2003 350z Will Not Start
03-29-2021, 12:14 PM
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2003 350z Will Not Start
Hey y'all.
My husband and I have a 2003 350z touring. We have done most of the work on it ourselves, i.e. fluid changes, changing the rear main seal, clutch changes, cam/crankshaft sensors, etc. My husband has done his own work on his cars all his life, but this one has us stumped!
It started about a year ago. Car was running perfectly, except the clutch was bad. So, we did a clutch job on it, and our buddy who helped us do it convinced us to change the rear main seal as preventative maintenance. So fast forward about 2 months. Transmission has white smoke coming from it, and the car won't drive well in low gears and wont go over 40mph because it isn't building pressure. It felt super bogged down, and when we parked we could see oil spots. So we get her lifted, and there was oil leaking into the transmission which the transmission was burning off, which is what the white smoke was all about. Turns out the rear main seal was busted. So we drop the transmission and swap that sucker out. We put it all back together, threw a new battery on her, and then she won't start. She just cranks and cranks. But we don't hesitate in assuming it is the Crankshaft and camshaft positions sensors. We swap them out no problem, but it doesn't work. Okay, onto the next thing. We check the fuel pressure. No problem there. We check and change the spark plugs. No problem there. We check the fuses. No problem there. We check all the fluids. Nothing. We check the starter, the battery, the fuel pump. Nada. Now we are really clueless. So, we begrudgingly call a mechanic. He's got great reviews and our family has used him before. There's nothing he can't fix! Except apparently our Z. He looked at it for about 2 weeks. Literally took the motor and transmission out of the car and looked at it. Changed EVERY sensor in that sucker and even replaced the fuse box. Checked everything we checked with specialty tools. It isn't throwing any codes or anything, and nothing is popping up on his scanner. He flushed the system and replaced all the fluids. He ended up called us today, and told us that he has absolutely no idea what is wrong with it, and that because he couldn't fix it he's not going to charge us for any of the work he did. Which is great, but we still have no idea what's wrong with it! At this point we don't know what to do. He said, and I quote, "By everything I know in mechanics, there is not a single reason this car should not be starting. I have no idea what it is."
So, I am making this post because we don't know what the next step is. We still owe $3,000 on this car that now is just eye candy. Does anyone have any idea of what's going on, or have you had this issue?
My husband and I have a 2003 350z touring. We have done most of the work on it ourselves, i.e. fluid changes, changing the rear main seal, clutch changes, cam/crankshaft sensors, etc. My husband has done his own work on his cars all his life, but this one has us stumped!
It started about a year ago. Car was running perfectly, except the clutch was bad. So, we did a clutch job on it, and our buddy who helped us do it convinced us to change the rear main seal as preventative maintenance. So fast forward about 2 months. Transmission has white smoke coming from it, and the car won't drive well in low gears and wont go over 40mph because it isn't building pressure. It felt super bogged down, and when we parked we could see oil spots. So we get her lifted, and there was oil leaking into the transmission which the transmission was burning off, which is what the white smoke was all about. Turns out the rear main seal was busted. So we drop the transmission and swap that sucker out. We put it all back together, threw a new battery on her, and then she won't start. She just cranks and cranks. But we don't hesitate in assuming it is the Crankshaft and camshaft positions sensors. We swap them out no problem, but it doesn't work. Okay, onto the next thing. We check the fuel pressure. No problem there. We check and change the spark plugs. No problem there. We check the fuses. No problem there. We check all the fluids. Nothing. We check the starter, the battery, the fuel pump. Nada. Now we are really clueless. So, we begrudgingly call a mechanic. He's got great reviews and our family has used him before. There's nothing he can't fix! Except apparently our Z. He looked at it for about 2 weeks. Literally took the motor and transmission out of the car and looked at it. Changed EVERY sensor in that sucker and even replaced the fuse box. Checked everything we checked with specialty tools. It isn't throwing any codes or anything, and nothing is popping up on his scanner. He flushed the system and replaced all the fluids. He ended up called us today, and told us that he has absolutely no idea what is wrong with it, and that because he couldn't fix it he's not going to charge us for any of the work he did. Which is great, but we still have no idea what's wrong with it! At this point we don't know what to do. He said, and I quote, "By everything I know in mechanics, there is not a single reason this car should not be starting. I have no idea what it is."
So, I am making this post because we don't know what the next step is. We still owe $3,000 on this car that now is just eye candy. Does anyone have any idea of what's going on, or have you had this issue?
03-29-2021, 05:57 PM
#4
Since you mentioned the rear main seal was replaced and clutch was changed. Double check the flywheel placement. There is supposed to be a small dowel on the back of the crank for indexing the flywheel (so you don't get the flywheel clocked wrong). Long story short, if your husband moved to an aftermarket flywheel or didn't get the flywheel indexed properly (common mistake), then the crank sensor won't be getting a correct reading to keep the engine "in time" with the CAM position sensors. This can easily cause the no start scenario you're finding yourselves in. Some aftermarket flywheels do allow for you to get the flywheel mounted without proper indexing.
Here's a picture of what the crank dowel looks like for the flywheel.
Another potential issue could be the anti-theft system. But you would see the security light on in the dash if that were the case and a scanner I think would have picked that up. Outside of those two things, the only other explanations that come to my mind are 1) Blown/Fried computer module or 2) Major wiring fault, either from something being simply left unplugged, or physically damaged wiring from rodents or incidental damage while previous work was being done (clutch, rear main seal, etc).
Hope you get it figured out. Please keep us updated if you do. Good Luck!
-Icer
Here's a picture of what the crank dowel looks like for the flywheel.
Another potential issue could be the anti-theft system. But you would see the security light on in the dash if that were the case and a scanner I think would have picked that up. Outside of those two things, the only other explanations that come to my mind are 1) Blown/Fried computer module or 2) Major wiring fault, either from something being simply left unplugged, or physically damaged wiring from rodents or incidental damage while previous work was being done (clutch, rear main seal, etc).
Hope you get it figured out. Please keep us updated if you do. Good Luck!
-Icer
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