4wd Light On Dash

[Ska]

Howdy Gals & Guys.

I have a very interesting issue, my 4WD light comes on intermittantly.

I have a 97 Stagea RS Four V which has been converted to Manual and has a Power-FC put into it, amoungst other bits and pieces.

Anyway All the work was done before I bought the vehicle. Bought it about a year ago.

Now it has been bloody awesome, except as the weather has gone colder and colder I notice that if I give it a squirt when the weather is cold, the 4WD light does go on and I do go into RWD mode, which is worries me a bit.

I have checked the fluid level in the ATTESSA system (in the rear) and checked all the fuses, all look fine......?

No here is the funny thing, if I leave the car in sunlight for 2-3 hours and make sure that the passenger rear section is in the direct sunlight, (where the ATTESSA ECU is), I dont have this issue... wierd eh.

So what i am thinking is that the ATTESSA ECU doesnt like being cold..... WTF?!?!?! That cant be right!

So did a search but cant really find any threads that help out so anyone have any ideas what it could be?

Thanks!

Cy

[fergo308]

have you checked the connector going into the ATTESSA ECU?

it's possible it's gotten wet or something in the past,and has moisture trapped in it that causes connection issues when the car's cold. it could be corroded also.

I'd be checking that out first.

Justin...

[stasis]

yea i will check for minute moister as well. Check the component for the insulation and connections. Probably its dirty or loose.

Also you might want to get a CRC contact cleaner to clean the connecter as well,

[CruiseLiner]

i say moisture too and have some fun getting to that damn attessa ecu its a pain in the arse to get to

[Ska]

Yeah well that wont be happening anytime soon, I just dont have the time

But thanks all for the suggestions

[tRUkbOY]

Yeah well that wont be happening anytime soon, I just dont have the time

But thanks all for the suggestions

Perhaps you have the wrong grade fluid in your ATTESSA system or air in the lines perhaps? Do you know if your ATTESSA system was bled correctly?

[Ska]

No I dont, might look into bleeding it properly, I am sure there must be instructions somewhere on SAu to do it

Also what type/grade of fluid should I be putting into it? I just assumed that it was just power steering fluid? But I have not had to top it up at all yet, as fluid level in it sits nicely between Min and Max. Should I buy some and fill it up to Max?

[CruiseLiner]

nissan transmatic D is the fluid (regular auto tranny fluid)

i used Castrol Transmax Z synthetic auto fluid which castrol reccomends for the attessa system.

nissan fluid is like $30 a bottle and the castrol fully synthetic stuff is $65 or something.

sydneykid is this castrol transmax z good for the attessa system or would u stick with genuine nissan auto fluid?

heres the info on the castrol transmax z oil from their website...

"Castrol Transmax Z is a high quality fully synthetic automatic transmission fluid for use in both automotive and commercial vehicle applications.

Transmax Z has outstanding cold flow properties for responsive and smoother gear change at all ambient temperatures and load conditions. Transmax Z has outstanding high temperature performance with premium oxidative and thermal stability. This provides excellent transmission cleanliness and durability permitting extended drain intervals and decreased servicing.

The optimized frictional characteristics found in Castrol Transmax Z can contribute to improved fuel economy, reduced power loss and lower operating temperatures.

SAE 70W-80 API GL3/GL4 "

cheers

Brad

Edited July 24, 2006 by CruiseLiner

[3intheBack]

A similar topic has been brought up in another thread.

The reason your 4wd light is coming on is because the ECU is telling you that it has detected a problem in your ATTESSA system - just what the problems is, is anyones guess, but the aforementioned pointers should be a good place to start.

The 4WD light coming on does NOT mean it is in 4WD - just the opposite, which is why you only get RWD.

I find it inwardly amusing that you mentioned its getting colder in Rocky --- what from 25 down to 20 !!

[Ska]

Yeah it was 8oC overnight last week, I dunno about Gympie, but up here that is COLD!

[EGA41T]

if the 4wd light is on, then you are in rwd mode, does that mean that because the front driveshaft is still in that you are doing damage to the clutch packs?