the roads... seriously .... every car will come with its headaches especially when you buy a new one thats a new generation / new platform... so... give it time and like all other things, **** will get worked out... if you get too worked up over the little things (that your gonna encounter in every car anyway)... you will find that it gets in the way of enjoying your sports car...

Valid points! :). I guess I am paranoid of getting a lemon.

Soooo

you ****** up on your oil and now you are RAAAAAGING on the 370

I check my oil weekly for some reason.

occasionally my 370 makes some rattling sounds but it sounds more like the fan. but so far no problems. thing runs beautifully

Sometimes it's issues with people and not the Z. Go out and get your Z and enjoy the ride. Be sure to check your oil regularly between oil changes. The owner also has a responsibility for doing routine checks and not fluffing it off on the dealer when things go wrong.

I check my oil every time I wash my car (around once a week). It's only a dumb machine; it needs monitoring.

i **** up on my oil? How so? The car drinking 5 quarts of oil in 2000 daily driven miles is somehow my fault, especially after I took it to a nissan dealership and they failed to identify the problem? Seriously? Whether or not I caught it in time is a moot point. At that level of oil consumption the engine would likely be getting replaced anyway.

So what if I regret making the move to the 370? I had my 350z for over 5 years with no real issues and plenty of track time. I regret "upgrading" more than I ever could have imagined.

By the way, the dealer called me and said they are replacing a sprocket in the valvetrain. I asked if that's what caused the issue to begin with (knowing full well it's not), and he said "I don't know". I then asked if he honestly thought a sprocket was all that was damaged (there was smoke coming out of the oil filler).... to which he replied "we will inspect the engine for further damage upon replacing the sprocket. The engine threw a slew of codes and it has been traced back to this sprocket". I sighed. I told him I would work with him, but that I knew full well this miracle sprocket is a last ditch cost saving effort and a pipe dream.

He then goes on to say that assuming this magic sprocket cures a blown engine, they are going to do an oil consumption test to confirm what is already painfully obvious. I have a feeling I'm going to be sporting this rental for quite some time.

Damn man this sucks

Hmmm..Oil change interval is 3700 miles. How do you come up with 5 quarts in 2K?

Just a little update...

I got the car back with the sprocket replaced... everything seemed OK. They set me up for an oil consumption test and I brought the car back 1000 miles later. They didn't say how low it was, but that it was very low and that they would be ordering a new short block. They topped the oil off and will be calling me as soon as they get the engine.

Interesting adventure, that everybodies nightmare and you just went through I stopped by a dealership on Sat and asked them politely," is it customary for this dealship to offer complimenery first oil change". I read where a lot of members got their first change for free, so way not try. I have two more dealers to visit before I give up and just do my own change next week.

Mods - if you want to move this to the engine section that would be cool. I'm going to update this thread as things progress to document my adventure, but in the meantime it's not my intent to discourage anyone.

So another update...

They just called and said they canceled the order on the short block.

Nissan wants to capture the entire engine and figure out what went wrong. I would LOVE to be privy to what they find, but considering the engineers are all probably Japanese, I doubt that will ever happen. They just put in an order for a complete long block today. They have no idea where it's coming from so it may be a while.

...to be continued... :hello:

Hey Zilent_Jay,

I live in the UK, and have a 09 370z with 9900 miles on it. And guess what? i have experienced exactly the same as what you have.

about a month ago, the car displayed a CEL, and put me into 3.5k limp mode. I took it to the nissan dealers imediatly to have a look at.. and only today has the car been fixed (should be picking it up in 30 minutes or so).

the CEL's were, missfire, and timing errors.

The dealer replaced a valve solonoid first, this didnt fix the problem, they were asked to check oil preasure and the timing chain.. none of this looked at fault. They then got a head nissan tech in the UK to come and inspect the car, and he said the fault was the sprocket on one of the banks. This was replaced yesterday, and has fixed it.

Im now worried about the oil issues, im going to mention this to my dealer today!

Hows your situation going? did they replace the long block?

Will

Dam I hope these are problems only the 09 guys are facing. Iam picking up my 2010 in a few weeks.

Red6spd, that goes 4 me too ... this **** is too worrying 4 us i guess ...

Zilent_jay, good luck with the car and hope everything works out perfectly ... But if i were u, i would throw the car in the dealers face ... u bought a new car and problems start 2 show up ... the way they r dealing with u, its not professional at all. ...
ur car is under warranty, let them bust their A**es 2 fix it ... and if ur not too comfortable with it, let them give u a new one ...

Besides, wen some1 buys a new car, it doesnt mean u have 2 check on it every week ... the reason y u r paying more 2 buy a new car and not a used one, is to avoid the troublesome and **** ...

I hope oil consumptions isn't an issue for the 3.7L. Since the 3.5 L VQ came out there have been reports of excessive oil consumption on the Maxima forums and G35. Especially for years 2002-2003. I was hoping these issues were gone, but maybe not!

I'm not sure it is with the 3.7L... my car has barely used any oil, it's still on the factory stuff with 6000 km on it...

will - sounds like you're having the same issues.

I just got a call today and the long block has finally arrived. I'm going to drop the car off after work Monday and leave it with them for a few days while they do the swap.

this has happend to me 3 times just turn the car off wait a few minutes and everything should be just fine

i had mine hit limp mode a few months ago when i stalled it. I just hit the start button til it started back up, pulled into the street and it did it. I pulled over down the road and checked everything over for about 5 min and started it back up. Been fine ever since