Infiniti FX Engine Crisis: Metal in Oil & Power Loss

Hey there! I had a pretty similar issue with my '08 Infiniti G35 last year. I have some experience working on cars, but this was definitely above my skill level. My symptoms matched yours especially the power loss and rough idle. Turned out the camshaft adjustment cable was damaged and oil had gotten into the connector. Cost me around 395€ to get it fixed at my local Infiniti specialist. Definitely get it checked soon these issues can get worse quickly. The metal in your oil is concerning though that wasn't part of my problem. Which FX model do you have (3.5L or 4.5L)? And what's your mileage? Might help narrow things down if I can share more specific details from my experience.

Thanks for sharing your experience! I've got the 3.5L with 203231 KM km on the clock. Had my last service about 3 weeks ago, but these issues started showing up recently. That's interesting about the camshaft adjustment cable definitely something I'll have my mechanic look into. The price you mentioned sounds way better than what I was worried it might cost. I'll try to get it to the shop this week since the metal in the oil has me pretty concerned. Really appreciate the help!

Hey again! Yeah, that mileage is pretty close to when I had my issues (mine was at around 198000 KM). Just want to add after seeing that you've got metal in your oil, I remembered something important from my experience. When my mechanic did the full diagnosis on my G35, he actually found that the camshaft adjustment problem had started wearing down some components because I waited too long to get it checked out (I drove it for about 3 weeks with the symptoms). The metal in your oil definitely rings some alarm bells that wasn't part of my initial symptoms but showed up later when I kept driving it. Don't want to scare you, but you might want to get it checked even sooner than this week if possible. My repair ended up costing more than the initial 395€ because of the additional wear and tear. If you're going to drive it before getting it to the shop, try to take it easy on the acceleration and keep the RPMs low. That's what my mechanic told me I should've done. Keep us posted on what they find really curious to know if it's similar to what happened with mine!

Thanks for the additional insight you've definitely convinced me to get this looked at ASAP! I just called my mechanic and managed to get an appointment for tomorrow morning. Better safe than sorry, especially with that warning about additional wear and tear. I'll keep the RPMs low on my way to the shop and avoid any heavy acceleration. Really glad I asked here before waiting any longer to get it checked out. Will definitely update once I know what's going on. Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience it's been super helpful!