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I took a closer look at my inspection from last week at my Infiniti store and they noted a "very very tiny oil leak." So I asked where and they said the valve cover. I assume the gasket went bad. Fortunately, it is covered under my extended warranty so I have it in our shop today for the official diagnosis. Anyone else have this issue?
Then I got to thinking that maybe they crack the engine open and find something wrong with a piston or the block and they need to warranty a new short block. (I know this sounds crazy, so bear with me here.) A long shot I know, but that got me dreaming up excuses to get a forged crank and rods and add boost, etc, etc. On the very remote chance that happens I would be faced with a tough decision. Do you spend the money to add power to the existing car, or save that money for the next car which will be a different platform all together and probably have more potential, but also cost a lot more?
I noticed my VC gasket leaking today well. Going to be doing plugs and swapping back to the OEM intakes I picked up soon, so I'll knock out the VC gaskets as well.
I noticed my VC gasket leaking today well. Going to be doing plugs and swapping back to the OEM intakes I picked up soon, so I'll knock out the VC gaskets as well.
BTW congrats on the Z1 IG feature!
Thanks man! Sorry to hear about your gasket leaking. Passenger side like me?
They are actually going to be replacing both valve cover gaskets under warranty. This got me thinking that it would be a good time to do cams. I am looking at the Jim Wolf Technology (JWT) cam options. I called Z1 this morning about them and got some info, but I am going to try to get ahold of Jon at Z1 who does all the tunes to get his thoughts. Anyone else do cams on their VQ engine?
What would your expectations be for these Z1 cams? +30 torque at 3000 rpm does sound intriguing. 10 hp at peak RPM, not so much.
Would you need to re-tune? probably.
Would you see a significant drop in gas mileage? I mean, there has to be a trade off, you know, a reason why the OEM camshafts weren't designed to support higher mid-range torque.
Where in the world did you find this specific of a list for our cars, or is this just a general assumption of most engines?
Most engines are like this. This is also confirmed from tearing into a few VQs.
Infiniti applied a diamond type coating onto the buckets of the VHR for less friction hence why from factory the VHR is supposed to use Ester oil for oil changes.
I also tear open all of my oil filters every 3k and change my oil based on clarity which can range from 4-5k. Every single time I use 5w-30 oils I notice that it darkens quicker and find the oil more "pearly" which is not the case with 10w-30.
I've keep some oil from these changes and have tried magnets, filtered the metals and for the most part these are not ferrous.
Valve Cover gaskets are quite common on VQs nothing that I would be worried about.
Originally Posted by 4DRZ
They are actually going to be replacing both valve cover gaskets under warranty. This got me thinking that it would be a good time to do cams. I am looking at the Jim Wolf Technology (JWT) cam options. I called Z1 this morning about them and got some info, but I am going to try to get ahold of Jon at Z1 who does all the tunes to get his thoughts. Anyone else do cams on their VQ engine?
Seems like you are enjoying the car a lot (you wouldn't be looking at camshafts if you weren't) so if you a truly chasing every last horsepower, I say go for it. However I don't think this is the most cost effective modification. Between the install and tuning cost, that's a lot of $$ for about 10 horsepower.
What would your expectations be for these Z1 cams? +30 torque at 3000 rpm does sound intriguing. 10 hp at peak RPM, not so much.
Would you need to re-tune? probably.
Would you see a significant drop in gas mileage? I mean, there has to be a trade off, you know, a reason why the OEM camshafts weren't designed to support higher mid-range torque.
Good point. I did not even think about the downsides. Jon at Z1 said not to even look at the C1 version with the lower outputs. I would get the C2 with 22 hp and 36 ft/lb. However, the biggest downside is the cost. Even with 3 hours of labor covered under the warranty for my valve cover gaskets it would still be over $900 in labor at my employee rates + $750 for the cams!?! As much as I think it would be a cool mod to try and report back to you guys, I am having a really tough time justifying the cost. I don't think it makes sense, especially since I have already started saving for my next car.
Originally Posted by BULL
Most engines are like this. This is also confirmed from tearing into a few VQs.
Infiniti applied a diamond type coating onto the buckets of the VHR for less friction hence why from factory the VHR is supposed to use Ester oil for oil changes.
I also tear open all of my oil filters every 3k and change my oil based on clarity which can range from 4-5k. Every single time I use 5w-30 oils I notice that it darkens quicker and find the oil more "pearly" which is not the case with 10w-30.
I've keep some oil from these changes and have tried magnets, filtered the metals and for the most part these are not ferrous.
Good to know. Thanks!
Originally Posted by RobC7
Valve Cover gaskets are quite common on VQs nothing that I would be worried about.
Seems like you are enjoying the car a lot (you wouldn't be looking at camshafts if you weren't) so if you a truly chasing every last horsepower, I say go for it. However I don't think this is the most cost effective modification. Between the install and tuning cost, that's a lot of $$ for about 10 horsepower.
I would go with the C2 version which is more hp and tq, but still not enough to justify the price for me- especially with labor.
Good point. I did not even think about the downsides. Jon at Z1 said not to even look at the C1 version with the lower outputs. I would get the C2 with 22 hp and 36 ft/lb. However, the biggest downside is the cost. Even with 3 hours of labor covered under the warranty for my valve cover gaskets it would still be over $900 in labor at my employee rates + $750 for the cams!?! As much as I think it would be a cool mod to try and report back to you guys, I am having a really tough time justifying the cost. I don't think it makes sense, especially since I have already started saving for my next car.
Rear gears seems a comparable cost in both parts and labor. And as much as I enjoyed encouraging you to get on board with that, I actually think caution with this mod is prudent. Particularly since you're actively planning on next car more than you are continuing with the one you have. There has to be a reason camshaft upgrades are crickets here on this forum... probably more active on the Z boards.
But it certainly would be cool. Decades ago, the guy with a thumpy cam upgrade in his small block V8 was the guy with bragging rights. Don't think those setups lasted more than a fun summer or two, LOL. Had a friend with a '70 GTO who's engine sounded positively brutal.
Anecdotal BS, however. I'm admittedly pretty ignorant on this topic. I suspect RobC7 has some experience here. Just a guess.
Rear gears seems a comparable cost in both parts and labor. And as much as I enjoyed encouraging you to get on board with that, I actually think caution with this mod is prudent. Particularly since you're actively planning on next car more than you are continuing with the one you have. There has to be a reason camshaft upgrades are crickets here on this forum... probably more active on the Z boards.
But it certainly would be cool. Decades ago, the guy with a thumpy cam upgrade in his small block V8 was the guy with bragging rights. Don't think those setups lasted more than a fun summer or two, LOL. Had a friend with a '70 GTO who's engine sounded positively brutal.
Anecdotal BS, however. I'm admittedly pretty ignorant on this topic. I suspect RobC7 has some experience here. Just a guess.
I am trying to justify this mod, but just cannot seem to do it. The rear gears are a fair comparison, but they were significantly cheaper for me in labor just because they don't take nearly as long. 14.7 hours just seems like an eternity to do cams.
I know what you mean about lumpy idle with a set of aggressive cams in a V8. I asked Jon at Z1 about this and he said it is not really the case with our cars. He said you do hear a bit of noise on start up, but it seems to go away once it warms up.
My service department just told me that one of my gaskets is a week out (it was supposed to arrive today). So I guess I have a little more time to think about this mod and you guys have a bit more time to try to talk me into it.
I have been thinking a lot about these cams lately trying to justify it and woke up at 3 am today still thinking about the stupid cams. It was then that I remembered that the labor estimate included replacing all 4 camshafts so I thought I might be able to save some labor, but it looks like the cam retainers and timing chains need to be removed regardless of replacing intake, exhaust, or both cams. The final nail in the coffin is that none of my technicians have valve spring compressors to replace the springs anyway. So I guess the decision was made for me. However, this does free up a fair amount of money to go towards the next vehicle.
Coincidentally, I read an article today stating that the new Z is going to be the Z proto concept and they think production will start "relatively" soon. How interesting....
I have been thinking a lot about these cams lately trying to justify it and woke up at 3 am today still thinking about the stupid cams
Wow. You really got that next-mod worm stuck in your head. Really bad, too.
I very loosely have a 2022 plan for a South Bend Stage 1 Clutch, flywheel and CSC delete. Nothing is set in stone, but I've come to realize that with my girls both in college next year, and only driving the G a couple thousand miles a year now, and old age slowly taking me over in body and mind (sigh), that I'm going to blow past the original 10-year plan for the G37. There are two big-ish mod plans still on my list: a remote tune in 2021, and the clutch/flywheel in 2022.
Based on nothing but the conventional wisdom of being a keyboard jockey here, I think the clutch/flywheel mod would be more fun than the JWT camshafts.
10-09-2020, 04:10 PM
It was then that I remembered that the labor estimate included replacing all 4 camshafts so I thought I might be able to save some labor, but it looks like the cam retainers and timing chains need to be removed regardless of replacing intake, exhaust, or both cams. The final nail in the coffin is that none of my technicians have valve spring compressors to replace the springs anyway. So I guess the decision was made for me. However, this does free up a fair amount of money to go towards the next vehicle.
You really got that next-mod worm stuck in your head. Really bad, too.