A very absurd day

sojirovskensi · 11-23-2011, 01:42 AM

Hey all,

Today I made a trip to Dallas for Thanksgiving to visit my parents.
The expected drive hours were approx. 8 hours so I was very excited about the long trip.

However, I had a very hard time making through the trip since I had a serious problem with the car.
I will list the possibilities first to make it clear.

1. I drove my Z 100 miles last 3 months. Yes, 100 miles, not 1000. I was busy with the school, so I used it for grocery shopping and car wash only. I always walked to school. There was a half tank of gas left since day 1 to today. I've never pumped gas last 3 months

2. My gas was really low, so I pumped gas at Shell, which changed from Citgo 1 month ago. Even though I had only 2/16 gas left, only 16 gallons of gas were pumped. I used to pump 19gallons+ easily.

3. 30 minutes after driving, I noticed that the car started to make jerking. First, I thought I messed up with the Uprev tune, which I had a map for valet parking mode. I immediately called the tuner, however, I did not mess up with the tune. He said empty the gas I had, and then fill up with new gas.
At 6th gear, the car wouldn't speed above 85miles/hr, with the half~full throttle, my car just jerked very bad but did not speed up. So I downshifted to 4th and 5th gear, but the car cut off gas at 4700 rpm. Also, the car responded only with the minor gas input. Anything above 1/4~full throttle, the car jerked.

4. After driving 400 miles or so (I only had 18.5gallon/miles which was weird since I had about 25+ from previous highway driving), my gas gauge light turned on, and I pumped 5 gallons of fresh gas. It immediately showed difference. The car went back to normal, and I enjoyed the driving for the next 100 miles. Gas mileage became normal as well.

5. After eating dinner, my gas was low again, I decided to pump gas to the full. On the way, gas light turned on again, and the car started to jerk really bad and my car refused to go any further. I downshifted to 5,4,3,2nd gear, but the car did not respond at all. I had to park at the shoulder, turned off the engine, and turn it back on. This time, the car worked fine to the gas station. I filled up all the way up to the top, but only 16 GALLONS made it in.

I will be visiting my tuner tomorrow to discuss and investigate what caused the problem. I was first guessing either I pumped 87 or 89 octane but I was 100% sure that I pressed V-power. It shouldn't be diesel or water added gas b/c it will make the engine stop or at least turn the engine light on.
My water&oil temperature stayed normal all the time.

Has anyone experienced similar to this case?
Should I be worried about future outcomes? intake MAF sensor/camshaft/gas sensor, etc?
The fact that only 16 gallons made through and 400 miles range with the full tank makes me suspect some sensor went wrong, but oh well...

Mt Tam I am · 11-23-2011, 02:19 AM

Good luck on this. I hope you just need to change gas stations.

sojirovskensi · 11-23-2011, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mt Tam I am

Good luck on this. I hope you just need to change gas stations.

How do you explain the gas tank capacity change?

alcheng · 11-23-2011, 02:55 AM

Maybe the gas cap was slowly leaking air into the tank while it was sitting in your garage, and the air inside the tank became moisture, thus water into the engine.

Since the gas cap is leaking air, it can affect the pressure inside the gas tank, thus only taking 16 gallons.

I know your car is very new, but a defective part could be the case.

Just my $0.02

cheers

Csquared · 11-23-2011, 04:12 AM

I noticed my would not fill all the way. It would always only fill up I would have 1 light off on the gauge. I know there is a thread about this somewhere. I also noticed the car would not take as much gas as before. I usually fill in at 1/4 tank. I took it to the dealership and they said there are 2 senors in the gas tank and they think one of them is busted. Maybe one of the sensors are broken so you can't fill it up as much?

elmz · 11-23-2011, 11:20 AM

That sucks dude, I hope you get things fixed. One thing that stood out to me was you said you would normally fill it up past 19 gallons...The 370 only has a 19 gal tank, and I've never heard of anyone getting close to 19. The most I've pumped in was 18 gal and that was after getting stuck in traffic for almost 2 hours with no lights on the indicator(during So Cal mass power outage). Maybe there is something wrong there? I'm not sure if you ran the car dry and it somehow caused an issue, just a thought. Good luck.

sojirovskensi · 11-23-2011, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elmz

That sucks dude, I hope you get things fixed. One thing that stood out to me was you said you would normally fill it up past 19 gallons...The 370 only has a 19 gal tank, and I've never heard of anyone getting close to 19. The most I've pumped in was 18 gal and that was after getting stuck in traffic for almost 2 hours with no lights on the indicator(during So Cal mass power outage). Maybe there is something wrong there? I'm not sure if you ran the car dry and it somehow caused an issue, just a thought. Good luck.

I was being lazy most of the time, so I waited until the gas light came on.
I clearly remember that I used to pump 19 gallons easily.
Dallas is a very dry city, but I moved to Corpus Christi 3 months ago in which the weather is more humid. Will that make a difference?

11-23-2011, 01:42 AM	#1 (permalink)
sojirovskensi Enthusiast Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Dallas Texas Posts: 287 Drives: 10 Nissan 370z Wh M6 Rep Power: 15	A very absurd day Hey all, Today I made a trip to Dallas for Thanksgiving to visit my parents. The expected drive hours were approx. 8 hours so I was very excited about the long trip. However, I had a very hard time making through the trip since I had a serious problem with the car. I will list the possibilities first to make it clear. 1. I drove my Z 100 miles last 3 months. Yes, 100 miles, not 1000. I was busy with the school, so I used it for grocery shopping and car wash only. I always walked to school. There was a half tank of gas left since day 1 to today. I've never pumped gas last 3 months 2. My gas was really low, so I pumped gas at Shell, which changed from Citgo 1 month ago. Even though I had only 2/16 gas left, only 16 gallons of gas were pumped. I used to pump 19gallons+ easily. 3. 30 minutes after driving, I noticed that the car started to make jerking. First, I thought I messed up with the Uprev tune, which I had a map for valet parking mode. I immediately called the tuner, however, I did not mess up with the tune. He said empty the gas I had, and then fill up with new gas. At 6th gear, the car wouldn't speed above 85miles/hr, with the half~full throttle, my car just jerked very bad but did not speed up. So I downshifted to 4th and 5th gear, but the car cut off gas at 4700 rpm. Also, the car responded only with the minor gas input. Anything above 1/4~full throttle, the car jerked. 4. After driving 400 miles or so (I only had 18.5gallon/miles which was weird since I had about 25+ from previous highway driving), my gas gauge light turned on, and I pumped 5 gallons of fresh gas. It immediately showed difference. The car went back to normal, and I enjoyed the driving for the next 100 miles. Gas mileage became normal as well. 5. After eating dinner, my gas was low again, I decided to pump gas to the full. On the way, gas light turned on again, and the car started to jerk really bad and my car refused to go any further. I downshifted to 5,4,3,2nd gear, but the car did not respond at all. I had to park at the shoulder, turned off the engine, and turn it back on. This time, the car worked fine to the gas station. I filled up all the way up to the top, but only 16 GALLONS made it in. I will be visiting my tuner tomorrow to discuss and investigate what caused the problem. I was first guessing either I pumped 87 or 89 octane but I was 100% sure that I pressed V-power. It shouldn't be diesel or water added gas b/c it will make the engine stop or at least turn the engine light on. My water&oil temperature stayed normal all the time. Has anyone experienced similar to this case? Should I be worried about future outcomes? intake MAF sensor/camshaft/gas sensor, etc? The fact that only 16 gallons made through and 400 miles range with the full tank makes me suspect some sensor went wrong, but oh well... Last edited by sojirovskensi; 11-23-2011 at 01:46 AM.

11-23-2011, 02:19 AM	#2 (permalink)
Mt Tam I am A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: California Posts: 10,709 Drives: 370Z T/S/N 6MT & XKE Rep Power: 3843	Good luck on this. I hope you just need to change gas stations. __________________ "Does the carpet match the drapes? NO!!! I don't date bald women." Nissan Motorsports 34R Oil Cooler. Stillen CBE. Hotchkis Sport Sway Bars. KW Variant 3 Coilover System. Stillen Gen3 CAI. Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Stillen Brake Ducts. Carbotech™ XP10/XP8 Pads. Z1 Front Rotors. Z1 Stainless Brake Lines. Two degrees of camber

11-23-2011, 02:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
alcheng A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Toronto Posts: 28,894 Drives: 2011 ZR PW w/Clutch Rep Power: 418353	Maybe the gas cap was slowly leaking air into the tank while it was sitting in your garage, and the air inside the tank became moisture, thus water into the engine. Since the gas cap is leaking air, it can affect the pressure inside the gas tank, thus only taking 16 gallons. I know your car is very new, but a defective part could be the case. Just my $0.02 cheers

11-23-2011, 04:12 AM	#5 (permalink)
Csquared Enthusiast Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 302 Drives: 09 Nissan 370z Y 7sp Rep Power: 15	I noticed my would not fill all the way. It would always only fill up I would have 1 light off on the gauge. I know there is a thread about this somewhere. I also noticed the car would not take as much gas as before. I usually fill in at 1/4 tank. I took it to the dealership and they said there are 2 senors in the gas tank and they think one of them is busted. Maybe one of the sensors are broken so you can't fill it up as much?

11-23-2011, 11:20 AM	#6 (permalink)
elmz Track Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 674 Drives: 2014 Porsche Boxster Rep Power: 17	That sucks dude, I hope you get things fixed. One thing that stood out to me was you said you would normally fill it up past 19 gallons...The 370 only has a 19 gal tank, and I've never heard of anyone getting close to 19. The most I've pumped in was 18 gal and that was after getting stuck in traffic for almost 2 hours with no lights on the indicator(during So Cal mass power outage). Maybe there is something wrong there? I'm not sure if you ran the car dry and it somehow caused an issue, just a thought. Good luck.