Hey guys,

I'm expecting the worst, but am clueless and don't know where to start.

My 2008 Infiniti G37S has 73k miles (out of warranty) and has its' low oil pressure light coming on at idle (roughly 750rpms) and goes away if you apply any gas. Car runs fine, normal temperatures and all. I replaced the oil sensor yesterday just in case it was going bad as a place to start since I saw the light flicker on briefly over the past couple days. Well, today the light is just straight on at idle.

I did some searches and came up with some information, but I don't know where to begin. I am scared to take it to a dealer since we both know what kind of price that's going to bring (potentially).

- This link (https://www.myg37.com/forums/g37-cou...xperience.html) suggests that it could be the rear timing gasket failing.

- Another option is that it could be the oil pump.

- There is a small, small leak coming off the drivers side valve cover.

Anyone got any suggestions? I am in Atlanta Georgia. Not really sure where to take it or what's going to come of it. If you would like any pictures, please just let me know.

 

First thing i would do is check the oil

When was the last time you checked it?

Telcoman

 

Sorry forgot to mention the obvious--Oil is 100% full. Checked it a number of times this week, including today.

 

You know what it probably is already and are hoping against hope that it might be something else. If you are getting a low oil pressure light that means that at is there is almost no oil pressure at all. Mine had the code but never showed the light even though the pressure was almost nonexistent. Don't keep driving it like that, and don't rev it at all. Take it in and see what the actual pressure is. My bet is <5 psi at idle. Bite the bullet and get ready to pay for an expensive repair to replace the timing cover gaskets. $2.5-3 K at the dealership.

 

Would you take it to the dealership for sure?

If it is the timing cover gaskets--is there anything else i should do at the same time?

 

You can take it to a dealership or any competent shop of your choice. Myth aren't under warranty so you're paying out of pocket. Take it wherever you feel most comfortable. I chose to replace the timing chain chain and guides while it was being done. The parts aren't that expensive but the labor is. Since you're already pYing for the labor to tear the front of you're engine apart, might as well have them replace it while they're already in there. My invoice with the parts used is in the thread yiu linked to.

Be sure to have them perform the pressure test first to verify the low oil pressure at idle and under load.

 

Thanks Black Betty. Appreciate the help. I'll post the results.

 

Please do. I hope I'm wrong and ti's something simple. Best of luck, I'll be looking to see how it turned out.

 

Last quick question--how are they going to diagnose this 100% to either be or not be the timing gasket

 

Damn! Sadly, it looks like we're about to chalk up another one here.

For the record, the oil pressure monitoring on these cars is absolutely abysmal. There is no indication of low oil pressure until there virtually none! All there is to indicate a problem is an idiot light that's triggered by a simple switch that reads if there is just a few psi or not, even though factory spec is a minimum 14 psi at idle. When my timing rear timing cover gaskets failed, I had just 5 psi at idle, but NEVER ONCE did the low oil pressure indicator come on; a truly pathetic design!

What this means is that if you see EVER that oil pressure light come on, you basically have no oil pressure left, as it has finally tripped the switch to turn on the light, and you should immediately stop the engine.

If the OP decides to go to a dealership, I would recommend Nissan over Infiniti, as they are usually cheaper, yet every bit as familiar and qualified to work on these engines. Also, if you are paying out of pocket, you should familiarize yourself with the ways to minimize costs. If you allow a dealership to strictly follow factory recommended policies, you will likely add at least an extra $1k to the bill, and that's before they typically try and hit you up for extra add-ons.

 

They will (or you can too**) do a simple oil pressure test. They simply remove the oil pressure sender and install a mechanical gauge in its place. They will likely look for pending fault codes and at the valve timing function using the Consult diag system to see if it's operating normally. Even so, those gaskets are THE #1 cause of low OP, so they most likely will trust in probability too.

** Here's some info on how to do it: https://www.myg37.com/forums/d-i-y-i...-pressure.html

 

An oversimplification, but if your car is full of oil and you don't have oil pressure, that's what the problem is.

 

This has me scared as hell because I was driving the car today and went straight home. It's parked now. I am just hoping there isnt any further damage.....

 

Was the light ever on while the engine was running OTHER than when it was idling? If not, and if you didn't spend much time idling, you'll probably be ok. When mine had just 5 psi (but no light), it would immediately raise way up to more normal levels as soon as I increased the rpms, so at normal driving rpms (i.e. above idle) it was clearly enough to not cause any bearing damage.

The trouble is, unless you have a gauge connected (as I did), you have no way of knowing how high or how low your actual pressure is, just that it is above "none", which still may not be enough to safely drive the car. Hence, why I mention shutting it off immediately.

 

The light was never one except for a blink of an eye which is when i fully noticed it recently. Today it would stay on at idle but go away with revs. I didn't know it would be terrible to leave it idling so it did idle a bit today, but i brought it home and let it sit.