Well it looks like the car is shot. I went to autozone and had the ses light checked an it came back with the 0011 and 0021 codes. Will these codes cause the car to smoke in any way? If anyone knows anything on this, id sure appreciate it

 

P0021 "A" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance (Bank 2)


P0011 "A" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance (Bank 1)

With a quick search this is what ive found to be the most helpful. my understanding is without the cps it can send the car into limp mode (reduced performance) to try to save the motor. id say swoop that one up and try installing. hope it works out for you.

 

Different sensor in that sale. These are the cam sensors, not the crank sensor.

Also, the thread is in the 4th gen forum .


http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/maxima/2003/ec.pdf

page 166.

 

Probably going to be the camshaft position sensors or IVT solenoids. You should also check the oil level, if it is low the IVT solenoids won't work right. Sludge in the engine can cause problems too.

 

Very likely that you are low on oil. I had 0011 and a strange clicking noise about a month ago. I added oil and everything has been fine since.

 

shrug i tried :/ coulda sworn id narrowed it to 5th gen

 

BTW what color smoke and where is it coming from?

 

It's blue smoke, it was almost a quart low in oil, but at the pace it's burning it, it will probably burn it up on no time. Do you guys think replacing that cam sensor would fix it, or am I just beating a dead horse?

 

Anyone else got any input? I'm in the middle of checking the compression and changing plugs right now, if it is the engine that needs replaced, how hard of a swap am I in for?

 

What weight oil are you running? The car specs out 5W-30 (in moderate climates), which is TOO LIGHT if you've got an oil consumption problem. You may consider running something heavier, like 20W-50, which will tend to "fill the gaps" in a worn engine and reduce consumption. This assumes you're BURNING it, not leaking it. If it's a leak, that indicates mechanical repairs (gaskets, etc.) are needed. The compression check will tell you a lot. You will want to investigate whether your catalytic converters are obstructed/deteriorated, as this engine is known to have debris BACK UP from a damaged one and enter the engine, scoring the cylinder walls and severely damaging the engine, resulting in major oil consumption and, essentially, the need for a new engine. Measure twice, cut one, though.

 

Update...
The car is still smoking like a **** when it gets over like 3k, the car is down on power but the cel light went off a few days ago and hasn't returned yet. Are they any way I can check the precat and cat without removing them?

 

My car is also reading these codes with the same symptoms
Blue smoke, oil light comes on upon startup and then goes away. its been 2500km since my last oil change and im already down a litre. Im about to add a litre in a minute. but at this point are we looking at replacing IVT solenoids and camshaft position sensor or would it be worth it to replace the motor?

 

one liter in roughly 1500 miles is not a concern with the 3.5VQ, a lot of them burn that much oil and have since new. Change out the sensors, and if the code goes away and you continue to burn oil at the same rate, you should be good for a long time without the expense of installing a new engine.

Are you using dino oil or synthetic? Synthetic should not blow blue smoke, but will still be "lost" at the same or higher rate. You might try going to an oil made for "high mileage" cars, that helped on my 170,000 mile 1996 maxima.

 

Yeah im using mobil one 5w30 synthetic.
I read on another forum that it could be the cat converter.
once the exhaust is not properly flowing it becomes pressurized and backed up through the manifold and starting to suck back air from the intake.
I have a small intake breather on my front valve cover could this be the problem?
Im about to put in some seaform and see if it runs better