Just wanted to give an fyi.

The 13's really never really had an issue with the rear timing gasket issue. Well at just a tick over 80K on mine the issue showed up last week. I also had a minor VTC cover leak that was repaired by Infiniti at 60K and guess what thats back as well. Bought an extended that covers everything however Infiniti as well as Nissan dealers are complaining about the labor and most don't want to touch it.

So to my sadness I needed to dump the car over the weekend. It was a great car really. But the issues the car presented as well as the horrible customer service from Infiniti and Nissan made me part ways. I found a 2016 AWD GS350 Fsport and went that way. Customer service goes a long way with me. But it was to the point I didn't trust the car or the dealerships. I am no stranger to high performance cars at all and this car was on par with some others that also started having problems in the 80-100K mark. So now sadly if I want to go out I only have the Scat Pack 392 Charger, My wifes 2015 S4 six speed, the Lexus, and a 8th gen Civic.

 

Any chance you still have the VIN? Curious when it was built..

 

I don't really want to provide the vin on a public forum.

However the build date was 11/2013.

Personally I think it's just a matter of time before we see this on all G37s with the VQ37VHR. I only caught it because when I changed the oil on this car I always removed the plastic undertray to inspect for issues such as leaks. In this case that extra five mins of labor was worth it.

 

Did you have CEL's that typically pop with a failed rear timing gasket (Gallery gasket)? I think it's code p0524 for low oil pressure.

I've read that in extreme cases when the gasket blows out you'll see peices of the gasket when changing the oil.

 

No codes popped up at all. That's why I waited to get three different opinions of the problem. I waited over the course of three oil changes to see if the leak was getting worse or better. It kept getting worse. So two Dealerships told me it was the rear timing cover gasket and a nissan specialist said the same thing. However everything I read said the issue would throw a code and put the car into limp mode. It did not do that on this car. I am suspecting because the gasket did not fully break off and get into the timing chains.

 

But the rear timing gasket failure causes an internal leak, so you won't be able to see it from the outside.

The best and accurate way to tell is do a oil pressure test.

 

The gasket was weeping oil. I saw it with my own two eyes and was confirmed by two dealers and an independent specialist. I made them aware that the LH VTC gasket was also replaced under warranty and was also seeping from that area as well. The oil pressure was fine and car drove fine.

Needless to say the car is history. The galley gasket is a known issue with these engines. In my case it was just a matter of time until the gasket got worse and started breaking off into the timing chains and causing a code and limp mode. Who knows if these were the updated gaskets. All because the car build date was 11/13 does not mean the engine was built in 2013 or even 2012.

When you no longer trust the car you are driving even though you may like it it's time to let it go and that's what happened here.

 

If the oil pressure is to spec, and you don't have a P0011/P0021 your galley gaskets are fine. You can't see if the galley gaskets without taking the front timing cover off, so I am not sure what you saw.

In any case, if you don't trust the car, it is time to move on
For me, I don't think the galley gasket will happen to every G37, just a small number that makes a lot of noise, because it is not a cheap fix.

 

I can't argue with three mechanics.

I am not a professional mechanic at all. In fact I build spacecraft for a living.

When two different dealerships say rear timing gasket as well as an independent specialist I tend to listen after the third same diagnosis. I agree that generally the car throws a code and then goes into limp mode because of the gasket pieces getting broken off and getting chewed up by the timing chains. However as stated when three different people are telling me the same thing I cannot argue the fact.

 

I am a bit baffled. You mentioned you saw with your own eyes the gasket was weeping oil. I assume you are talking about the rear timing gaskets. So did the dealership open up the rear timing cover? Opening that cover is a very time consuming and expensive job.

If they didn't open the cover, how do you know the gasket was weeping oil? AFAIK when those 2 oil gallery gaskets start to break, you won't see any leaks from the outside. If you see any external oil leaks it's from another source, not from the oil gallery gaskets.

Not saying we are better mechanics than the dealerships, just sticking with the facts. Car drives fine, no codes, no limp mode, oil pressure is fine, and I assume the rear timing cover was never open, so no one actually saw that the gaskets are bad.

But if they did open up the cover, ignore my post.

 

I have to admit reading this I am/was a little baffled as well. To those reading this thread, make sure you are not confusing the oil gallery with the rear timing cover! These are two entirely separate components.

The gallery "plates" are mounted on the rear timing cover (case). When the gallery gasket(s) fail the oil leak is internal causing low pressure, VVEL codes, etc. However, the rear timing cover is mounted onto the engine block. If the gasket between the rear timing case and the engine block fails, the leak would be external to the engine causing the oil level to drop over time. This is likely the source of the oil that had dripped onto the undertray.

This is how I understand it:

In order to remove the rear cover, the ENTIRE timing assembly has to be removed. This is a extremely technical and time consuming job so I can see why nobody wanted to deal with it.

It is really moot at this point as OP no longer has the car. Still, for future reference...the gallery gasket(s) and the rear timing cover gasket are two entirely different components which have two entirely different symptoms when they fail. One is not related to the other.

 

I understand and wish you all the best on your next vehicle.