Good evening. My father in law bought his loaded 09 new and has 50k on it as of this week. It's been an incredible car. In fact, we bought a new Quest recently and love it as well.

However, he had an accident at work, so the car has been sitting for about a month. I decided to take it home to use some, just to keep things flushed through it. First, I noticed he has the steering column that no longer functions- I've heard mixed answers- are they covering this?

The main issue is that the Service Engine Soon light was on. I had the codes pulled and it revealed P0014 which has to do with Valve Timing. While it seems like the Maximas always have kind of a roar to them, this has been a deeper roar now and it really likes to idle back to around 1K RPMs. And, even when you step on it, there's a slight hesitation.

The other piece of the story- it looks like, due to the sticker, he's been 10k miles since his last oil change. We think he may not be thinking as clearly as in the past and just forgot. So, I immediately had it changed. I've heard of dirty oil causing some codes to throw up.

I've got an appt at the dealer in the morning and am hoping to learn the cause. However, with it being out of warranty, I am still hoping they'll be good to us since we've bought a few new cars there.

Any clues? Thanks much!

 

The whole cam system is oil addressed, so this could very well be just an oil issue. 10k without an oil chain isn't too terrible, but then again the engine was designed for best performance with ester oil, which supposedly needs regular changing. I'd wait and see what happens after your oil change. If its not the oil then it is likely a faulty solenoid.

 

Yes, already had the oil changed. It was off for a brief time and then came back on. So, the oil has been addressed. Is the solenoid replacement expensive if that's the case?

 

It should be covered by the power train warranty up to 5yrs or 60k miles. If its not, the part is only $100-200, but the labor may be a few hours.
I'd also check for the possibility of engine gasket wear. Sometimes the gaskets are the problem, you would find small rubber pieces in the oil pan/crank case.

 

Learned a lesson to drive to the further away dealer. The one here is just pathetic. We bought this Maxima new here and am just surprised they charge $95 to pull the codes. Just poor customer service. Waiting for diagnosis.

 

autozone you can use their code scanner for free get the code and search on the internet so you know what the problem is

 

its the exhaust valve timing its prob off very slightly could be because you dont change your oil in time...10,000 miles is a bit much its not a german car which runs better with heat.....

 

Yeah, even with using synthetic I would never go to 10K. Maybe 5-6K at the most especially during the hottest months of the year.