martinamw

Hi,

I was driving car today going about 40mph when it nearly stalled out and CEL came on. The codes were PO011, P0340 - Camshaft Positioning and Timing.

I then checked oil levels and was shocked to discover how little oil there was in there. This car had apparently just got an oil change and filter when I bought it used 3 months ago. I still have the receipt from the shop the previous owner took it to.

My question is, could there be any damage now to the cam shaft itself or bearings. I'm nearly afraid to drive it now until I know what potential damage, if any, there is. Could topping the oil up simply be enough ?

Please if anyone has any info on this, I'd greatly appreciate.

Thanks anyone for any enlightenment.

a33_ridah

iTrader: (10)

Assuming you got the car towed home...first thing i would do i think is drain the oil and see how much oil comes out...this is obviously an oil change...not sure if i need to mention that. fill it up before you fire it up/change filter.
Have you not noticed any oil drips on driveways, road etc? no smoke visible? How many miles have you driven in the 3 months? If its few hundred miles (possible for some people id be more surprised) if 3 months and you have driven say 4000 miles....well that would tell a different story. Lets get more details

losifanatic

Mine had the same codes after the first 2 weeks of owning my 2003. It was low on oil. The dealership I bought it from said they topped off all the fluids before I picked it up. Apparently NOT. Put oil in it and all has been fine for the last 1.5 years of owning it. This thing does go through oil. It's a must to check it often. Not that much in two weeks mind you but I can't go 2 months without adding some.

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

going three months with out checking oil on a 10 year old car is not smart.

you cannot be mad at the people who u purchased this from, only mad at yourself who needs to check the oil more often now that you have a 10 year old car.

i dont know those specific codes, but there is also a common problem with our CPS sensors, so if you do better with watching your oil, and your car still "stalls" akak shuts off while driving, you may have that common CPS sesnor issue.

a33_ridah

iTrader: (10)

^What he said. Get used to checking it- only takes a brief moment. Perhaps you werent aware of some Maxima "flaws" when you bought your used car 3 months ago but oil consumption is at the top of the list.
Also a word of advice; if while driving the low oil level red light pops on, then you should pull over asap and inspect oil level. Keep a quart in the car as well.
Take care of the obvious things as well such as replacing crush washers when changing oil if doing by yourself and wiping the hell out of your oil pan after a drain as i use it visually for leaks.

martinamw

Thanks all for the comments.
I didn't know these cars use up so much oil, and yes I'm more annoyed with myself than the dealer. There is no obvious leak, I've never seen any drips or puddles, and no black exhaust smoke. I've put on 576 Miles since I got it.

When I got the CEL yesterday and discovered the low oil, I should have first emptied the oil to see exactly how much was in there, but instead topped in up, and it needed 2 quarts to get it full.
Shouldn't the Oil pressure warning light have come on ? Would missing that much oil cause any issues.

I haven't driven it anywhere yet, but have started the engine for short bursts. It runs and sounds normal. It has always had a ticking noise coming from the top of the engine, only when at low RPM and not in neutral. I've read that this is related to the camshaft, and can be fixed ?

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

i will admit, i went 2 months also, in the winter, narely any miles added like yourself, but luckily i checked it and it was jsut about a quart shy. matter of fact i gotta check mine today.

also there has been some suggestions from other members where switching to AMSOIL (ASL) 5w-30 "Signature Series" and matching oil filter Ea15k-13 have seen much improved results with minimizing burning.

I plan on doing that soon.

colt149

iTrader: (1)

High mileage VQ35DE engine have this common problem: burning oil
Cause: failure of secondary ring
deteriorating precat or clogged precat
oil leak on the sparkplug tube seal:

How to fix:

I recommend 5W/30W castrol GTX and OEM oil filter (short) and Mobil M108 (short) avoid those long oil filter (Mobil M110)

I recommend to gut both precat, the cheapest way , (one near the radiator and one near the firewall) and install non-fouler to the two secondary 02 sensor. Or install Headers with 02 sim. Expensive: replaced both precat.

Install PCV Oil catcher to minimize the contamination of intake manifold with the blowby oillowering the fuel octane level that causes pinging

Clean both camshaft position sensor (one near the firewall and one near the radiator)

How to check engine oil on VQ35DE: warm the engine for 15-20 minutes or drive it couple of blocks. Turn off the engine and wait for 10-15 minutes, pull out the oil dipstick and check the level

maxinout93

But can you also check the oil level to see if its accurate before you start the car for the day?

kauaiwyatt

iTrader: (5)

Your CPS code should go away after adding oil. I had this same situation, & swapped mine out, bc I didn't know any better. My oil wasn't reading on the dipstick after driving cross-country!

Just check the oil after the car has sat all night. It will be accurate. No need to run the engine.

Also, use 10W-40 or thicker--never use synthetic. This has helped my oil burning problem big time.

I might swap in an 06 motor soon.