ATESSA Problems my first GTR

[jlabsurf]

I'm not sure if this is allowed as it's my first post but here it goes,

I recently purchased a '94 R32 GT-R about a month ago and everything was great at first, and still is even in 2WD.

About a week after purchasing the car I noticed that the 4WD and ABS light would come on about every 1 in 10 startups(the lights wouldn't come on for about 1-3 seconds after startup and stay on). All I would have to do is turn the car off and back on again and the lights would go away. Then it started becoming more and more frequent to where eventually it was almost every startup the 4WD and ABS lights would come on. Most times I'd just move the car to a different spot and then turn it off and on again and the 4WD and ABS lights wouldn't come on if I restarted the car enough.

Now the lights will come on no matter what and I cannot get the ATESSA to work at all. I've pulled the fuses as I don't want to damage anything or potentially ruin the pump(if it hasn't been ruined already). This is the first GT-R I've ever owned so I searched the forums and saw the ATESSA fault code list. My car is pulling code 16 (lateral g sensor or circuit). So I checked my g sensor and its still white not red. I also checked the fluid reservoir in the driver side of the boot and it's a tiny bit above the max line.

Side note, I used to notice my car used to do a weird clicking every 4-5 seconds in the boot and sometimes the 4WD light would flash when it happened.

I've done quite a bit of research online so far but I'm not really sure where to go from here. Any advice or help would be much appreciated.

[BK]

Just because your g sensor indicator is white not red just means is hasn't had an impact, it could still be electrically stuffed. Before that gets replaced though I think it's time to get the multimeter out and the R32 GTR manual to start chasing something. I'm sure it should give some resistance readings for the unit.

If you do find you do need the g sensor under the centre console I have a spare confirmed working R32 GTR unit.

[joshuaho96]

You very likely need to do two things:

1. Replace the g sensor with a proper digital MEMS one, the stock one is literally a pendulum with some springs and an encoder that will wear out especially after 20+ years. Do-Luck and Midori-Seibi make one, just get the cheapest one of those two brands if you just need OEM equivalent. If the code doesn't go away start checking continuity anywhere you can to narrow down where the wiring fault is.

2. The nitrogen pump accumulator is probably spent, which is why you're hearing the clicking noises. Look for 41630-20U00 as the replacement part, it is next to the ATTESA-ETS pump: https://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/158978-attesa-nitorgen-accumulator-cannister.html

[niZmO_Man]

I would say it's ABS sensor (mine does the same, it's annoying).

I get the clicks/voltage drop/pump going off. Strangely enough my AWD works fine (when it hasn't crapped out), even on track days.

My guess is voltage supply.

[BK]

Canister or ABS signal is not going to throw an atessa code 16 by itself though. You need the manual so you can check the correct place to check voltage values, sensor resistance and wiring continuity, so you can definitely say yes its the wiring to sensor, atessa ecu thats fault ect. or yes the sensor is stuffed but wiring, voltage ok ect. Don't guess, confirm.

[jlabsurf]

13 hours ago, BK said:

Just because your g sensor indicator is white not red just means is hasn't had an impact, it could still be electrically stuffed. Before that gets replaced though I think it's time to get the multimeter out and the R32 GTR manual to start chasing something. I'm sure it should give some resistance readings for the unit.

If you do find you do need the g sensor under the centre console I have a spare confirmed working R32 GTR unit.

Thank you for the help, I'll go through all of the resistance readings today and see if that shows me anything.

1 hour ago, joshuaho96 said:

You very likely need to do two things:

1. Replace the g sensor with a proper digital MEMS one, the stock one is literally a pendulum with some springs and an encoder that will wear out especially after 20+ years. Do-Luck and Midori-Seibi make one, just get the cheapest one of those two brands if you just need OEM equivalent. If the code doesn't go away start checking continuity anywhere you can to narrow down where the wiring fault is.

2. The nitrogen pump accumulator is probably spent, which is why you're hearing the clicking noises. Look for 41630-20U00 as the replacement part, it is next to the ATTESA-ETS pump: https://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/158978-attesa-nitorgen-accumulator-cannister.html

I'm definitely going to go for a Do-Luck sensor, do you think the Tarzan is worth spending more money?

I actually was leaning towards the nitrogen pump accumulator as well. My mechanic has one here in Japan for me already. So I'll give that a go too.

8 minutes ago, niZmO_Man said:

I would say it's ABS sensor (mine does the same, it's annoying).

I get the clicks/voltage drop/pump going off. Strangely enough my AWD works fine (when it hasn't crapped out), even on track days.

My guess is voltage supply.

Yeah, I would get random voltage drops and stuff like that too. I'll have to check that out thanks.

[jlabsurf]

3 minutes ago, BK said:

Canister or ABS signal is not going to throw an atessa code 16 by itself though. You need the manual so you can check the correct place to check voltage values, sensor resistance and wiring continuity, so you can definitely say yes its the wiring to sensor, atessa ecu thats fault ect. or yes the sensor is stuffed but wiring, voltage ok ect. Don't guess, confirm.

Do you know where I can get a manual online in PDF format? 

[joshuaho96]

The Tarzan sensor will be more aggressive on the FWD engagement, it will trick the controller into thinking that the lateral g force is greater than it really is. If you like the stock ATTESA feel with less AWD intervention then just get the OEM equivalent.

Canister should not throw code 16, it is an unrelated issue. But hearing the relays clicking the pump on every 4-5 seconds is a sign that it needs recharging/replacement. The code would likely only show up once the pump failed and could not build sufficient pressure.

[Duncan]

a copy of the english r32 manual is here among other places: http://www.hgeconsulting.com.au/gtr_32_service_manual.pdf

it is very common for earthing problems to create voltage issues. in particular, if the subframe has ever been out or dropped the earth strap the attessa is often forgotten. 

And I agree you are likely to have a nitrogen cannister problem (very common by now), and perhaps a wiring issue at the g sensor, or a failed sensor. Like BK said that "indicator" on the sensor is not a guarantee, it is literally just a stick on g force/shock sensor