Another poor 2005 infiniti fx35 overheating

M

mrmumford08

Member
Location
west linn OR
so i am one of the very unfortunate people to be having an overheating issue with my 05' fx35 as well. i was on my way home last night when i noticed engine temp light redlining:mad.:. shortly after, my gas wasnt accelerating the vehicle (a safety measure by the ECU im assuming.) I quickly pulled over and had smoke/steam billowing from my engine :mad.::mad.: and when i went to pop the hood noticed all my coolant had expelled onto the ground:mad.::mad.::mad.:. MY FX HAS 82,000 MILES ON IT. reading these forums are making me scared out of my mind because im only 21 and i spend almost my entire paycheck on my car. im way strapped on cash and cant be affording to spend money on parts that dont need replacing so im really hoping someone can give me advice. anyhow i got home from work today and refilled the radiatior and reservoir with water to see if i could find any gravitational leaks (did not do pressure test because i dont have the tools.) and i couldnt see anything. Then i proceeded to Follow instructions by my dealer I try to reproduce the overheating effect by reving my engine to 2500rpm and allowing the engine to heat to its normal operating temperature and everything was running fine except a few small noises i have not heard before "water sloshing." If anyone can just please explain to me how often they have it occur? do you wait for it to cool down and drive it again? i dont know what first steps to take, theres so many things (water pump, thermostat, radiator and/or radiator cap, pin hole leak in the head gasket???? and the people that work at my local beaverton infiniti shop here in oregon sound worthless like how everyone else on this thread describes theres to be
 
What it sounds to me is that your heater core is not filled, and the noise is AIR in the system. What you need to do is turn on the car and after it warms turn it off and look at fill, to see if it needs more coolant.

Now what can cause your FX to heat up is a lot of factors. The water pump, The radiator, even the thermostat can cause your car to heat up. The last thing people don't consider is the heater core. But that would mean a WET interior right under your glovebox, usually where it gets wet with coolant. You would had smelled it inside the cabin.

The biggest or most expensive job would be the head gasket job if it's that is the problem. The most common way to see if there are any leaks, radiator, pin hole in hoses, is observe the floor for any drops or wet belts for the water pump area. I am NOT an expert but had so many cars in my lifetime, that these are the most common.

I hope this helps, if anything or if you need anymore input give me more information on what lead to this overheating problem. Maybe we can figure this thing out.

---------- Post added at 05:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:18 PM ----------

Look at your fill or reserve tank to see if it has a whole in it. :laugh:
 
appreciate it a million

thanks alot man i really appreciate your help, i havent seen any moisture inside the cab or belts, or noticed an odor. although one of my radiator hoses in warm and the other is cold which points me in the direction of a bad thermostat. a stuck valve. any thoughts on that?
 
It sounds like you may have air in your system. Here's a good thread that may help you to burp out the air.

///8051&highlight=air+pocket+coolant
 
Could be a dirty radiator too (outside cooling fins).

Btw I had everything you mentioned replaced at 140k miles to be safe.

Even hoses.
 
mrmumford08 said:
so i am one of the very unfortunate people to be having an overheating issue with my 05' fx35 as well. i was on my way home last night when i noticed engine temp light redlining:mad.:. shortly after, my gas wasnt accelerating the vehicle (a safety measure by the ECU im assuming.) I quickly pulled over and had smoke/steam billowing from my engine :mad.::mad.: and when i went to pop the hood noticed all my coolant had expelled onto the ground:mad.::mad.::mad.:. MY FX HAS 82,000 MILES ON IT. reading these forums are making me scared out of my mind because im only 21 and i spend almost my entire paycheck on my car. im way strapped on cash and cant be affording to spend money on parts that dont need replacing so im really hoping someone can give me advice. anyhow i got home from work today and refilled the radiatior and reservoir with water to see if i could find any gravitational leaks (did not do pressure test because i dont have the tools.) and i couldnt see anything. Then i proceeded to Follow instructions by my dealer I try to reproduce the overheating effect by reving my engine to 2500rpm and allowing the engine to heat to its normal operating temperature and everything was running fine except a few small noises i have not heard before "water sloshing." If anyone can just please explain to me how often they have it occur? do you wait for it to cool down and drive it again? i dont know what first steps to take, theres so many things (water pump, thermostat, radiator and/or radiator cap, pin hole leak in the head gasket???? and the people that work at my local beaverton infiniti shop here in oregon sound worthless like how everyone else on this thread describes theres to be
Click to expand...


I recently, had a problem with overheating on my 05 FX45. It turned out that the Thermostat was bad and there was alot of debris on the radiator which could also cause it to overheat. The thermostat was covered under my extend warrenty and the radiator clean was about $315.00 and I bought a Nismo radiator cap off ebay. The FX has been good ever since. I have 83,000 on my FX45. Mrmumford08 if you have warranty just take it to the dealer, If the radiator is dirty you can probably clean it yourself just spray it down with the water hose etc.
 
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The title for this thread seems a bit unfortunate. "Another" connotates multiple issues. How many instances has there been and is this really a consistent problem with 1st gen 35's?
 
thanks for the help everyone, im convinced through process of elimination that it has to be my thermostat stuck closed. I just had my car towed to the best mechanic in town because i do not trust my local infiniti dealership to work on my lawnmower from how they sounded over the phone.

convinced its not a blown head gasket or pin hole leak
oil checked fine, no white smoke from exhaust, exhaust did not smell sweet, no white residue.

convinced that its not a water pump because there is no leakage of fluid anywhere under my car and from my best understand the seal is the first thing to go bad in a water pump

i replaced my radiator cap just to be safe and my old one looked fine

i pressure tested my radiator and hoses for leaks and came up with nothing

therefor short of a dirty radiator which had never crossed my mind until this thread, it must be a thermostat.

ill keep everyone posted and thanks a lot for the concern, i love iS.


and @logan it does connotate multiple issues. very sad to say it because im an infiniti enthusiast but after reading this site

consumer affairs dot com (wont let me post a link)

i have to say it shocked me at how poorly infiniti handles there customer service.


JUST HAPPY IM NOT A POOR GUY WITH AN 03' G35!!!!

FX4L:tongue (2):

---------- Post added at 09:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:35 AM ----------

also one of my hoses coming out of my radiator is hot as hell and the other one is not which is telling me that water is getting blocked somewhere near my thermostat and not allowing flowage. any ideas or maybe someone to confirm my thoughts?
 
I'm with Logan on this one - there is NO multiple issues on this. From the way you are talking about it, this failure is common and that's simply not the case. I can say that because I have had my 2004 since the year it came out, have been on this forum and the org for a couple years now... and have only heard about the occasional overheat. If you follow each of those threads, they are different causes so there's no significant pattern here. This is not a common problem beyond the standard thermostat and water pump fixes (just like any other model of car for sale today). Same for the G35 my friend, in my opionion your statement is that you have been misinformed at best. Reading a few threads does not make it a systemic problem across the platform. Some of us have been enthusiasts for years and know a great deal about the history of these cars & motors.

The water sloshing sound you hear is definitely air in the coolant system. Also well documented here. Need to follow procedures to burp/purge the system. This does NOT address why you are overheating in the first place.

Since you don't have the tools or experience to fix yourself, you should definitely set aside some money to pay for repairs as they come up. Too many people think they just pay for gas and the occasional oil change and that's it. In my personal FX experience, at least one item NOT scheduled needs maintenance or replacement each year. Items you'll see that go out before they are supposed to:

Wheel hubs/bearings (loud noises)
Valve covers (oil in spark plug wells)
seat slider (broken plastic gear)
Power steering rack (adjustment needed)
Rotors/Pads (reported squealing/noises)
OEM Tires - goodyear RSA (total crap, last less than 30K miles)

Good luck with your problem - I hope it's a standard fix and nothing more serious. It certainly sounds like a simple fix.
 
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mrmumford08 said:
...

also one of my hoses coming out of my radiator is hot as hell and the other one is not which is telling me that water is getting blocked somewhere near my thermostat and not allowing flowage. any ideas or maybe someone to confirm my thoughts?
Click to expand...

It could be an air pocket at your water pump that is preventing the coolant from cycling through the system.

Logan said:
...
How many instances has there been and is this really a consistent problem with 1st gen 35's?
Click to expand...

This thread CLICK tells of three 1st gen FXs and a 1st gen Murano with overheating issues, ALL of which turned out to be blown head gaskets. 100%. Even the epic "No no, it's definitely not the head gasket..." 8 month saga with FX OG's ride turned out to be the head gasket. Not only that, but in post #79, FX OG claims to have heard the dealer admit to four other cases of FX35s overheating in the same 2 month period. I'm not saying it's super common, but if I read that thread I might use the word "another" as well.
1


I think it's worth noting that the FX35 Factory Service Manual does not even mention head gaskets in it's "Overheating Cause Analysis Troubleshooting Chart", which may explain why so many dealers have so much trouble with a correct diagnosis.

EDIT: That thread I referenced did have one story (Mongolian) in which the overheating issue wasn't the head gasket. In his case it was a leaky radiator...
 
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took my car to AVI automotive in portland, OR and had my thermostat swapped. excellent mechanic and very trustworthy. im going to pick it up in the morning. only $110 installed too!! hopefully this works. ill keep everyone posted!
 
mrmumford08 said:
took my car to AVI automotive in portland, OR and had my thermostat swapped. excellent mechanic and very trustworthy. im going to pick it up in the morning. only $110 installed too!! hopefully this works. ill keep everyone posted!
Click to expand...

Did you ask his advice on the subject or just ask him to swap the thermostat?
 
He told menwe would do the thermostat first and if that didnt work he would perform a combustion check to male sure there were no pin hole leaks in the head gasket. Picking it up in an hour, stay tuned :confused.:
 
I have this same exact problem. So, yes, it is quite common - just Google 'infiniti blown head gasket'.

I bought my '03 when they came out and this issue first crept up at 94K.

Like I mentioned in this thread, I will be evaluating some liquid K-Seal options, since after having replacing my thermostat and having exact same issue within 20 minutes of leaving stealership, I am confident my head gasket has a leak.
 
Hit 130 mph on the way home and no overheating :)) thermostat was all it was. My mechanic said in 3.5l Nissan engines. Thermostats and water pumps go out very frequently so try that first and run process of eliminations. If it's a head gasket or you are thinking it is. Save yourself lots of $$ and get a combustion check
 
yeah, thanks. I did change the thermostat, did radiator flush, checked the water pump. BTW, my wife had just called - thing overheated again!!!


I can't wait to put that K-Seal stuff into the car and put it up for sale...

I love it, but... I simply cannot afford this kind of reliability.
 
+1

I have a 2003 Infiniti FX45, so first year, first generation it came out. 140k miles, I have taken care of my car and have no issues.

Items fail, whether due to old age, temperature changes, use, etc...

I have maintained my car to change items in advance of failure. I have gotten the following question from a few of my friends, "why did you spend $500 to change all your fluids, put in a brand new water pump, thermostat, new hoses, new radiator cap, alternator, etc..."

"Why did you spend $1,000 to replace nearly every component of your suspension?"

These are all normal wear items. My friends have commented why don't you just trade it in, $1,500 etc... is a lot of money.

Okay, get $10k for my car, buy a $20-$30k car. So I just spent $10k-$20k vs $1,500. No brainer for me.

2003 is an old car.

Now your situation completely sucks and I get it -- hope you resolve it soon. Some people are just "newer" model people, my wife wouldn't take any of this for a second. That's why she has a newer car with full extended warranty. Anything breaks, dealership figures it out, gives a loaner and fixes it.

jumbosrule said:
I'm with Logan on this one - there is NO multiple issues on this. From the way you are talking about it, this failure is common and that's simply not the case. I can say that because I have had my 2004 since the year it came out, have been on this forum and the org for a couple years now... and have only heard about the occasional overheat. If you follow each of those threads, they are different causes so there's no significant pattern here. This is not a common problem beyond the standard thermostat and water pump fixes (just like any other model of car for sale today). Same for the G35 my friend, in my opionion your statement is that you have been misinformed at best. Reading a few threads does not make it a systemic problem across the platform. Some of us have been enthusiasts for years and know a great deal about the history of these cars & motors.

The water sloshing sound you hear is definitely air in the coolant system. Also well documented here. Need to follow procedures to burp/purge the system. This does NOT address why you are overheating in the first place.

Since you don't have the tools or experience to fix yourself, you should definitely set aside some money to pay for repairs as they come up. Too many people think they just pay for gas and the occasional oil change and that's it. In my personal FX experience, at least one item NOT scheduled needs maintenance or replacement each year. Items you'll see that go out before they are supposed to:

Wheel hubs/bearings (loud noises)
Valve covers (oil in spark plug wells)
seat slider (broken plastic gear)
Power steering rack (adjustment needed)
Rotors/Pads (reported squealing/noises)
OEM Tires - goodyear RSA (total crap, last less than 30K miles)

Good luck with your problem - I hope it's a standard fix and nothing more serious. It certainly sounds like a simple fix.
Click to expand...
 
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