Confirmed Cam Phaser Death? P0011

radensb

Primed the engine with the fuel pump fuse pulled and all sounded good. Then popped the fuse back in and she fired up without hesitation. Idle is a bit high, but I also cleaned out the throttle bodies so there is a reset procedure I need to do.

BUT, got a scope shot of the phaser timing and they look good!


Good enough for me to put the rest of the car back together and give it a drivability test!
Lets Go!

radensb

Final update on this: Got the coolant system flushed and refilled this afternoon. Drove the car off the ramps and took her to the pumps for a fill up as a test drive. Checked the timing a few more times and the intake cams are staying in sync as they should. Car runs great with no codes or limp mode! Also, I noticed that it idles so smoothly now that is seem like the engine is off while I'm sitting at a light!

Overall, another cam phaser replacement success story. All new parts behind the timing cover should mean that they should last the rest of the life of the engine. I also took the time to pressure wash all the plastics and apply plastic renew to make the engine bay look like new. That, plus doing a ceramic coating treatment to the headlights while they were out has really improved the aesthetics.


Final tasks are to do an oil change with good (Nissan Ester) oil after I drive for a bit to flush any debris in to the filter with the cheap Walmart SuperTech oil that I put in to test. Then, I need to recharge the AC and I think I need to do a proper flush and refill on the coolant - but that's a question for another thread.

ZoomZ

Are you keepiong the car? If so, Use a better oil. After all your hard work, your car deserves better.

__________________
“Action without vision is a nightmare.”

radensb

I was considering letting it go if the repair was successful, but I'm probably going to hang on to it a while longer. I was able to get a good look at most of the engine internals while doing the work and was impressed how clean everything was. Cams still had a mirror finish and there was no oil build up or staining that I could see.

Better Oil that the Nissan Ester? I was using Mobile 1 on my last oil change. Any suggestions??

ZoomZ

Mobil 1 EP. Costs a little more than regular synthetic Mobil 1 but better additive package. Yes, both are better than Nissan Ester oil. None of these 3 are ester base oils.

If you want to spend money on higher ester base oils, then Redline or Amsoil Signature. Not neccesary for DD.

But if the Nissan oil costs less than M1 and it's readily available, it's ok for a DD.

__________________
“Action without vision is a nightmare.”

radensb

I already got the Nissan Ester for this job, but Ill try the Mobile 1 Extended Performance next time! The Nissan Ester costs ~$15 a qt from the dealer. I think you can get it a bit cheaper online through Z1 or CZP, but its still like > x2 the price of M1. Any yeah, just DD the car. Thanks for the tip!

ZoomZ

Mobil 1 is always on sale. At $15 quart for Nissan , you're in Redline and Amsoil territory.!

You're looking at $6/qt for M1 EP at walmart. !

and I think Nissan Ester oil is made by Motul. It may not be the same as what Motul sells in their bottles. So may find that between the price of M1 EP and Redline but still less than Nissan.

lots of options.

__________________
“Action without vision is a nightmare.”