Could use some insights on my car and hope that I can get some direction from you guys toward repairs. First, I am not a tech guy (I am a finance guy) so I am looking for direction in an area that has stumped both the dealer and a local repair guy as well. As a lead in, following a lot of reading of this sight, here are some things that will hopefully help with the guidance.

- Car is 2004 Roadster with auto transmission
- I am the second owner (bought it at Carmax with 12,000 miles on the odometer) and have owned it for close to four years now.
- I am told that there are NISMO mods to the exhaust, but do not know exactly what they are. Also told that there are apparently no other mods.
- Car has 35,000 miles on it.
- Tires are apparently stock and original (Potenza’s) and the front are still very high on tread availability and the rear set are in good shape as well, although there is noticeable tread wear there (nowhere near bald).
- At about 16,000 miles in August of 2006, the rear brakes started to jingle like mad and once I figured out it meant brake replacement , I replaced front rotors and rear calipers at the time (I told you I am not technical, and by the way, the Nissan dealer didn’t even tell me after a couple of looks. Took an independent repair shop…). No further replacements of brakes and no more jingling either.
- No other repairs or maintenance aside from oil changes, which I do with synthetic, 5W30
- I don’t know what a vdc is and don’t know if I have it (although one post said that the “slip light” means I probably do, but I have never seen a “vdc off” light), but I do have traction control and a TCS off button next to the convertible control at my left knee. I have not yet tried turning off TCS, but when it is reset this time I plan to do just that.

The car has developed a regular problem of going into permanent traction control lately. This problem is showing for the first time ever in my experience as of two months ago this week. It virtually always starts with a right turn and not at particularly high speed (perhaps 20 – 30 mph max). I will make a turn (not even pushing) and suddenly the TCS and the slip lights, along with check engine light, will light up and I lose all power. Still idles fine, but throttle pressure gets me about 5 mph and it won't even cross high speed bumps without a run at them (pretty embarrassing on the road when it first happened as you might imagine, being outrun by people walking...). Pull the key for a count of ten and it will restart just fine with only the check engine light showing still, although it tends to be more prone to going off with TCS/Slip lights again until the next "repair" round and will occasionally, until that next repair, go off again even without a right turn. It has never happened that I can recall on a left turn in the two months since this first started.

They have been working on this for two months now and I am ready to drive the thing off a cliff. Replaced all grounds, the throttle (twice!) and even the main computer (that took an act of God, whom I was certain was too busy by the way and heck, I should have saved that act for the actual repair request it appears...) and it just went another hour of driving over the weekend and did it again! The next stop is the transmission, but this is getting very frustrating as you might imagine.

It looks like others have gone through something similar, but not exactly (seems to me that most have run into this after wheel mods). So far neither Nissan, nor an independent repair guy who has a lot of experience with Nissans in general, can fix this problem and I am at wit's (not to mention idea's) end.

I have seen some conflicting ideas including gas pedal sensor problems (I think that was mentioned by the repair guy and replaced as well) and rear tire size (mine are stock though) and most of these posts are pretty old. So before I blow any more money on repairs, I thought I would get the best thinking on this.

As an aside, and all of you may know this, the 2004 350Z at least, apparently has an 8 year 80K mile warranty on the computer apparently (is that what is referred to as the ECM?). So if you have problems there, be sure you mention the warranty. Not sure it is a well known fact (but I am not technical…).

Any guidance I can give my repair guy to point him will be MUCH appreciated. If there are clarifications I need to provide, I will be happy to as well. This thing is really becoming a pain and I want my car back…

By the way, I love this site! As a non-tech guy, I have gotten a lot of help from all of you and appreciate the support for my car and its happy use (at least it was happy until two months ago...)

Thanks in advance

Jim

 

i just browsed your thread really quick.. but when you get off the pedal at high rpms.. does your rpms drop to 2000 then pause.. then drop again? if so it sounds like your camshaft sensor maybe bad..

are you getting any codes?

 

No pause as you suggested Doug. Plus I am not pushing the rpm's hard as this is basic city driving in Chicago. RPM's are probably at 2500 best in these type of turns.

When the repair guys ran codes, it popped up with a throttle code which was then replaced. It popped it again apparently at the dealership as well and they replaced it a second time, both to no avail.

 

I had a simular turn issue and lights.. but this was because i was hitting the brake and both my brake lights were blown.. but i have an F-Con so i didn't really have any power loss.. the power loss issue sounds like the camshaft sensor though.. very strange

 

Look at both rear tires. Tell me what size they are.

 

Hi David. Thanks for the follow up request. Just checked and tires match the Nissan tire size sticker in the door. Front are both 225/50/17 and rear are both 235/50/17.

 

I am digging for straws here. I am sure the dealer explained that the car is going into the "limp mode." The ECU sees a potential serious problem, and shuts down the car. I could guess at possible solutions, but they would just be guesses.

 

He@@ no. Dealer not only didn't tell me that, the dealer replaced the computer (but thankfully at no cost)..... So that is a new one. Dealer sucks... Any suggestions I can pass on to my independent repair guy who seems to have a somewhat better handle on it, but is also searching a bit yet?

 

WHAT IS THE CODE? Telling us the CEL code is usually helpful. If you don't have a way to read a code, go to Autozone or similar shop and they will read the code for free.

 

maybe theres a problem with ur brakes u had changed..sensors, brake fluid, air in the lines???idk man

 

Did they replace the Throttle body? Or just reset it? I had this problem which became more and more common as time went on. Driving 50 or 60 on the freeway and the car tries to slam to a halt, throttle plate closed and you had to limp it off to the side of the road. Shut it off and turn it on and it has a code and runs like its got 150hp.

For my issue I replaced my throttle body with a reman unit, the reman unit although apparently also has an issue. Though I can't complain much since it's not the same issue, where my old throttle voltage was off and causing my car to shut the throttle plate, the new one just causes me to idle high and throws a code every once in a while.