CEL light came on....HELP!!!!

[rxmclaren7]

so i dropped off my daughter and the CEL light came on....my car ran a little rough like it was missing a little....so i took it to my friends house and he checked the code and it said "cylinder 4 misfire" what the code # was idk...but he cleared the code and the car did not start....we jumped it and it started like nothing was wrong....drove it around the block and it started to miss again....although it did not throw a CEL light....i drove it home and i steped on the gas a little and the CEL light flashed but did not stay on please oh please almighty NICO club HELP!!

[DeanM45]

#4 coil pack, coil pack connector and/or spark plug. Check the connector--if it looks OK install a new spark plug in #4 and swap coil packs with another cylinder. If the CEL comes on again have your buddy pull the code and if it shows misfire in the cylinder you swapped the original #4 coil pack to then you know it is the coil pack itself. If it shows #4 is still misfiring then there could be an injector/wiring, ecu, wiring or some odd mechanical problem.

[rxmclaren7]

well i called the dealership and they agree with you Dean....could be a coil pack! idk how much those are but i could imagine that they are not cheap! i have an appointment to get the car looked at on monday the 7th....i will keep you all posted!

[splix]

They probably arent as much as you're expecting. I had to replace a coil pack on a mitsubishi galant before and it was around $150. Infiniti will obviously be more, but not crazy expensive.

[cji4130]

so i dropped off my daughter and the CEL light came on....my car ran a little rough like it was missing a little....so i took it to my friends house and he checked the code and it said "cylinder 4 misfire" what the code # was idk...but he cleared the code and the car did not start....we jumped it and it started like nothing was wrong....drove it around the block and it started to miss again....although it did not throw a CEL light....i drove it home and i steped on the gas a little and the CEL light flashed but did not stay on please oh please almighty NICO club HELP!!

How many miles are on this vehicle? im around 92,000 on my 06 m35x, will be replacing the plugs VERY soon.

[rxmclaren7]

i have just under 150xxx on her and i just had the plugs changed about 7000 mile ago!

[rxmclaren7]

well the prognosis is good...it was only a bad plug...i had the dealer replace all of the plugs just to be safe and they also did an oil change and cleaned the throttle body....all total with the diagnostic stuff $575...better than i was expecting....thanks to all who replied to this post....it truly helped a lot!!!!

[cji4130]

well the prognosis is good...it was only a bad plug...i had the dealer replace all of the plugs just to be safe and they also did an oil change and cleaned the throttle body....all total with the diagnostic stuff $575...better than i was expecting....thanks to all who replied to this post....it truly helped a lot!!!!

Gotta be honest with you bro, $575 for spark plug replacement and an oil change seems really steep to me, but thats just me. anyway, im bumping this thread because id like to ask you, since you have the same car as me with over 50,000 miles more, and also live in new york where we have been getting some pretty intense weather lately.. have you developed any leaks of any kind? At the moment, im NOT getting ANY CEL. However, lately Ive noticed a very small intermittent leak of some kind of fluid in the driveway. its very slightly more to the passenger side. ive done a little research and have read some people mentioning a similar leak being linked to valve covers and there gaskets. i previously stated ive never had the plugs changed on my vehicle but am considering doing it next week. should i bring it in and see what they say about it? i guess im asking if you've had any problems with your valve covers or valve cover gaskets, or anything else for that matter lol

thanks

[Ilya]

well the prognosis is good...it was only a bad plug...i had the dealer replace all of the plugs just to be safe and they also did an oil change and cleaned the throttle body....all total with the diagnostic stuff $575...better than i was expecting....thanks to all who replied to this post....it truly helped a lot!!!!

Gotta be honest with you bro, $575 for spark plug replacement and an oil change seems really steep to me, but thats just me. anyway, im bumping this thread because id like to ask you, since you have the same car as me with over 50,000 miles more, and also live in new york where we have been getting some pretty intense weather lately.. have you developed any leaks of any kind? At the moment, im NOT getting ANY CEL. However, lately Ive noticed a very small intermittent leak of some kind of fluid in the driveway. its very slightly more to the passenger side. ive done a little research and have read some people mentioning a similar leak being linked to valve covers and there gaskets. i previously stated ive never had the plugs changed on my vehicle but am considering doing it next week. should i bring it in and see what they say about it? i guess im asking if you've had any problems with your valve covers or valve cover gaskets, or anything else for that matter lol

thanks

I'm from Albany and have the same car. No leaks.

What does the fluid look/smell like? On the passenger side of the car is coolant and power steering fluid I believe (may be brake fluid though lol).

I doubt if your valve cover was leaking you'd see enough to accumulate on your driveway. It'd likely burn off any accumulation each day you drive the car.

[rxmclaren7]

cji4130, i do have a little leak but i think it is from the oil being changed and the oil pan plug gasket not being changed. that is the only leak i have on my car....i dont have any problems with the valve cover gaskets that i know of....i am going to have my oil changed again as it is due again ( i put a lot of miles on my car) i will have them look into the valve covers and the gaskets too and report back!

as for the cost associated with replacing the plug and the oil change, i had them replace all of the plugs and they had my car for two days so i feel as though they gave me a deal on the labor!

[cji4130]

[/quote]

I'm from Albany and have the same car. No leaks.

What does the fluid look/smell like? On the passenger side of the car is coolant and power steering fluid I believe (may be brake fluid though lol).

I doubt if your valve cover was leaking you'd see enough to accumulate on your driveway. It'd likely burn off any accumulation each day you drive the car.[/quote]

Fluid looks dark, but not pure black.

[rxmclaren7]

cji4130,

just as an update i had my oil changed again today and it looks like the valve cover gasket is leaking...i am going to bring it up to the dealership to see what they say...i will keep you posted!

[cji4130]

cji4130,

just as an update i had my oil changed again today and it looks like the valve cover gasket is leaking...i am going to bring it up to the dealership to see what they say...i will keep you posted!

Hey rx,

first id like to apologize for jinxing you! i would imagine if i had never mentioned the valve cover leak, it wouldn't be leaking lol! secondly id like to thank you for keeping me posted, and hope you continue to do so. a few months ago i had noticed a SERIOUS oil cosumption problem, and well as poor gas mileage. i made a thread asking possible culprits of these issues, i believe it was called "whats wrong with my M". anyway, i was told to run a compression test, as well as a PCV valve replacement, which i have neglected and have not had performed on my M yet. however, upon some inspection i found my air intake tube(the one with the rubber flex boot) completely ripped in half. i went ahead and ordered an intake tube from a g35 and gas mileage has DEFINITELY improved, but as for the oil consumption problem, i believe my M is completely burning off around 2 quarts every 2500 miles. which is f*** awful. if i wasnt so madly in love with my m id probably ditch her. now im starting to get really concerned about the valve cover gaskets, wondering if its possible thats where all my oil is going..id also like to say that my M runs perfectly, no smoke from the exhaust whatsoever. please tell me how you were able to tell your valve covers are leaking. possibly post a picture?

thanks,
CJ

PS:
Yes, i still plan on replacing the pcv valve, and possibly doing the compression test, but if i bring my M to the dealership to have the plugs replaced, wouldnt they be able to tell if something is wrong once they remove the old plugs? thanks again guys.

[SteveTheTech]

Hey fellas,

I want to apologize up front for a lack of quoted responses, my time is short but I wanted to put my 0.02 in this thread.

-Kudos to the OP for doing something quick.

-What is often overlooked when dealing with a single cylinder missfire P0301-P0306 (-P0308-M45) or a multi-cylinder miss fire P0300 (which are typically harder to fix) is if the Check Engine Light is on or flashing and there is an active cylinder miss-firing and you risk burning out your catalytic converter. This can happen very fast and may not be covered under warranty.

-Replacing the plugs probably means that they were not correct. A few days ago I had an 05 Q45 that would miss randomly and had terrible engine numbers. Turns out the the plugs were correct but on had a very small hairline crack. We replaced all of the just to fix it right the first time.Because honestly you are going to have to pay to have all of them removed to inspect, why not just replace them while your there?

-If a spark plug drops from more than 16" you should toss it, even if it looks fine. Often you can only see a crack after it has been arching with the spark plug tube.

Now I must preface this next part with I read this thread for the first time today...I did not see the oil leak twist coming at the end. Very interesting.

-I do not think these issues are related and would like to offer my opinion on this. I am in the DC area and do not have it nearly as bad as many of you folks way up yonder. I have seen a decent increase in small oil leaks with this unacceptably cold weather. M35s love to leak from the oil cooler seals. That is the metal thing the oil filter mounts too. The oil tends to run down the lower belly pan and drip from the holes under the sub frame and at the rear of the engine. Some oil seeping from a valve cover is not really much to be worried about. If the car smokes or you smell burning oil it is time to fix it. I always suggest cleaning it the first time and waiting to see how long it takes to leak again.

-If you are changing your own oil...you really should change the gasket every time. Most of the time they are good for two or three but should be replaced annually at least.

I'll continue when I get back.

[cji4130]

-I do not think these issues are related and would like to offer my opinion on this. I am in the DC area and do not have it nearly as bad as many of you folks way up yonder. I have seen a decent increase in small oil leaks with this unacceptably cold weather. M35s love to leak from the oil cooler seals. That is the metal thing the oil filter mounts too. The oil tends to run down the lower belly pan and drip from the holes under the sub frame and at the rear of the engine. Some oil seeping from a valve cover is not really much to be worried about. If the car smokes or you smell burning oil it is time to fix it. I always suggest cleaning it the first time and waiting to see how long it takes to leak again.

-If you are changing your own oil...you really should change the gasket every time. Most of the time they are good for two or three but should be replaced annually at least.

thanks for your input steve. im glad you mentioned this, i personally changed my oil cooler o-ring seal at my last oil change(about 2700 miles ago). i also attempted to replace that spring loaded relief valve thing(i was unsuccessful at getting the old one out, but the spring, and bearing were still fully functional so after some frustration i gave up and continued with the oil change) im really looking to change my oil soon so i can get a look underneath the car and see whats leaking. i just wanted to mention i changed my oil cooler seal about 2700 miles ago and am doubtful thats whats leaking, at least in my case. thanks again guys, please keep us updated on this.

Ps.
i should also mention, since i posted to this thread my leak hasn't returned lol but im still concerned.

[rxmclaren7]

Hey fellas,

I want to apologize up front for a lack of quoted responses, my time is short but I wanted to put my 0.02 in this thread.

-Kudos to the OP for doing something quick.

-What is often overlooked when dealing with a single cylinder missfire P0301-P0306 (-P0308-M45) or a multi-cylinder miss fire P0300 (which are typically harder to fix) is if the Check Engine Light is on or flashing and there is an active cylinder miss-firing and you risk burning out your catalytic converter. This can happen very fast and may not be covered under warranty.

-Replacing the plugs probably means that they were not correct. A few days ago I had an 05 Q45 that would miss randomly and had terrible engine numbers. Turns out the the plugs were correct but on had a very small hairline crack. We replaced all of the just to fix it right the first time.Because honestly you are going to have to pay to have all of them removed to inspect, why not just replace them while your there?

-If a spark plug drops from more than 16" you should toss it, even if it looks fine. Often you can only see a crack after it has been arching with the spark plug tube.

Now I must preface this next part with I read this thread for the first time today...I did not see the oil leak twist coming at the end. Very interesting.

-I do not think these issues are related and would like to offer my opinion on this. I am in the DC area and do not have it nearly as bad as many of you folks way up yonder. I have seen a decent increase in small oil leaks with this unacceptably cold weather. M35s love to leak from the oil cooler seals. That is the metal thing the oil filter mounts too. The oil tends to run down the lower belly pan and drip from the holes under the sub frame and at the rear of the engine. Some oil seeping from a valve cover is not really much to be worried about. If the car smokes or you smell burning oil it is time to fix it. I always suggest cleaning it the first time and waiting to see how long it takes to leak again.

-If you are changing your own oil...you really should change the gasket every time. Most of the time they are good for two or three but should be replaced annually at least.

I'll continue when I get back.

thanks for the info steve!!! my car runs and drives fine just has a slight odor of oil burning coming from the engine bay area! i will post a pic as soon as i can so you all can see what i am on about!!

cji4130, i will continue to monitor the leak and keep every one updated...we are expecting a lot of snow over night so i dont expect to get to the dealer tomorrow but i will try again on monday...

[SteveTheTech]

i also attempted to replace that spring loaded relief valve thing(i was unsuccessful at getting the old one out, but the spring, and bearing were still fully functional so after some frustration i gave up

Why would you ever do that?

[cji4130]

i also attempted to replace that spring loaded relief valve thing(i was unsuccessful at getting the old one out, but the spring, and bearing were still fully functional so after some frustration i gave up

Why would you ever do that?

Because it says to replace it after every dis-assembly in the service manual?

[SteveTheTech]

You should realistically never need to replace that unless the motor is sludged pretty bad. That is one of the items most do not attempt to repair as any marring or damage to the check balls housing will negatively effect engine oil pressure, especially on cold start up.

It does indeed say to replace it every time but that is really not something most people should/would/could properly replace. I have checked many of these on damaged engines but have not seen any sticking to the point that it would warrant replacement. Pulling off that large hollow bolt and replacing the $5 gasket is really enough for the majority of the Ms that leak from there. That's how we've been doing it for years without an issue.

I am in the process of a motor replacement and I will post some pictures when I get into it...it is a VK that was run out of oil at highway speed, if any one has oil circuit issues I bet this one will.

[cji4130]

any news on this RX? also, how did it go on that VK steve?

[rxmclaren7]

i have been sick so i was unable to get to the dealer i have an appointment next week....they said that they have NEVER replaced a valve cover gasket on one on the VQ series engines...i will keep you all posted on the outcome

[rxmclaren7]

well i guess there is a first for every thing!! the valve cover gasket is bad and needs to be replaced =( the dealer still has the car and will tell me when it is done....they said the minimum cost is $300 and could go higher than that if they need to replace any other gaskets....so much for getting paid tomorrow....

[Theo]

I see this thread is discussing a leaking valve cover gasket. I've had this issue repaired twice at the dealer. Now leaking a 3rd time. First time repaired under factory warranty, second time repaired under extended warranty which was 14months later, I had to pay the deductible. Damn dealer could not tell me why it leaked again, blamed it on the car running too hot which is bs. New rad, new coolant, temp gauge is fine, so no issue there.
Now, 9 months later it's leaking again. You'd think they'd figure it out! I'm not paying a dime this time, visiting the dealer this week, can't wait to see what they say. I'll ask more questions this time. I want to know exactly what the issue is, do they replace only the gasket, is the valve cover or head the the issue.
Obviously a defective part and seems like a common problem.