Hello All,
I just picked up an 09 G37 base coupe in Black. it has 121,000 miles on it, but has all serviced records from the dealership. Oil changes were very consistent, every 6k miles. Car appears to be in great condition and motor pulls very strong. However I have noticed a few things and wanted to know if its normal for the G

1. There is excessive engine vibration, and I can feel it in the cabin when the car is in Drive. The rpm's are stable, and the vibration disappears when in neutral.

2. Some times the cabin smells like coolant when I first start it in the morning. There is also light white smoke coming from the tail pipes. its very faint, but noticeable.. Could this be something serious?

3. I cannot get video to play on the media screen. I hooked up my iphone 5 with an adapter cable that I bought from target. It has a white and red AV side attached to an aux input that goes into my phone. There is no video on the screen, only sound. (Yes my parking brake is up and car is parked)

Thank you guys so much for any info you can provide!

 

1. Sounds more like the driveline since when its in neutral it goes away. If it were true motor vibrations it would only stop when the motor is off. I'd start simple and look at the transmission mount and make sure all the bolts of the driveshaft are torqued.

2. Maybe yes, maybe no. White smoke in the exhaust can be burning coolant. This would point towards a blown or leaking head gasket, which is serious and will need attention ASAP.

3. The red and white are for left and right audio only. A yellow AV would be for video.

 

Closely examine the oil for signs of contamination. Is the coolant level consistent in the reservoir and full in the radiator?

 

Also, check the dip stick for a light gray foam/film. That would be emulsified water/oil mix. No appreciable water should exist in the crankcase once the car warms up.

 

I opened the oil cap and peeked inside, there is no milky residue or any sign of head gasket issues.. There is also no oil in the radiator reservoir.

 

Dip stick looks nice and clean.. the car runs like new. The only other issue i noticed was that the motor makes a ticking sound.. Oil level is full. And as mentioned, I have all the maintenance records.. The oil changes were done on time always..

Could this be the VVEL ticking that I keep hearing about on the board? If so, with 120k miles, should i switch to synthetic? Not sure what oil was used previously

 

If the coolant is not an internal leak, it's possibly just a loose fitting at one of the hoses. Coolant seeps out, finds its way to hot exhaust then burns giving off the odor.

You'll need to check not only the radiator hoses but all the other hoses that carry coolant.

 

Silly me. I assumed the white "smoke" was coming out the exhaust. It could very well be a coolant hose leak if the steam is coming from under the hood. Be aware that a gasoline leak can generate white smoke when it vaporizes on the exhaust manifold. Ask me how I know.

 

Keep an eye on the coolant level...make sure it is full. If it keeps dropping then may have an issue.

 

Sorry I should have been more clear. Yes it's coming from the exhaust

 

Steam from coolant or oil burning, specifically the top end. Worn rings would show as dark smoke.