4WD Light

[SLIXK]

It’s me again with another problem (face palm) So I’ve had my stagea for around 8 months now, pretty much from since I’ve had it the 4WD Light has been on and off intermittently. Last scan said “pressure sw [on failure]” not sure which ecu they scanned but I didn’t muck around and ordered an after market pressure switch from Frenchies Performance Garage had it installed with my manual conversion. 4WD light was still there, mechanic told me they bled the system and it still wouldn’t work and they think power is not going to the pump or something… so I took it for another scan at my local and they said there was no error code just gearbox code so I’m assuming they scanned the main ecu and not the attessa ecu, but did say the 4wd light was gone. But like I said it’s intermittent, it came back after a long drive. So any ideas what I can do next i really want to get the car on the dyno this month.

I’ve also tried pumping all tyres equally as front left was low pressure and still, 4wd light is intermittently active. Also the atessa fluid is always at the max line doesn’t change when car is on or after a drive.

Car also has a slight ringing noise towards the rear wheels on either side that doesn’t change in volume or pattern it’s just a constant ring, I don’t know for sure if it comes on when 4wd light is on but the noise is also intermittent. (If that helps) 
 

Car is in the shop getting parts installed so I can’t do much at the moment but hoping for some ideas.

 

This was the first scan error code not sure which ECU

Edited August 1, 2022 by SLIXK

[Duncan]

Does the 4wd actually work at all? Since it is at a shop they could put it in gear on the hoist and make sure all 4 wheels turn. Potentially not being able to get pressure in the system would look the same as the switch failing because it would always be on. Increasing numbers of R32 owners have had to replace the nitrogen cannister to get pressure in the system (otherwise the relay clicks regularly as the pump keeps turning on.

Since the scan tools are not nissan consult, they may or may not be able to read the attessa computer as well, so the second scan not finding anything may not mean too muc.

[joshuaho96]

Yeah, if the pressure switch is working correctly the most plausible explanation is your nitrogen canister/accumulator is dead.

[SLIXK]

On 8/2/2022 at 9:29 AM, Duncan said:

Does the 4wd actually work at all? Since it is at a shop they could put it in gear on the hoist and make sure all 4 wheels turn. Potentially not being able to get pressure in the system would look the same as the switch failing because it would always be on. Increasing numbers of R32 owners have had to replace the nitrogen cannister to get pressure in the system (otherwise the relay clicks regularly as the pump keeps turning on.

Since the scan tools are not nissan consult, they may or may not be able to read the attessa computer as well, so the second scan not finding anything may not mean too muc.

I’ve never heard any clicking noises before. Shop said they’ll ask the sparky who’s relocating my battery to have a look if he can find something wrong! But he did say he will chuck it on the hoist when he gets it and test if all 4 wheels spin.

[SLIXK]

On 8/2/2022 at 9:30 AM, joshuaho96 said:

Yeah, if the pressure switch is working correctly the most plausible explanation is your nitrogen canister/accumulator is dead.

Is the canister refillable or would I just purchase a new one? Does Nissan still make them? Is it easy to replace?

[joshuaho96]

On 8/1/2022 at 3:08 PM, SLIXK said:

Is the canister refillable or would I just purchase a new one? Does Nissan still make them? Is it easy to replace?

You would buy a new one unless you really want to refurbish it as some kind of special exercise. Nissan still sells them. On some cars they’re easy to access but on others it can be a big pain in the neck. 

[SLIXK]

On 8/2/2022 at 11:23 AM, joshuaho96 said:

You would buy a new one unless you really want to refurbish it as some kind of special exercise. Nissan still sells them. On some cars they’re easy to access but on others it can be a big pain in the neck. 

Might just look into buying the canister to eliminate that potential.

[SLIXK]

Just got quoted $465 including gst for the canister, does this sound right? I wasn’t expecting it to be that expensive… 

[GTSBoy]

On 8/2/2022 at 7:56 AM, SLIXK said:

Just got quoted $465 including gst for the canister, does this sound right? I wasn’t expecting it to be that expensive… 

That is the correct price.

[SLIXK]

Damn, so how do we test if the canister needs to be replaced?

[joshuaho96]

On 8/1/2022 at 5:44 PM, SLIXK said:

Damn, so how do we test if the canister needs to be replaced?

Test the line pressure to see if the pressure switch can be trusted. If the switch triggers at the factory spec then you can probably trust that it's working all the time. Jiggle the wiring to see if the signal is dropping out due to a harness problem. From there see if the pump is turning clicking on more often than it should. If the pump is running all the time and you aren't leaking fluid somewhere the problem is likely the canister has leaked its nitrogen charge.

I recommend whenever the light comes on you should figure out where the ATTESA control unit is and check the code yourself. Would suck to spend 465 AUD only for that to not be your problem. Could be something else entirely.