Check Engine Light. Timing Chain?

[marcwells]

hi
have 2010 M35 my check engine light will not go off,,,dealership said it might be timing chain,,,,cost will be well over 1000 dollars! any suggestions???

Thanks

[EdBwoy]

I suggest that you start by pulling the codes that come with the check engine light. That way, we could at least know possible issues.
Is your engine making any rattling noise as well, or what did the dealer base the recommendation of a chain replacement on?

[marcwells]

Code P0014
Code P0024

[Ilya]

I updated your thread title. Please use specific titles.

Also, please update your profile so we know what car you have, in the future.

[mikew83]

After consulting Dear Google, here's what I found;
Both 0014 and 0024 are exhaust valve timing codes. From what I've read, you need to have an "Exhaust Valve Timing Relearn" performed. You can only do this with the Nissan Consult III scan tool, so a dealer or a shop that has it has to do this one. Then if that works, you just need to do an idle relearn procedure. The bad thing is, if the car won't take the initial programming, you'll have to replace your front timing covers.

How often do you change the oil in the car? Did you buy this new, or is this a used vehicle you purchased?
http://infinitihelp.com/diy/obd_codes/p ... initi.html

[Larz]

Timing chain??? I thought the advantage of a chain over a belt is that the chain lasts the life of the engine unless it's oil starved. Am I wrong?

[Double E]

Lars is correct.
Timing chain as an immediate diagnosis for a code is un-called for. It's a reckless diagnosis made by the uneducated.
however...is it wrong? Maybe not but without additional information or a pattern that exists for that vehicle you can relax.

Do the re-learn for timing, then idle and see where you are. It won't be cheap for what I think will be a couple of hours labor but better then tearing into it...and that will be certainly more than $1000 in labor alone.

Now...the big question to me is why the engine ever changed such that this re-learn was needed. It's not typical to have to do unless something else was changed. It is curious but not to the point of worry...yet.

[mikew83]

Timing chain??? I thought the advantage of a chain over a belt is that the chain lasts the life of the engine unless it's oil starved. Am I wrong?

Larz, I can tell you from my I35 and other Nissan vehicles, it's not so much the chain, as the fact Nissan uses PLASTIC for the chain-guide. My I had the most annoying knocking sound, from the metal chain hitting the plastic. Grade F engineering, if you ask me. Mixed-material components are a big factor in premature failures of parts that shouldn't for years, but will.

[Double E]

True...the VQ series had that issue, Still ran fine but got a little noisy at 200K miles.
Guides should have been some other more durable material.

[mikew83]

True...the VQ series had that issue, Still ran fine but got a little noisy at 200K miles.
Guides should have been some other more durable material.

My I35 only had 115k on it, Double E! :P The previous owner wasn't doing any maintenance on the car. I paid dearly for his mistakes lol

As for the issue at hand, I asked if you were getting your oil changes done regularly Marcwells, because sometimes the outcome is (0014 & 24) if you are not. Oil sludge somehow builds up and can eventually lead to the vehicle stalling. Similar to what Larz was asking above... A Nissan V6 is very particular and demanding on maintenance it would seem.
http://www.justanswer.com/nissan-infini ... -ex35.html

[Ilya]

For sludge, you can use the AutoRX treatment to help out. I have used it and have only good things to say about it.

[BlackCat81]

Timing chain??? I thought the advantage of a chain over a belt is that the chain lasts the life of the engine unless it's oil starved. Am I wrong?

Larz, I can tell you from my I35 and other Nissan vehicles, it's not so much the chain, as the fact Nissan uses PLASTIC for the chain-guide. My I had the most annoying knocking sound, from the metal chain hitting the plastic. Grade F engineering, if you ask me. Mixed-material components are a big factor in premature failures of parts that shouldn't for years, but will.

Do you have any idea how noisy a metal chain would be rubbing on a metal guide? Of course the upper portion of the guide is plastic, it drastically reduces noise and chain wear. The lower portion that bolts to the block is metal. Occasionally, I see those codes on cars that haven't been maintained well. The easiest thing to do is the exhaust timing relearn, and if that doesn't work, you possibly have an exhaust sprocket stuck. When monitoring their position, one generally reads 5 degrees, and the other is stuck at 14 degrees retarded. You can pull the VTC cover off and loosen the sprocket bolt and watch it snap back into position, then retorque the bolt. Keep up with oil changes, even sooner than recommended for a while to keep sludge from clogging the actuators, as they rely on oil pressure to advance and retard timing. 95% sure one of your sprockets is stuck, but be thankful it's not a QX56 that stretches the bank 2 chain and nearly rubs a hole through the oil sprayer. I just finished this truck yesterday. You can see the passenger side chain is so stretched its nearly rubbing on itself. The tensioner was maxed out. The oil change history on this truck was sketchy, she changed it roughly every 10k. On a direct injected motor, that's no Bueno.