Oil leak - valve cover gaskets?

[onthemove]

Replaced the oil, coolant looks good. Still see a few water drops from the exhaust. Could that be remaining coolant burning?
Once again thanks for all he help.

Could be. Doubt it, but it could be. Check by feel or smell.
You are welcome. Anytime jval.

 

[DatMan]

Replaced the oil, coolant looks good. Still see a few water drops from the exhaust. Could that be remaining coolant burning?
Once again thanks for all he help.

If it's a cold morning, or the first start of the day, it's regular for condensation to form around the exhaust tips as it cools down... Then it drips / gets burned / boiled off when the car starts and the exhaust warms up...

 

[Jval]

Good to hear. Just remember when you're driving you have water and coolant mixed in with your engine oil .

Hey OnTheMove, quick update. Drove the car to autozone to check on the code and got P0123 and P0223. I forgot to mention that when I put the car back together I missed plugging the throttle body connector before I turn the car on and 3 or 4 warning lights came on. I turned the car off and checking all the connections I discovered my miss. I plugged back in and all the lights went off with the exception of the check engine. Car is driving fine.

No more smoke coming from anywhere. Only a few water drops from the exhaust. Normal?
I'm still running the cheap conventional oil and the engine sounds pretty good actually. Worth to mention that I was using synthetic high mileage oil and the engine was rougher. Now with the cheap conventional stuff, the engine sounds smoother.

 

[onthemove]

That's all good stuff. I was going to ask about the check engine lights you mentioned previously.
Autozone can clear codes but often will not because they're not supposed to, or so I've been told. Depends on the employee. The check engine light should go away in time on it's own unless there's a good reason its on.
Water from the exhaust is always normal like Datman said. If I cold start the FX, let it warm up for a minute then rev the engine a few times, I'll have two streams of water on the garage floor 3 feet long.
The cheap oil is probably thinner oil and possibly less additives? The high mileage probably has difficulty getting into all the tight clearances on import engines like ours due to additives and I'll assume it's a thicker oil. IIRC 5w 30 is recommended and that's what I use. 4.5 quarts of that and 1/2 quart of Lucas synthetic for shits, giggles and reduced wear at start up among other things. Lucas (per phone call to an engineer) recommends no more than 1/2 quart due to tight tolerances.

 

[Jval]

Have a couple of good updates. Check engine light was gone this morning. I also checked the engine oil cap a few minutes ago and there are no traces of coolant in the engine, cap is clean. I'm still running the cheap oil and I kinda like the way the engine feels. I've ran it about 120 miles the past 3 days.
Tomorrow I have an appointment at the infiniti dealer for the air bag recall and a multi point inspection, will see what kind repairs they try to sell.

I did notice my power steering fluid looks dark in the reservoir, I checked and has some red tint left and looks kind of clear. Time to replace it? What kind of fluid do you recommend? Can I use regular Prestone?

 

[onthemove]

I'd still change out the oil. Use the same stuff if you like, but there's got to be a fair amount of coolant mixed in.
My p.s. fluid is the same as what's in my transmission - valvoline synthetic. You can change out your p.s. fluid yourself and anything else the dealer may find if you're willing, have the time and aren't afraid to make a mistake and potentially blow your shit up, which like me, you are not! Ha.

 

[Jval]

I'd still change out the oil. Use the same stuff if you like, but there's got to be a fair amount of coolant mixed in.
My p.s. fluid is the same as what's in my transmission - valvoline synthetic. You can change out your p.s. fluid yourself and anything else the dealer may find if you're willing, have the time and aren't afraid to make a mistake and potentially blow your shit up, which like me, you are not! Ha.

Which one do you use? red or blue? How many quarts do I need?

 

[gto]

Power Steering is easy. Use a turkey baster & take out as much as you can. Refill.
If it's bad, it could have a fishy odor

 

[Jval]

Dealer update.
They told me the PS fluid needs to be replaced. And also told me the valve covers are still leaking, ver minimal, but still leaking. I didn't believe them first because I thought they were looking at previous oil residue, I checked tonight and did see new oil leaking from the front corners. They also said the Cam sensor O-ring is leaking. I'm gonna have to open this thing up for the third time and re-do the valve covers torque. The leak is looks like 2-3 drops a day.

 

[Jval]

Power Steering is easy. Use a turkey baster & take out as much as you can. Refill.
If it's bad, it could have a fishy odor

Do you know how many quarts do I need? I have a pump to suck the fluid out. I've read I need to turn the steering a few times to pull as much fluid as possible.

 

[gto]

That's a bummer on the covers. Dealer will rape you on it. I would take it to reputable shop & have it done at half the cost . . if you dont want to do it yourself

 

[gto]

Do you know how many quarts do I need? I have a pump to suck the fluid out. I've read I need to turn the steering a few times to pull as much fluid as possible.

Just take out as much as you can and refill. You could turn the wheel and do it again if you want more out

 

[onthemove]

Which one do you use? red or blue? How many quarts do I need?

Max Life. I think the other is conventional.
I used my little $8 pump. Love that little shit. 3 quarts over a couple weeks. Every time I get home, let it cool and replace what's in the reservoir.
Sucks about the leaks. That's why I recommended to get new gaskets. Air is one thing but when you've got liquids involved, forget about it. Clean all mating surfaces well also.

 

[Jval]

2 questions... is it safe to mix valvoline maxlife atf with matic J?

I also need to replace my front shocks assembly. Which ones do you recommend?

 

[onthemove]

I would recommend calling valvoline and asking them to verify but I did and yes, it's compatible. You'll see on the container. Compatible with j, s and something else. Lucas has an additive for synthetic filled transmissions but unfortunately they do not recommend it for ours.
I got kyb, not because they were reasonably priced (which is always nice), but this is the company that made the originals based on my research. No problems and the ride is great, even with drop springs.

 

[Jval]

Do you know if possible to buy the complete assembly... can't find KYBs anywhere.

 

[onthemove]

Parts Geek. Pretty sure the rear is BOTH shocks, then you've got the front left & front right struts. I found the complete assembly as well but mucho $. Rent a spring compressor from autozone and any other tools they have that you need. There are diy's around here I'm sure. Not a hard thing to do but it can be a little dangerous if you're not paying attention while handling the spring, so be careful and you'll be fine. If you go this route, buy new strut bearings which reside on the tops of each of the 2 struts. The old one's will probably fall apart.

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2003 Infiniti FX35 Strut Assembly - Front Left - KYB 339056

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(2 Reviews)
Our List Price:$65.98

Quantity:
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Position: Front Left
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2003 Infiniti FX35 Strut Assembly - Front Right - KYB 339055

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(2 Reviews)
Our List Price:$65.98

Quantity:
(81) In Stock
Position: Front Right
Availability: (81) In Stock
Condition: New
Shipping Options: Ground
Part Number: 339055
Brand: KYB
Notes: Excel-G -- Recommended OEM Replacement

Features:

• Ultra smooth ride gas strut cartridge only, returns that new car ride.
• Sample Image Provided May Vary From Actual Product

This Part Fits: Catalog: B
Vehicle
2003 Infiniti FX35

 

[edking310]

I just out black tape on mine can you pm me if you found a solution

Is the throttle clean-up procedure in the service manual? I can't find it.

By the way, when I was removing the air intake hoses and box, I found the boot going to throttle is falling apart. Checked for the part and its $250 for the whole air intake box, no one sell the boot alone. What's the alternative? can I glue this one?
Thanks for ll the help.


View attachment 437582

W

 

[Jval]

I just out black tape on mine can you pm me if you found a solution


W

I used JB welding glue to repair it. It doesn't look pretty but it's holding well. Mine wasn't so bad thou.

 

[Jval]

I'd still change out the oil. Use the same stuff if you like, but there's got to be a fair amount of coolant mixed in.
My p.s. fluid is the same as what's in my transmission - valvoline synthetic. You can change out your p.s. fluid yourself and anything else the dealer may find if you're willing, have the time and aren't afraid to make a mistake and potentially blow your shit up, which like me, you are not! Ha.

Thinking about doing an ATF drain and switching to Valvoline synthetic. I have Nissan Matic fluid now, did you ever mix those 2 fluids?