I have a 2011 G37XS sedan with 100,900 miles. I was driving home last Friday when the car would buck a bit at about 3k RPM's like it was hitting a rev limiter. No CEL and the car would drive fine if I kept it under 3k rpm's. I used my code reader and it showed P0542 and P0021. I researched it and saw all the awful posts about it and watched a YouTube video of someone doing the fix in their garage.

Over the weekend I cleared the codes and drove it without issues.

I just took it out now (Monday) and after it warmed up to a good temp I was able to wind it up to redline in 1st and 2nd gears multiple times without any issues.
I let it shift automatically and I shifted manually with the paddles and all was fine. No loss of power, no bucking, no CEL and no codes.

Could the codes have been a weird one time fluke or I'm wondering if it will show up again one day.

 

Have you changed the oil recently ,if yes make sure everything is tight included your filter. If not, more than likely its going to be your gaskets.

 

This finally took a turn for the worse two days ago as the car started having a rough idle, speed was a bit inconsistent with throttle at 1/4 to maintain driving speed, CEL started blinking and then went into limp mode. I was able to get the car home by shifting with the paddle shifters at 1900 rpm's otherwise that was the new rev limiter.
I had the car towed to the Infiniti dealer where the repair estimate is very high an in line with what others have seen quoted.

So others, learn from my mistake if these codes come around don't just clear and wait to see if it gets worse as it will.

 

What was the outcome? What did the dealer say was the issue? Sprockets? Did you fix it?

 

You most likely broke the gallery gasket bad since the P0542 low oil psi is a code thrown by the VTCs not the oil pressure sender.

This is the typical process of diagnosis of the ECM when it detects something wrong.

A P0011 or P0021 can be a bad VTC phaser or slight broken gasket

When it's accompanied by a P0542 it means the VTCs are just not reacting throwing a "low oil psi code"

It's a low psi code but you wont have an oil pressure light.

In all reality you could have deleted the code and drove above those said RPMS and would have been able to move.

I have a p0011 code and have switched to manual shifting above 3k rpm. If I try driving in D the car will try to maintain that RPM and since the loads will be higher VTCs will want to adjust however since they can't due to insufficient oil psi to them they wont and a code will be thrown.

Regardless of what everyone does, the engine will have to be opened. Depending on how many codes will determine if you just need gaskets or VTC gears as well.

 

@bull so i see you responded to the other thread also. I changed my gaskets with eps tuning upgraded metal gasket with Allen bolts to torque down. I doubt my gasket blew. Would you say my cam phaser is advanced? It’s hard to tell. And mine doesn’t have that little notch like yours does. I have same codes 0021 and i just did a oil pressure test which was good. I think once 0021 comes 524 low oil pressure comes with it.