My 370 is Starting to Falter

dinfire · 01-31-2012, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jsolo

Regarding the drivability issues, I'm guessing your car is a 2009 model?

13K on a 3 year old car means *MANY* short trips. In fact, you said it yourself, you work a mile from work.

This means several things,

1) your oil never gets a chance to warm up fully
1a) in fact, nothing in the car gets a chance to fully warm up
2) It wouldn't surprise me if you have considerable carbon build on on both the throttle body, injectors, and possibly even in the heads

I'd start by having those things serviced. A good long trip down the highway with the engine revving wouldn't hurt things either.

I'd classify your use as severe duty.

How many oil changes in the 13K miles?

I get oil changes every 3500 miles. I've replaced the air filter twice. When I take it in for service I have them look at all the stuff you mentioned and they always report no issues. It goes into Nissan regularly. I don't think driving my car two miles a day at 30 MPH is "severe duty." I do get on the highway all the time to rev it good and blow out the carbon.

Jsolo · 02-01-2012, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinfire

I get oil changes every 3500 miles. I've replaced the air filter twice. When I take it in for service I have them look at all the stuff you mentioned and they always report no issues. It goes into Nissan regularly. I don't think driving my car two miles a day at 30 MPH is "severe duty." I do get on the highway all the time to rev it good and blow out the carbon.

Oil changes and air filters are one thing, but all your short trips are not helping extract the engine's potential. Review your service manual. IIRC anything under at least 5 miles is severe duty.

If you have an opportunity, pull off one of the maf sensors from the intake (don't disconnect any wires). I'm sure the backside will not be so clean.

Review page 9 of this pdf

http://www.nissanusa.com/pdf/techpub...2010_N_SMG.pdf

If you haven't already, try a bottle or two of chevron.

Mandingo · 01-28-2012, 04:03 AM

I dunno but my cloth seats and floor mats still look brand new. Yea I'm a cheap a$s and got the clothies

'10Anamoly · 01-28-2012, 07:08 AM

Meguiars is good but doesnt hold a candle to the Leatherique, try it out bud! I actually bought some white lithium grease spray and lubed up the insides of the seatbelt assembly because mine clicked too, havent heard a peep since. Just be careful not to spray it all over the place!

kenchan · 01-28-2012, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mandingo

I dunno but my cloth seats and floor mats still look brand new. Yea I'm a cheap a$s and got the clothies

Nah, I specifically wanted cloth seats. Its a sports car. I already have leather in my G.

RoadZter · 01-28-2012, 07:52 AM

wilsonp · 01-29-2012, 08:17 PM

The unused fob still uses the battery - if you haven't tested it, replacing it is the best test.

As for the hesitation, mine hesitates every morning in my neighorhood at a right hand corner - I'm pretty sure there's a programming issue (search for other threads), but I'm not holding my breath for Nissan to fix it. (PS No, it isn't VDC - turning it off doesn't change anything.) I'm just glad it happens rarely, and all the technology is why I got an extended warranty.

Oh, and if it isn't a daily driver 13k miles means the leather shouldn't be wearing in my mind either.

Jsolo · 01-30-2012, 12:44 PM

After a nice healthy day ride on the motorcycle, anything below 4500-5K rpm feels like a slug. The bike (09 fz1) simply has no low end torque after you've been terrorizing the neighborhood at 7-10K rpm (at legal speeds of course)

If you want power, up shift so the rpms for the next gear are now lower than 3500 on the Z.

11Thumper · 05-05-2012, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jsolo

After a nice healthy day ride on the motorcycle, anything below 4500-5K rpm feels like a slug. The bike (09 fz1) simply has no low end torque after you've been terrorizing the neighborhood at 7-10K rpm (at legal speeds of course)

If you want power, up shift so the rpms for the next gear are now lower than 3500 on the Z.

I have a '09 FZ1 too!

dinfire · 01-31-2012, 02:56 PM

A big thanks to everyone who took the time to give me thoughtful answers to my questions. The bogging down doesn't happen all the time, just when I make right-hand turns at a good clip. It's not driver error. I've been driving stick for 30 years. The revs are plenty high enough. The horsepower just drops out. It also doesn't matter whether it's warmed up or not. It does the same thing.

If the key fob battery is dead that's pretty disappointing to be honest. Same with the mats. Both should last longer than they have. I actually took the car into the dealer before the warranty expired to get the gas gauge and mats looked at. They said they'd need to take the dash apart to fix the gas gauge and would need to order a part. I said OK, and they never got back to me. Big surprise there. They also said that they would not replace the mat under warranty. I complained and then they said that their service manager would have to call me. Of course he never did. A month later, Santa Monica Nissan went out of business. I had also just given them $100 for three oil changes and I've only redeemed one. Have no idea if another dealer will honor that special.

The clicking seatbelt drives me crazy. I've tried lubricating it, but it seems to be the mechanism that attaches to the body of the car. If you move it by hand you'll hear the clicking I'm talking about. For some reason my car has developed the problem over time. It didn't click when I first got the car.

Again, I still love the car, but as the first vehicle I've bought that cost (a lot) more than $25,000 I expected better build/endurance for some things. I think maybe I should have listened to the old addage of you get what you pay for.

Pharmacist · 01-31-2012, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinfire

A big thanks to everyone who took the time to give me thoughtful answers to my questions. The bogging down doesn't happen all the time, just when I make right-hand turns at a good clip. It's not driver error. I've been driving stick for 30 years. The revs are plenty high enough. The horsepower just drops out. It also doesn't matter whether it's warmed up or not. It does the same thing.

Are you pretty low on gas when that happens? It could be fuel starvation.

Quote:

If the key fob battery is dead that's pretty disappointing to be honest.

Um, Nissan doesn't even make the battery. They just buy it off the shelf of a supermarket just like you do. It's not their fault whether the battery dies prematurely or not. Batteries run out of power and die, that's a fact of life. Something to do with that pesky law of conservation of energy or something. It's only a few bucks anyway. The battery in my remote lasted over 2.5 years and still had juice when my car was totalled in an accident. Maybe yours was a bad batch of batteries or something. Not Nissan's fault. And definitely nothing to make a fuss about.

Quote:

Same with the mats.

Again, wear and tear item. A floor mat is nothing more than a cheap rag to protect the underlying carpet. Yes, they wear out over time. No big deal. Throw it out and get another one. They're pretty cheap. And be grateful you even got a floor mat. Porsche would charge you twice the Z's price for a Cayman S and floor mats are still an extra cost option.

Quote:

Both should last longer than they have.

Wear and tear items. There is no predicted life expectancy for them. Either way, these are just minor things that cost peanuts. Seriously, you make it seem like the sky is falling just cuz your floor mat is a bit worn out or your keyfob battery needs replacement

Quote:

I actually took the car into the dealer before the warranty expired to get the gas gauge and mats looked at. They said they'd need to take the dash apart to fix the gas gauge and would need to order a part.

They're probably wrong. The problem seems to be caused by the fuel sending units in the gas tank and not the fuel gauge in the dash.

Quote:

I said OK, and they never got back to me. Big surprise there. They also said that they would not replace the mat under warranty. I complained and then they said that their service manager would have to call me. Of course he never did. A month later, Santa Monica Nissan went out of business. I had also just given them $100 for three oil changes and I've only redeemed one. Have no idea if another dealer will honor that special.

Crappy dealers are everywhere. Doesn't mean Nissan is a bad company or the Z is a bad car.

Quote:

The clicking seatbelt drives me crazy. I've tried lubricating it, but it seems to be the mechanism that attaches to the body of the car. If you move it by hand you'll hear the clicking I'm talking about.

I'm not sure what you're doing, but it's supposed to click once if you move it all the way up so that it locks into place, and if you push it down it clicks once as it unlocks and falls down again. If it's clicking or squeaking more than once, or if it doesn't stay up by itself maybe it needs replacing.

Quote:

Again, I still love the car, but as the first vehicle I've bought that cost (a lot) more than $25,000 I expected better build/endurance for some things. I think maybe I should have listened to the old addage of you get what you pay for.

Sounds like you got an excellent car for your money. Go pay 2-3 times the money on a porsche, watch as your engine self destructs due to known engineering defects, and if you're out of warranty watch as Porsche gives you the proverbial middle finger as you're on the hook for the cost of an engine replacement.

Seriously, your tone makes it seem like the engine blew up, the gearbox seized, the wheel fell off on the highway, the brakes failed, the diff self destructed, the frame cracked, and the body rusted right through itself. Yet all your problems are a dead keyfob battery, a worn out floor mat, a slightly inaccurate fuel gauge, and possibly a squeaking seatbelt arm. Hardly anything to lose sleep over it.

dinfire · 01-31-2012, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pharmacist

Are you pretty low on gas when that happens? It could be fuel starvation.

Um, Nissan doesn't even make the battery. They just buy it off the shelf of a supermarket just like you do. It's not their fault whether the battery dies prematurely or not. Batteries run out of power and die, that's a fact of life. Something to do with that pesky law of conservation of energy or something. It's only a few bucks anyway. The battery in my remote lasted over 2.5 years and still had juice when my car was totalled in an accident. Maybe yours was a bad batch of batteries or something. Not Nissan's fault. And definitely nothing to make a fuss about. Again, wear and tear item. A floor mat is nothing more than a cheap rag to protect the underlying carpet. Yes, they wear out over time. No big deal. Throw it out and get another one. They're pretty cheap. And be grateful you even got a floor mat. Porsche would charge you twice the Z's price for a Cayman S and floor mats are still an extra cost option. Wear and tear items. There is no predicted life expectancy for them. Either way, these are just minor things that cost peanuts. Seriously, you make it seem like the sky is falling just cuz your floor mat is a bit worn out or your keyfob battery needs replacement

They're probably wrong. The problem seems to be caused by the fuel sending units in the gas tank and not the fuel gauge in the dash. Crappy dealers are everywhere. Doesn't mean Nissan is a bad company or the Z is a bad car.
I'm not sure what you're doing, but it's supposed to click once if you move it all the way up so that it locks into place, and if you push it down it clicks once as it unlocks and falls down again. If it's clicking or squeaking more than once, or if it doesn't stay up by itself maybe it needs replacing.

Sounds like you got an excellent car for your money. Go pay 2-3 times the money on a porsche, watch as your engine self destructs due to known engineering defects, and if you're out of warranty watch as Porsche gives you the proverbial middle finger as you're on the hook for the cost of an engine replacement.

Seriously, your tone makes it seem like the engine blew up, the gearbox seized, the wheel fell off on the highway, the brakes failed, the diff self destructed, the frame cracked, and the body rusted right through itself. Yet all your problems are a dead keyfob battery, a worn out floor mat, a slightly inaccurate fuel gauge, and possibly a squeaking seatbelt arm. Hardly anything to lose sleep over it.

Apparently I should have added in the OP that I'm not an idiot. You act like you're talking to a 15-year-old. I'm almost 40 and was raised with cars. Nissan doesn't make the batteries? Really??? Good lord.

Pharmacist · 01-31-2012, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinfire

Apparently I should have added in the OP that I'm not an idiot. You act like you're talking to a 15-year-old. I'm almost 40 and was raised with cars. Nissan doesn't make the batteries? Really??? Good lord.

Well you're making it out like a 370z has a serious reliability issue because of a dead keyfob battery.

Augustus · 01-31-2012, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pharmacist

Well you're making it out like a 370z has a serious reliability issue because of a dead keyfob battery.

Speaking of the key fob battery... The Z is the first car I've owned that has keyless ignition. Would it be expected that the keyfobs will chew through batteries faster than a keyed system? Isn't the keyfob always using some small amount of power trying to connect to the car? Or is that not how it works?

Could be the reason why the OP is upset about the battery life.

onzedge · 01-31-2012, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinfire

Apparently I should have added in the OP that I'm not an idiot. You act like you're talking to a 15-year-old. I'm almost 40 and was raised with cars. Nissan doesn't make the batteries? Really??? Good lord.

It's true. Nissan does not make the fob battery. I am glad to help.

01-28-2012, 04:03 AM	#3 (permalink)
Mandingo Track Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Dallas Posts: 625 Drives: '10 370z 6spd Rep Power: 3371	I dunno but my cloth seats and floor mats still look brand new. Yea I'm a cheap a$s and got the clothies __________________ some mods

01-28-2012, 07:08 AM	#4 (permalink)
'10Anamoly Track Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: GA Posts: 882 Drives: 2010 370Z BS M6 Rep Power: 17	Meguiars is good but doesnt hold a candle to the Leatherique, try it out bud! I actually bought some white lithium grease spray and lubed up the insides of the seatbelt assembly because mine clicked too, havent heard a peep since. Just be careful not to spray it all over the place! __________________ 2013 Ford Mustang GT 374rwhp, 360rwtq SAE / GT500 Axle-Backs / Brembo Pack / Track Pack / Recaros / 6spd

01-28-2012, 07:52 AM	#6 (permalink)
RoadZter Base Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Sunny South Texas! Posts: 228 Drives: 370z Roadster Rep Power: 14	__________________ 2008 Nissan Titan Crew, 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster 2011 Mercedes GL 450 "Guess who drives the Nissans?"

01-29-2012, 08:17 PM	#7 (permalink)
wilsonp A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,134 Drives: 2009 Touring Sp Nav Rep Power: 17	The unused fob still uses the battery - if you haven't tested it, replacing it is the best test. As for the hesitation, mine hesitates every morning in my neighorhood at a right hand corner - I'm pretty sure there's a programming issue (search for other threads), but I'm not holding my breath for Nissan to fix it. (PS No, it isn't VDC - turning it off doesn't change anything.) I'm just glad it happens rarely, and all the technology is why I got an extended warranty. Oh, and if it isn't a daily driver 13k miles means the leather shouldn't be wearing in my mind either. __________________ 2014 Cayman S PDK Sport Chrono White/Black Was 2009 370Z Touring Sport+Nav 7AT Metallic Black/Persimmon Was 1991 NSX Auto Black/Black

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01-30-2012, 12:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
Jsolo Track Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: chicago Posts: 783 Drives: '12 G37 6MT Rep Power: 15	After a nice healthy day ride on the motorcycle, anything below 4500-5K rpm feels like a slug. The bike (09 fz1) simply has no low end torque after you've been terrorizing the neighborhood at 7-10K rpm (at legal speeds of course) If you want power, up shift so the rpms for the next gear are now lower than 3500 on the Z.

01-31-2012, 02:56 PM	#10 (permalink)
dinfire Base Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 28 Drives: 370Z Touring/Sport Rep Power: 16	A big thanks to everyone who took the time to give me thoughtful answers to my questions. The bogging down doesn't happen all the time, just when I make right-hand turns at a good clip. It's not driver error. I've been driving stick for 30 years. The revs are plenty high enough. The horsepower just drops out. It also doesn't matter whether it's warmed up or not. It does the same thing. If the key fob battery is dead that's pretty disappointing to be honest. Same with the mats. Both should last longer than they have. I actually took the car into the dealer before the warranty expired to get the gas gauge and mats looked at. They said they'd need to take the dash apart to fix the gas gauge and would need to order a part. I said OK, and they never got back to me. Big surprise there. They also said that they would not replace the mat under warranty. I complained and then they said that their service manager would have to call me. Of course he never did. A month later, Santa Monica Nissan went out of business. I had also just given them $100 for three oil changes and I've only redeemed one. Have no idea if another dealer will honor that special. The clicking seatbelt drives me crazy. I've tried lubricating it, but it seems to be the mechanism that attaches to the body of the car. If you move it by hand you'll hear the clicking I'm talking about. For some reason my car has developed the problem over time. It didn't click when I first got the car. Again, I still love the car, but as the first vehicle I've bought that cost (a lot) more than $25,000 I expected better build/endurance for some things. I think maybe I should have listened to the old addage of you get what you pay for.