Equilibrise

Well, she's once again off the road. Here's what happened: Last week i noticed that the starter motor was struggling at random times but still managed to get the engine going. Next it seemed like there wasn't enough juice in the battery to start it and had to get a jump and let it run for a long time to recharge the battery. I then filled up with fuel and again had to get a jump, except it took around 7 attempts to get it started. Once I got home i was able to put the multi meter on the terminals as i suspected either the battery or alternator. Alternator was charging at 13.5v (a little low) and after sitting for a while, the battery was at 11v. I was then able to jump start the car with a lithium ion 600amp battery booster every time for the following day. Next, the engine would crank with the battery booster, but not start, the stock radio said TRAFFIC, and the a/c switched itself on. I checked all fuses in the 3 fuse boxes and all were good. I checked for ecu error codes manually which came up clear. I then found that the fuel pump (which is hard wired via relay) was not receiving signal to switch on. I then bypassed the relay so that the pump runs continuously and was able to start the car and get it home. I then assumed that it is a problem with the IPDM (secret fuse/distribution box behind battery), so i removed, dismantled, inspected and cleaned it with contact cleaner. After installing it and soughting out fuel pump wiring back to how it should be, the next start attempt cranked the engine very slowly and i noticed that the battery booster was flat. After it was recharged, i unlocked the car and the fog lights and a/c came on without any physical switches being in the on position. Once i attached the battery booster the fog lights swiched off. Now when attempting to start the engine doesn't crank at all and the gear selector display on the dash is blank. All other dash lights work, fuses are ok, no error codes with scanner, fuel pump is switching on and battery is at 10.5v disconnected from booster. Now i'm starting to think its got to do with the immobiliser, so i completely remove it from the car. Hooray! The car now starts as normal and alternator is charging battery at 14.3v (optimum!) I switched the car off, tidied up the mess i made of the trim and cables and put the booster back on charge. Then when i unlocked the car it attempted to run the windscreen wipers without any switch telling it to do so. I tried to start it and it is back to not cranking at all with all the dash lights working, no error codes and no gear display on the dash. At this point I'm finding hard to link all this weirdness together so i welcome everyone's pov. I'm down to thinking its either BCM, IPDM, battery or starter is so bad its reversing voltage at times. FYI, the starter was rebuilt 8 months ago and the battery is 18-24 months old and the car is in a position where a tow truck can not access to take to a repairer, so i have to work it out (with your help).

I posted up directions on sau for how to put tranny ecu in diagnostics mode to get fault codes and clear/ reset them. Might be worth checking out yourself and clearing them. I had a similar problem with mine and after clearing the codes the problem disappeared. I hope you will have the same outcome. Good luck either way.

I'm going to upgrade mine to 1000cc soon. The 600cc i have now are only a year and half old. The wiring plugs are not plug and play tho

Dragon92, If that is for an M35, please post up the part number.

Also, check for error codes. Could be Cam pos sensor on left bank if there are no related mods like ecu piggyback, coil packs, etc. Which plugs did you put in?

I've had similar probs in the past. what mods has the car got?

Yes it is the cmp sensor (phase). If you have emanage, check your wiring connections, as I have been having problems with my car and it was all due to uninsulated wire connections touching eachother and loose crimped connections. Emanage was installed by an sau member who was a bit crook on the day, so understandable little mistakes...but was very problematic. Good luck

haha... thats great dale

haha. I also run 245/45/18 in Invo (not in bottom tho).

I've got HDi. Very happy with it...and the price i bought it for compared to the other options

Those yellow jackets are designed for NA VQ's I bought them and continually had problems with them. OEM coil packs are the best for VQ25DET. The oem turbo coil pack has a different part number to the NA coil pack. Yellowjacket copied splitfires coil pack which was designed for NA 350Z/V35 etc. They are the same fitment and do work, but there is a noticable power loss as the coil packs begin to degrade after a VERY short amount of time. They end up partially firing and then not firing at all. This was my experience with them anyway and I went through 2 sets of them over 4 months.

edit: ''In case you don't know...'' Also, another time i had a rag jammed in the mechanism and it behaved the same way.

This happened to me once. ended up being a blown fuse. I cant remember the exact location of this fuse, but the fuse boxes are located at drivers side foot area and in the engine bay in front and behind the battery. In case you don't, you can manually open the tailgate from the inside. there is a small panel that you can take off where the tailgate latch is, which will expose the latch. Goodluck

check the 2 small rubber lines connecting the fuel pressure reg to the intake. They often get missed as they are in a hard to see place.

Sounds like an intake leak somewhere. I would be focusing on things you touched before there was a change in behavior. Rig up an attachment so that you can pressurise the intake and see if it drops pressure, then you can track down the leak.

Any update on the availability and cost Dale?

Awesome! Yes please Dale

I noticed the rear diff mount to subframe bush has torn and collapsed and am wondering if anyone knows if the V35/350z bush is the same and therefore if whiteline part number KDT911 fits our M35's. While I am at it i thought i would replace the other diff mount bushes and subframe mount bushes also, so if anyone else has done it could you please point me in the right direction re compatible parts - whiteline pref. Thanks

The manual also explains how everything works in the A/T. Interesting read.

Hello everyone, I came across the Nissan automatic transmission workshop manual for G35 as i have been trying to diagnose a problem with my A/T. I'm not sure if they have the same Auto as the M35 (perhaps someone could confirm?), but the self diagnosis procedure works. Here is the link for the manual: http://psedog.com/cars/fsm/g35/sedan/2003/at.pdf I downloaded it and saved it to my pc for future reference. So, it works the same way as the MIL, engine check light diagnostic mode and uses the OBDII system, however the "check A/T" light flashes instead and gives you the trouble code that way. Here is the procedure: CHECK A/T CHECK INDICATOR LAMP 1. Start the engine with selector lever in “P” position. Warm engine to normal operating temperature. 2. Turn ignition switch ON and OFF at least twice, then leave it in the OFF. 3. Wait 10 seconds. 4. Turn ignition switch ON. (Do not start engine.) 5. Does A/T CHECK indicator lamp come on for about 2 seconds? YES >> continue... JUDGEMENT PROCEDURE 1. Turn ignition switch OFF. 2. Push shift lock release button. 3. Move selector lever from “P” to “D” position. 4. Release accelerator pedal. (Set the closed throttle position signal “ON”.) 5. Depress brake pedal. (Brake switch signal “ON”.) 6. Turn ignition switch ON. 7. Wait 3 seconds. 8. Move the selector lever to the Manual shift gate side. (Manual mode switch “ON”.) 9. Release brake pedal. (Brake switch signal “OFF”.) 10. Move the selector lever to “D” position. (Manual mode switch “OFF”.) 11. Depress brake pedal. (Brake switch signal “ON”.) 12. Release brake pedal. (Brake switch signal “OFF”.) 13. Depress accelerator pedal fully and release it. It will now flash the code. It starts with a long flash, then flashes 1 sec flashes. Count the short flashes between the long flashes and you will have your code. 17 flashes means there is no fault. JUDGEMENT CODES: 1 = Revolution Sensor 1 2 = Direct Clutch Solenoid Valve 3 = Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid Valve 4 = Line Pressure Solenoid Valve 5 = Input Clutch Solenoid Valve 6 = Front Brake Solenoid Valve 7 = Low Coast Brake Solenoid Valve 8 = High and Low Reverse Clutch Solenoid Valve 9 = PNP Switch 10 = A/T Fluid Temperature Sensor 11 = Turbine Revolution Sensor 12 = A/T Interlock 13 = A/T 1st Engine Braking 14 = Start Signal 15 = Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor 16 = Engine Speed Signal 17 = CAN (Controller Area Network) which is basically the high speed communication line and signifies no fault. To reset or clear codes, simply turn the ignition OFF

Also, catch cans should fill up on any car. If it doesn't fill up, then it is not installed properly or doesn't have baffling to separate the vapour. If it fills up too quickely then you have other problems to worry about.

I had a catch can in Ben's suggested location on my R33 and had no troubles what so ever. It worked well which is why i did the same on the M35 - didn't work well. I'm guessing the combination of high compression and high km's (wear) is what makes the VQ25DET want to ''breath'' more

Yeah i stuffed mine with stainless wool too Alex. Nathan, it is an Auto one cheapo. The catch cans that work (ie with baffling) are rather expensive. Thats right Ben, but a catch can on its own wouldn't create continual vacuum, which is what i was after. I had a catch can on its own but still experienced the WOT smoke.

And please don't laugh at my engine bay. I can only afford what works, rather than what is pretty...at the moment.

So lately i've been researching crankcase ventilation and as there is not much posted about M35's I thought i might start a discussion about it. As long as i can remember, i have had a bit of a cloud of smoke when ever i dump it when the rpm is in the higher range. I have found that the cause of this is inadequate crankcase ventilation and evacuation. The stock system is probably ok for a stock car but once the car is a bit modified and power is increased and especially if boost pressure is increased, then the stock system cant keep up. So here is how the stock system works: ALL engines produce some amount of "blow-by" (which is basically a mixture of oil, oil vapour, unburnt fuel and hydrocarbons - or exhaust fumes) which is 'blown by' the piston rings and end up in the crankcase. As this continues happening as the engine runs, it builds pressure in the crankcase. This horrible mixture then makes its way up to the heads. Originally and even in some cases now people vent it to the atmosphere through a "breather" filter, however it is now not emissions legal and it stinks and it doesn't create a vacuum to suck the blow-by out of the head. For it to be emisions legal it must be recirculated through the intake and re-burnt. It also actually lowers the octane of fuel, but depending on how much blow-by your engine creates depends how much octane is reduced. The stock setup does this via a PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve which is basically a oneway or check valve with a spring in it so that it opens differently to different amounts of vacuum. Under strong vacuum (eg, idle) it is slightly open, under medium vacuum (eg, throttle open but not boosting) it is completely open, and under pressure (eg, boosting) it is completely closed. It is located on the front of the right rocker cover and has a vacuum line running to the manifold. Even with a stock setup this should and is meant to be replaced every 100,000kms, as if it blocks, spring stretches, gets sticky or fails completely then the motor suffers and you can end up blowing seals, smokey exhaust, poor fuel economy and much more. Before the blow-by evacuates through the PCV it passes through a series of baffles in the rocker covers in an attempt to separate air from oil. As the PCV is not open all the time and even at the most important times (eg, under hard acceleration) the motor must vent the pressure somewhere. On the VQ25DET there is a vacuum line running from the back of the left rocker cover to the intake before the turbo but after the air flow meter (MAF). This line also has a oneway/check valve in it to only let pressure out. The intake before the turbo is always under vacuum which assists in evacuating the heads building pressure. The only time fresh air is taken in is when the intake manifold is in light vacuum. There are many ways to evacuate or relieve the pressure. Some are expensive and some are cheap. Most use an oil catch can which is made as an oil/air separator to catch the funky mixture so that it doesn't re-enter the engine and can be drained and discarded. Another point to consider is that it is apparently better for the crankcase to be under vacuum, rather than pressure, as it supposedly helps seat the piston rings better providing a better seal and therefore less blow-by and better combustion. So, below is a pic of how i have done mine. I have a small filter on the intake line for the head, so this does actually introduce unmetered fresh air into the intake, but only on idle (which i don't mind). I have drilled out the PCV, removed the check valve at the back of the motor and introduced new check valves (which you can see in the lines - they are silver). I have also installed baffles in the catch can so that it actually works as a catch can. So the check valves allow vacuum from the manifold but close when its in positive pressure when vacuum is then introduced from the pre-turbo intake. I'm not saying everyone should do it like this and i'm sure there are probably better ways, i just thought i would put out some more info. The end result is that it works! No smoke out the back at any time and the car runs a little better. Just my 0.02c. What do you guys think? More input from more experienced m35ers?