Help, New Owner of 221k milage 2009Z

[Arman080]

My name is Arman, I live in Toronto,CA. I'm getting my G2 on Tuesday. I bought a 2009Z with 220k milage a month ago because of the price tag. I just decided to gamble to see how long before a really major repair comes along . My friend who is a mechanic came along and test drove it with me and did a scanner test on it. I got new tires,rotors,spark plug and back break pads for the car. I'm also taking it to have the trans oil changed (its an automatic :" ). I sanded the front lights,painted the housing and put a halo kit in it. The car's got a wing and wrap that needs to be installed. So the help part of the forum comes in two parts.

A) Sometimes when the car shifts it moves a little. there is no noise but the car moves an amount that can be felt. What can this be? (it wasn't happening during the test drive).

B) Is there a definite time when the engine or trans will go? or is it more of a gamble situation where it can go tomorrow or in 3 years?

I understand these questions are vague, but I just want to hear what everyone has to say!

[Quicksilvers]

Originally Posted by Arman080

My name is Arman, I live in Toronto,CA. I'm getting my G2 on Tuesday. I bought a 2009Z with 220k milage a month ago because of the price tag. I just decided to gamble to see how long before a really major repair comes along . My friend who is a mechanic came along and test drove it with me and did a scanner test on it. I got new tires,rotors,spark plug and back break pads for the car. I'm also taking it to have the trans oil changed (its an automatic :" ). I sanded the front lights,painted the housing and put a halo kit in it. The car's got a wing and wrap that needs to be installed. So the help part of the forum comes in two parts.

A) Sometimes when the car shifts it moves a little. there is no noise but the car moves an amount that can be felt. What can this be? (it wasn't happening during the test drive).

B) Is there a definite time when the engine or trans will go? or is it more of a gamble situation where it can go tomorrow or in 3 years?

I understand these questions are vague, but I just want to hear what everyone has to say!

Welcome to the 370Z forums. I have been around our Z’s all of my life starting with my first 280Z. Overall the 370Z is a reliable and dependable Japanese sports car to own as long as you do all your general maintenance on time honestly I can’t say the same for domestic,Korean,or European vehicles. I also had an 09 370Z I had 321K miles on it when I traded it in and it still ran excellent with no major components that failed. I know one person with a 10 370Z that used there Z for a work/fleet vehicle and it had 450K miles on it before they traded in for a Subaru WRX and it still ran fine. The VQ37HR engine is a very stout engine and I have seen them last between 300K-450K miles it really depends. Our automatic transmissions in our Z’s last a long time and shift efficiently as long as you service them on time and I have seen them last 200K-450K miles again it really depends what kind of life they lived. To possibly answer your question you will have to elaborate further when you say that when your vehicle shifts the vehicle moves a little well this could be a number of things but I would say this is suspension travel at 200K miles I would address your suspension. Also your alignment being off could possibly be to blame. Has your Z ever been in an accident before? Purchasing any vehicle with high mileage expect to spend on general maintenance and repairs. I recommend pulling your steering lock fuse to fix the steering lock issue and installing a engine oil cooler as soon as possible.

[Cyber370]

Welcome to the forum. Nice to see a fellow Canadian. I have owned everything from Corvettes to Mustangs and I can tell you that the 370z is probably the most reliable sports car you can buy. It is the perfect embodiment of a traditional 100% Japanese rear wheel-drive, two seater sports car that has remained true to the original 240z design philosophy. As such, it is stout and reliable. The only other that comes close is the Mazda Miata. But a Miata while being a lot of fun, is slow. And it remains to be seen what the long term reliability of their new direct injection engines will be.

So, rest assured that your car has a lot of life left for you to enjoy. Don’t quite understand your description of the problem you’re having. Do you mean that it lurches forward when you shift to Drive or while driving, there is an awkward movement between gears?


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[Arman080]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. Its good to know the engine can last to such high mileage. My car's engine is extremely solid and delivers when you want it to, Which I'm very very happy about as a 19 year old. The car has never been winter driven and it's never been in an accident. The gentleman who I purchased it from had many toys and admitted to driving it hard from time to time (never tracked), But the Z has mostly highway miles, it was his daily. I did some more test driving, The car shifts up very smoothly. The problem happens when the car downshifts. There is no noise but from the inside it feels as if the car moved. It can't be just the car downshifting since its not consistent. Also when stopped the car does the same jerking motion when you go from Park to drive and vise versa. The car doesn't actually move forward or backwards, it's kind of like the car going up and down. It's probably suspension or the mounts holding the trans/engine. Quicksilver when you say service your transmission what do you mean exactly?

[1st]

A) Sometimes when the car shifts it moves a little. there is no noise but the car moves an amount that can be felt. What can this be? (it wasn't happening during the test drive).

-im thinking this can be the differential bushing if it was replaced with the oem and or never replaced at all.

[bunk]

Yeah I'm thinking the differential bushing. OP, from behind the car, take a look at the differential. Its forward of the muffler, looks like a pumpkin. If you see what looks like dried fluid leak on the differential, then the differential bushing popped, and you'll need to get it replaced. Do the rear wheels feel like they're hopping when you accelerate hard?

[Arman080]

When the car accelerates it does so extremely smoothly, but when it downshifts it starts doing the hopping. The hopping motion is backwards, its hard to explain. It'ts almost as if I gently tap the breaks. The car definitely didn't have anything replaced differential wise. The only things changed on the car were the rims,intake,exhaust and engine belt. The car's been on jacks multiple times by me and mechanics and no one's noticed any leak. But I will tell the dealership on Tuesday doing the trans oil change to take quick look at this. Thanks!

[bunk]

Ok. So the transmission is jerking when its downshifting? Then yes, it could very well be in need of a transmission flush. Hopefully that's what it is...

[Quicksilvers]

Originally Posted by Arman080

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. Its good to know the engine can last to such high mileage. My car's engine is extremely solid and delivers when you want it to, Which I'm very very happy about as a 19 year old. The car has never been winter driven and it's never been in an accident. The gentleman who I purchased it from had many toys and admitted to driving it hard from time to time (never tracked), But the Z has mostly highway miles, it was his daily. I did some more test driving, The car shifts up very smoothly. The problem happens when the car downshifts. There is no noise but from the inside it feels as if the car moved. It can't be just the car downshifting since its not consistent. Also when stopped the car does the same jerking motion when you go from Park to drive and vise versa. The car doesn't actually move forward or backwards, it's kind of like the car going up and down. It's probably suspension or the mounts holding the trans/engine. Quicksilver when you say service your transmission what do you mean exactly?

Yes,it is possible that failed and/or leaking differential bushings could be the culprit but you will never know until you have your Z diagnosed. What I mean by servicing your transmission is you must always flush and refill your transmission fluid on time it is detrimental to your 7AT transmission don’t shorten the life of your 7AT transmission by not changing your transmission fluid on time. Also our 7AT transmissions are expensive to rebuild or replace. If you can’t change your transmission fluid yourself take your Z to a reputable shop you trust or a Nissan dealership service department and have your transmission fluid flushed and refilled.