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I have an 05 350Z base 6MT with only 21k miles. I was at 19k miles and driving from Az to Or. Stopped for gas & got on it a bit getting back on the freeway. Then right after I had sluggish acceleration. I have MASSIVE POWER LOSS. I would say 80-100HP with no symptoms. No lights, no codes, oil's fine, temp good.
It had just came out of the dealer where I was hearing a ping but they couldn't figure it out. They put octane booster in my car & I saw the red because the first thing I did was put new iridium NGK's. I had to put massive 19X11.s in the back & 19X9.5 up front to keep the tires from spinning in 4th before this. Now I can smash it in first & it just makes noise. No pulling. I am dumbfounded.
Pedal? Throttle body? Knock sensor? I do have a system with one Kenwood XR 900.5 amp & one JLW6 with a kenwood Double din but it ran fine with it from 15k miles unti 19k. The lights were dimming when the bass hit so I put in a new Optima yellow top. No change. The dealer changed my Cam sensors because they went while in the dealership. They broke it, I paid for it. I replaced the crank sensor hoping it was the fix but nope. I am stumped and the dealer is even more clueless. They couldn't even do a throttle relearn. They has no idea. This may take a serious Z guru & I plan to drive down to tuner if no luck. Thanks guys.
Check the voltage on the battery when disconnected, then check it connected. Any change? What's the voltage when running? It should be close to 14V and then slowly drop to 12.5V. Is the positive clamp hot when running? If you don't know how to do it yourself, have someone perform a voltage drop test from the center of the battery positive post to the center of the stud that attaches the positive clamp to the fusible links. Also, check the alternator for excessive ripple. This sounds like a voltage issue. Nissans wig out when they don't get the correct voltage.
Just out of curiosity though... You didn't accidentally put regular gas or E85 in it, did you?
No, but one tail light had always had a hairline crack. I will change it & check stereo wiring. It happened way after these things & abruptly. Thanks. Any logical ideas I will explore. Thank you. I will also tell you results
Last edited by BIGPOPPAPUMP; 07-04-2015 at 03:21 PM.
Reason: Add
I didn't put any E85 but about 500 miles prior I put 10 gallons of 100 octane. It came from a Smiths pump where everyone gets gas. I have changed plugs & put a new motordyne TDX V2 w ART pipes. I thought maybe the cats were gone. No change.
I found a single ought amp ground wire not even crimped. Not the fix. The ohm from block to neg terminal was less than an ohm & in the - or negative ohms while on. I did the stud test on the battery & it was the same everywhere. 13.7 volts. I have a brand new yellow optima. I am going to see if they assigned the amps ACC it's dedicated own fuse on the box. I also will check the white ECS box & panel connections. They had that all off when doing my stereo. Both tail lights working.
Last edited by BIGPOPPAPUMP; 07-04-2015 at 10:06 PM.
Don't just check the voltage. You need to do a "voltage drop test". There are videos on youtube if you don't know how to do that. It's a much more accurate way to test resistance than an ohmmeter. You also need to get the car somewhere that does free charging system tests to have them check for "excessive ripple" on the alternator.
Are you tuned? I put art pipes and while i didnt have a power loss i have what seems to be massive misfire or lag but without codes.. needs a tune BAD! perhaps you as well?
The car lost power before the new exhaust. When I isolate & fix this issue & get the beast pulling again, I am heading Shawn Church. Tell him Lincoln referred you. lol. Like am an aircraft mech & can read schematics for a proper drop test but finding each lead. Maybe ai should pull the massive fuse to my amp & see if it goes away & know it's stereo away. If there was a draw, would I detect it buy getting current through the negative side & start pulling fuses until the draw stopped? Course my car can sit a I month so I don't have a draw. Auto electrician? I won't the power back. I am thinking knock sensor, sub harness or faulty AFR sensors. My cats were pink from the octane booster. I am soo freqking stumped. I spent 6 months finding this Z. It was faster than any other. I need help. Trust me, I will pool my thoughts if anyone has a problem I've had. Remember it pinging we initially. I have a new knock sensor but not harness. What a pain.
I don't think you have a parasitic draw. The voltage drop test is to figure out if there's an issue between the alternator and the battery. Nissan's use an odd charging system. In most cars, the alternator charges the battery all the time with voltage from the alternator increasing with RPM. Nissans don't do that. They monitor the current on the ground cable (that little box on the ground cable with the plug on it). The alternator starts charging the battery when you start the car, but if the battery doesn't need charging, the alternator will drop down to 12V to lessen drag on the engine. If there's a problem with the current sensor or any of the cables from the battery to the alternator or to the IPDM, this feature may not work correctly. This can cause your lights to dim and the car to run poorly. I've seen Nissan's come in with a dead cell in the battery that weren't shifting correctly. Customer would say another shop replaced the transmission, but it still doesn't shift. I'd replace the battery, give the customer the bad news about the $5G they just wasted on a trans and send them on their way. If you have another car, try swapping your battery. I know the Optima is new, but try it anyways.
I thought that I had a bad battery because of the light dimming with the bass. I have no box on my 05 350z's neg cable. I have this thing with fuses on the positive side. I put the Optima in from Summitt two weeks ago. I did notice that when I left my car sit in 2013 & when it was really cold my car would be at 14 volts until I would drive a long way. The gym & the store are all mile from home. I found a bad ground on the amp. I recrimpped it & checked out my aftermarket stereo the climate box & cluster. I'm stumped. Feeling a little stronger but I am down about 60hp. It just won't pull above 3k. It will make noise. No clutch spin. Would a tuner be able to find this?
It was created at the dealer & has been to another. They have no idea. I will try to find an auto electrician & try this alternator ripple & electrical drop test. Thanks for all the thoughts. I am going to chase these.
You're focusing on the electrical system, whereas you need to focus on data-logging.
I could never chirp the tires (odd that you can spin in 4th with on 05....). Before getting tuned, I was running dangerously lean, although was oddly quicker than normal. After getting tuned, I was slow. By simply data-logging, you find quite a bit of information about your car. The first thing you should do is get tuned or at least have them data-log.
I also have had a situation where I filled up at a sketchy BP, and the car would literally feel like the brakes would lock up randomly. I ran some Gumout All-In-one through a full tank of good fuel to clear out any mud that was in the lines. You need something with PEA. Gumout regain, Redline S-1 will do the trick.
Originally Posted by i8acobra
They monitor the current on the ground cable (that little box on the ground cable with the plug on it). The alternator starts charging the battery when you start the car, but if the battery doesn't need charging, the alternator will drop down to 12V to lessen drag on the engine. If there's a problem with the current sensor or any of the cables from the battery to the alternator or to the IPDM, this feature may not work correctly.
Do you have any more info on this? Most Z33's i've seen are at ~ 14+v cruising. I've never seen mine dip below 14v-- even on road trips. I can't find any info in the FSM about this black box on the grounding cable you speak of.
Mine doesn't have one. It happened abruptly after the dealer put octane booster in my car. There is most likely an obstruction in my fuel delivery system. An Uprev dyno session could be useful however. I have a black relay box in front it.
I spent 6 months driving 370's & 350's. This black on black 05 had 12,690 miles, was the strongest o the dozens of all 350's & 370's & had the stock 17" wheels then. I could spin 4th gear in that configuration as long as 3rd was going. Believe that. I am trying to trouble shoot not test maturity levels. It matters because now I can smash second & nothing. I honestly think I have a bad injector. Mind you, this happened after the dealer put octane booster in my car which the FSM, Owners & Maintenance & Service Manuals all say will obstruct the fuel system, clog valves & damage motor. It made my plugs pink or red & My stock cats when I changed the exhaust were pink. I post here for help. Lastly, this is an 05 Base. How many wheels spin on a base? One. This is why I run an 11" rear wheel.
07-03-2015, 05:39 PM
2005 Z Massive power loss no light or code
