Purchased used Z - have a question.

mjaenke

Hello, this is not a very good introduction post but i'll take care of that later. I purchased a 2009 370Z Manual with 40k miles from a local dealership on Saturday. The car has a few mods but the ones relative to this post are short ram intakes and cat back exhaust. Both items have no names or numbers on them so i'm clueless as to what brand they are.

The drive home from the dealership was uneventful. Sunday morning the SES light came on. I read the codes and it had a stored and pending P0300 which could be a lot of things. Sunday afternoon the light turned off but the codes were still readable using my scanner. Also Sunday afternoon, after 5 minutes of driving i could not go above 3500 RPM. I stopped the car and researched the topic on my phone. After turning the car off and back on, i was able to rev above 3500RPM's and got home with no issues (10 minute drive). That evening i spent a good bit of time on this forum researching and it seems most likely to be a faulty sensor. I took the car out again last night for a test drive and was able to reproduce the limp mode twice but could not determine a pattern. Sometimes i can go 30 minutes, sometimes 5 minutes before it happens - all normal driving.

The dealer set up a service appointment at their Nissan store for me Wednesday morning. They offered to cover the necessary repairs on their 90 day/3000 mile powertrain used car warranty (the car is out of factory warranty). I am hoping to meet with the service tech to go over my research in case they have not seen this problem before.

My question is, do you think the P0300 is related to the limp mode or a separate issue? Also, does anyone have any documentation relating to the limp mode problem besides the personal accounts posted on this site?

Thanks for your time. I look forward to enjoying my new Z but for now it sits in the garage.

gbrettin

I found this link which might be some help:
Engine problem - p0300 - Whats the fix?

Code : P0300 may also be accompanied by a 301-312. the number after the 3 indicated the misfiring cylinder

Definition : Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected

Symptom : Check Engine Light Illuminated and engine misfire, may also detect loss of power or hesitation while accelerating

Cause : The engine will set this code when a misfire is repeatedly detected.

Repair : Replace the failed component on that particular cylinder. Most commonly the Coil Pack

Damage if not repaired : Engine damage to the cylinders rings and damage to the catalytic converter from raw fuel not being burned, not to mention the poor performance and fuel mileage.

When you pull the check engine light codes and p0300 pops up you may ask yourself, What do I do now? See if there is an additional code such as p0302. The number that follows the 3 ( 02 in this case) identify's the problem cylinder. So the problem would be in the number 2 cylinder and in most cases can be cured by replacing the coil pack.

I suggest repairing the problem so in the future if your car has an additional problem it can illuminate the check engine light to let you know you need to fix an issue.

gbrettin

Someone else suggested that the MAF might be dirty too.

gbrettin

Another link to check out:
P0300 / Engine RPM speed @ idle

FlyByGTI

1. Hello, welcome to the forums.
2. Sorry to hear of your troubles
3. Here are 2 threads that may help. The symptoms sound different than what you are getting but at least a possible starting point:
P0300, high idle,
Limp Mode w/ codes - Tried multiple fixes / Searched

This last one may be able to lead you in a direction better than those 2 as it seems like it points out a few other threads:
Help me diagnose this problem: I can't rev past 3500 RPM intermittently (AK370Z)


Hopefully something there helps

kenchan

gbrettin's on fire!

anyone getting p0300 from the cracked L breather tube coupler thingie?

gbrettin

My money is on dirty MAF and throttle body due to the aftermarket intakes. Using too much oil on cone filters to recharge them will blow the oil back onto the the TBs and MAFs.

kenchan

yah, that makes sense. people often times use waaaay too much oil when they clean them.

like watching a novice wax a car in blobs...

kenchan

or like girls in the 80's using tons of hair spray in aerosol cans.

kenchan

or me using wasp killer spray on a bee hive..

mjaenke

Thanks to everyone for the quick replies!

The last thread you linked was very helpful. I printed and highlighted a copy of it last night to discuss with the service tech on Wednesday.

I don't want to touch any of the sensors until the service people take a look in case they try to pin something on me. I also have a fear that the service tech will blame it on the aftermarket parts even though they sold me the car that way. I guess this was missed on the 120+ point inspection they perform on all used cars. Of course none of these issues occurred on the test drive and the cars runs perfect otherwise.

IDZRVIT

Bee hive hairdo's of the '60's? Remember them?

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kenchan

kenchan

Would be funny if you had a styrofoam cup stuck in there..

Sneakygoat

I can tell you that I had the 100% carbon copy issue you described with my previous 08 Altima coupe.

Took it in and they claimed "a huge bug" had some how hit the MAF sensor. I did have them show me and it looked pretty gunked up.