Yes. It's long. I know. Just being thorough.

I've searched high and low on many Z websites and found conflicting answers / many answers to problems that sound like my issues and many threads that died with no posted resolution. I don't want to go tearing it apart until I have some confidence in what I believe the problem is.

I have a 2003 350Z with only 20K miles and I've owned it for about a year. Drove it from April - October 2014 bone stock aside from a new head unit, amp and subs. No issues at all. Ran great, put about 2K miles on it and loved every second of it

Put it into storage in October 2014 and I've fired it up once a week and run it for 15-20 minutes each time. Last time I took it out for a drive was on December 5th and it ran just fine, still 100% stock mind you. About two weeks ago I put in a K&N Typhoon CAI, DEPO front headlights and (regrettably..should have bought better quality for peace of mind) ANZO LED tail lights. I did all that and reassembled it all except getting the front bumper back on. Fast forward to yesterday, it's been sitting on jack stands for two weeks. I throw the bumper back on, do an oil change, drop it down, fire it up and run it for 10 minutes then I take it out for a spin.

Roads are slick so I drive slowly and cautiously for a couple minutes. First time I've driven since the above mentioned mods so I'm eager to hear the CAI. I give it an open throttle in 1st gear and..nothing. The car accelerates gently with no unusual noises/revs. I initially thought it was a slick patch of road, got a bit of wheel spin and the TC cut in. Try it again and no TC lights..and no sudden acceleration. I keep on the throttle and at 5000 RPM it GOES like it should. I shift to second and it doesn't do the same thing. It accelerates quite well with no issues. I slow down and try again out of first and the same thing happens. I go hard through 2nd and into third and both those gears accelerate just fine.

I head back home (out of worry) and park it. I go to fire it up again 5 minutes later and it doesn't even turn over. I check my battery and I guess I forgot to tighten the negative terminal as it's loose. Tighten it up and it fires up. Head inside to google this issue.

Initial ideas:

1) See a thread about some dude who had recently installed LED tail lights on a 2003 Z. He had the same issue. He was told it was an "ECU voltage issue" due to these cheap tail lights. Thread died before he posted a solution. A few people said they had similar issues but no solutions. Might re install the OEM lights and test it tomorrow..

2) Thought the negative terminal being loose somehow didn't help. Seems unlikely this is the cause.

3) Gas was put in October, added Fuel Stabilizer as needed at that time. It is 3.75 months old though. Might syphon 50+L of gas out and add new gas to see if this helps.

4) Newly installed K&N Typhoon CAI may be causing some sort of fuel mixture issue? First time it's been driven since install so maybe it's somehow causing the issue? I DO NOT wan't to have to re install the OEM intake to see if this helps. Last resort..

5) Had the battery terminal disconnected while installing the headlights / tail lights (for obvious reasons) but reconnected it after completing install 2 weeks ago so I could set the alarm. It was disconnected for about 6 hours during that install and it was enough to reset my stereo headunit. Hard to test.

6) A few people in threads similar complained that it was also dewy and cold when they had these issues. It was about 7* C / 40* F yesterday and VERY foggy / dewy. Don't want to wait a couple months for warmer / dryer days. I'm impatient when my baby is sick

No clue if it's one / multiple things mentioned above contributing to this issue.

Any help is much appreciated

 

As far as old fuel is concerned I have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for a year at a time and never had issues with the fuel treatment/ fuel sitting a year. If there was an issue with A/F mixture you more than likely would have popped a CEL. I'm not saying this 100% your case but just the experiences I have had with my customers vehicles. On a side note, keep driving the car. Any mechanic will try to replicate the vehicle fault in order to understand/ diagnose the fault. New fuel will never hurt and new vehicles today come equipped with KNOCK sensors which will retard the timing in the event a knock/lean pre-ignition occurs. This results in extremely "slow"/ LIMP operation and a "RED" indicator usually follows. As for "SOUND" of an CAI..........I would remain concerned about actual proper operation and performance gain. I hope this information helps point you in the right direction.

 

Also you might check that your MAF is clean and no debris got in the filter while you was changing to your new CAI I already know you have purchased a Typhoon CAI but the Wolf, pop Charger CAI works really good with our Z's and also has a wonderful sound this could possibly be the problem.

 

Did you drive it after tightening the battery?

 

Try the tail lights and get back to us. Very common.

 

Ditto on re-check MAF sensor connections and check that oil or debris isn't covering the sensor.

 

I'm running the K&N typhoon on my 08' HR and I don't feel a difference in performance... I would check if you installed it correctly, make sure there isn't any air leaks, dirty sensors, loose wires and such.