Maschinenbau Posted September 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2018 Yeah so it turns out my MAF wasn't even plugged in! Too many beers by that point I figure... But I've already taken the harness out again so I can better mount it under the dash instead in a haphazard pile. Also mounting the tank properly this time instead of on the ground next to that pile of open circuits. Fingers crossed it was just the MAF. Until next time... 4 Quote Link to comment
Maschinenbau Posted September 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2018 I tried last night to fire it up again after re-installing the harnesses in a logical, tucked away manner. I am getting it to crank over strongly, but the cluster background does not light up. Cluster indicator lamps do light up, but flicker a bit and completely dim when cranking. Last time when the engine fired up, the cluster was completely lit, background and all, so something is different now. I also cannot connect to OBD port with my code reader. I theorize I must have a bad ground or missing connection somewhere. I think will check relays when keying on, to make sure ignition and ECM are actually turning on. 1 Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted September 19, 2018 Report Share Posted September 19, 2018 Oh the joys of trouble shooting modern electronics :) 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted September 19, 2018 Report Share Posted September 19, 2018 4 hours ago, Maschinenbau said: I tried last night to fire it up again after re-installing the harnesses in a logical, tucked away manner. I am getting it to crank over strongly, but the cluster background does not light up. Cluster indicator lamps do light up, but flicker a bit and completely dim when cranking. Last time when the engine fired up, the cluster was completely lit, background and all, so something is different now. I also cannot connect to OBD port with my code reader. I theorize I must have a bad ground or missing connection somewhere. I think will check relays when keying on, to make sure ignition and ECM are actually turning on. Definitely sounds like a bad/missing ground somewhere. 1 Quote Link to comment
Maschinenbau Posted September 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2018 Okay got an update. I laid out the entire harness on the front bumper so I could see everything and grounded the grounds it to freshly brushed bolt holes (the ones that mount the grill). Also cleaned up some loose ends, frayed wires, etc. The lighting seems stronger, lots of relays clicking and stuff. Cranks all day, still no fire. But now my code reader works: P1612 Chain of ECM-IMMU - ??? P1644 Fuel Level Sensor - sender not hooked up P1564 ASCD Steering Switch - basically cruise control not plugged in (long gone with the G35 wheel) P1610 Lock Mode U1001 Invalid or Missing Data for Primary ID P0183 Fuel Temp Sensor Circuit High Input - probably sender not hooked up Seems like my big hurdle here is Lock Mode, which is preventing the ECM from doing anything. I'm still researching, but I really hope I didn't kill my ECM. I'm really open to input here. 1 Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted September 20, 2018 Report Share Posted September 20, 2018 You've engaged the NATS immobilizer. Something is wrong with your key transponder, or CANBUS communication. Supposedly disconnecting power for 30 minutes or so will be enough to reset and you can try again... 1 Quote Link to comment
Maschinenbau Posted September 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2018 Because it ran on Saturday, I am thinking it's not the key transponder. The only thing that has changed since then is I have unplugged the entire harness and plugged it back in. Time to break out the electrical contact cleaner and go to town on every plug? Also does anyone know if the outside cases of the modules like BCM and ECM, the part that bolts to the chassis, need to be grounded? 1 Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted September 20, 2018 Report Share Posted September 20, 2018 Maybe, but that code is thrown after five attempted starts while failing to engage the antitheft system, whether that be the key, antenna amp, CAN bus communication.... 1 Quote Link to comment
metalmonkey47 Posted September 20, 2018 Report Share Posted September 20, 2018 P1610 is a NATS immobilizer issue. To get rid of that, just have an UpRev tuner flash the ECU and disable NATS altogether. It will never be a problem again. Also, you can kill ASCD, fuel level, and all other useless stuff you don't need. Fun fact: The biggest and best UpRev tuner is just west of Atlanta. 1 Quote Link to comment
Maschinenbau Posted September 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2018 I've heard you can tune it out, but with this budget build I don't have a few hundred bucks and a few weeks to get it done. GRM $2018 Challenge is in 3 weeks... 1 Quote Link to comment
metalmonkey47 Posted September 20, 2018 Report Share Posted September 20, 2018 You can disable it in tune, but it would be near $300 to do that. Fortunately it takes less than 10 minutes with the ECU on hand to do that. 1 Quote Link to comment
Maschinenbau Posted September 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2018 One thing is still true. All I did to mess up was unlplug and re-plug in the entire harness. Automotive harnesses are nice in that sense, because every connector is unique and keyed to its plug. You can't mix and match connectors. What I found out tonight is that is mostly true for Nissan. I managed to find the only two identically-shaped plugs in the entire harness and mix them up. To Nissan's fault, they managed to put the only two identically-shaped plugs RIGHT FRIGGIN NEXT TO EACH OTHER. I mean, come on. Proof of the runnin's My first good clue was found by checking fuses on the block inside the car. I noticed a few were blown. One for A/C, okay whatever. One for the cig lighter, that's fine. The interesting one came from the ignition switch according to a wire diagram. I don't know what it powered, but I knew it had to be important, mainly because I was getting desperate and I needed it to be important. So I found a pinout diagram of the plug it comes out of and inspected that plug. I noticed it did not have a sky blue wire coming out of pin number 2C. In fact, the plug didn't have ANY wire coming out of that pin. That's when I noticed all the sky blue wires coming out of a similarly-shaped plug next to it, in the BCM. I pulled them both out, stared at them side-by-side for a bit, as my complexion and outlook on life changed suddenly for the better. I swapped them, replaced the fuse, and now the cluster was fully illuminated again! Just like it was on Saturday when it ran! Plugged in the fuel pump, keyed on, and all of the vrooms tore into the silence of my neighborhood. Still throwing all the codes and won't rev past 2400 RPM. Oh that's right, MAF still unplugged After that last little issue, I let it fully warm up while topping off the coolant, and gave it a good rev to confirm the MAF issue fixed it. Now it's only throwing a few codes related to some crap I don't need. Game on, GRM Challenge. Also, here's a fuel tank. It's in the car now, and the filler hose is a little different, but no leaks so far! 7 Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted September 21, 2018 Report Share Posted September 21, 2018 Cool. Lucky you didn't fry anything 1 Quote Link to comment
Draker Posted September 21, 2018 Report Share Posted September 21, 2018 Nice work! Nissan did this on other late models as well. 1 Quote Link to comment
metalmonkey47 Posted September 21, 2018 Report Share Posted September 21, 2018 Nice, that explains all of your issues. Glad that's all it was. 1 Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted September 22, 2018 Report Share Posted September 22, 2018 Simple problem, not so simple to find. Nice that it;s taken care of :) 1 Quote Link to comment
Maschinenbau Posted September 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2018 Last night a buddy came over and we pruned the harness. We cut almost 7 lbs of wires and connectors out, periodically starting the car to make sure it still worked after each big snip. Only messed up once, when I accidentally cut power to the gauge illumination. I even found the fuel pump relay wire, controlled by the ECM, so I don't have to build a separate circuit and switch for it. There's still more to go, and it still needs to be mounted properly under the dash, but it's already a lot cleaner and less intimidating. 5 Quote Link to comment
Ira210 Posted September 27, 2018 Report Share Posted September 27, 2018 I'm so happy I just got to read that whole thing in one go and got to skip all the waiting for updates! Quote Link to comment
Maschinenbau Posted September 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 Luckily for you, the GRM Challenge is 2 weeks from today so I'm updating pretty often. Nothing much to report since last post, since I've had a nasty cold. But the harness is pruned, wrapped, and generally inside the car right now. I don't want to jinx it, but it should be driving terrorizing my neighborhood by end of the weekend. 1 Quote Link to comment
dukerollo Posted September 29, 2018 Report Share Posted September 29, 2018 Cool, this thing should be a monster. If you get the chance, take it over some weight scales. I would love to know what it weighs. Quote Link to comment
Maschinenbau Posted September 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2018 It moved! It moved on its own today! Unfortunately the battery was hooked up on the ground next to it, so I couldn't go much further than a foot. But it moved!!! Felt good to know I didn't mess anything up after trimming over 8 lbs from the harness. Added some mounting feet. It's bolting down to the floor of the cargo area, opposite corner from the driver. And the harness is back in the car, tied up nicely with mounting zip-ties held up by self-drilling self-tapping screws. It's all mostly temporary until I can build brackets for the computers, but it'll work for now. Every hour counts and I still have to do bodywork and paint. Pretty gross but nothing a cleaning and coat of paint can't fix. I would like my glovebox back, but for now the computers are just kinda stacked and ziptied there. From left to bottom right: IPDM (fuse and relay box with its own computer), transmission controller, ECM, another fuse box. Feels good to have it back on the ground. Going to feel even better driving it tomorrow. 4 Quote Link to comment
Maschinenbau Posted October 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 FIRST DRIVE!!! Overall, I'm really pleased with how today went. My friend/videographer came over to help with chassis wiring. He got the car way closer to street legal by sorting out the tail lights, turn signals, and all that. Once the battery and cables were installed, the car was pretty much ready to drive. It could really use an exhaust, but it drove around the block today! The brakes feel spongy, probably has something to do with bleeding ABS systems. The trans is acting like the torque converter isn't full yet, so I'm keeping an eye on fluid level. But the engine feels really strong and still only throwing codes I would expect. It still hasn't figured out there's no cats. After that launch, I heard something fall off and get run over. Turns out the corner of the bumper wasn't actually bolted on. In fact the whole car, especially suspension, could use a nut/bolt check. Pretty sure the front control arms aren't torqued...can't remember. But hey, milestone! Here's the battery tray mounted in the trunk. It uses four 1/4" bolts and weld nuts. That brings us to the positive battery cable. This is stranded THHN 2 AWG wire from Lowes. It's about $1.50/ft and I used 12 feet of it. I asked a guy who builds electric cars if it was okay to use, he didn't seem to have a problem with it as long as it's protected from scraping. It's just inconvenient for bending due to the low strand count. I actually like how it holds a shape after bending it. So I wrapped it in corrugated plastic sleeve and ran it to the back. The friend helping me with wiring today taught me a trick for soldering lugs. Since my battery is relocated, per NHRA rules (and therefore Challenge rules) I need a cut-off switch accessible from outside the rear of the car. This switch will have a push-rod with a knob just above the tail light, out of the way of the hatch door. I mounted it inside an old speaker hole. The push-rod (yet to be acquired) will bolt to that heim joint and tun the switch off when the knob is pushed in. I also wanted a cut-off switch accessible by the driver, so I put one inline with positive cable running from battery to engine bay. From the driver switch, the positive runs to the Infiniti's usible link, which is mounted on an isolating lug post, kind of like a BMW. The battery wiring layout is Positive battery post > rear cut-off switch > drive cut-off switch > fusible link > Infiniti harness. I still need to run the alternator wire to the rear cut-off switch, so that the engine actually turns off when either switch is flipped. I also cleaned up the floor. 3 Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 Awesome! This thing is ridiculous. Quote Link to comment
Maschinenbau Posted October 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2018 (edited) Rear cut-off switch is done, and the exhaust is built! GRM Challenge uses NHRA rules for the drag portion of the event. In NHRA rules, if you relocate your battery, you must have a kill switch. That kill switch must be accessible from outside the rear of the car. There are many ways to do this, including just putting the switch on an exterior body panel. But I have a wagon, so most of the rear opens with the hatch, which isn't great for battery cable routing. So I made a switch linkage, which is pretty common in drag cars. Instead of a turning a switch, you just push a knob connected to a rod that turns the switch inside the car. The rod is just 1/4" aluminum from Home Depot, hammered flat with a 1/4" bolt drilled through. The knob is an old tractor trailer air brake release. The alternator cable runs all the way to this switch, so the engine will actually die when you hit it. It almost blends in with the tail lights. It could use some sort of label, like "Batt Off" or something. I still need to enclose the battery per NHRA rules. Probably more filing cabinet fabrication, though I'm running low on free filing cabinets. Okay exhaust time. I self-traded the G35 mufflers for these random no-name aftermarket mufflers that came on an old donor car. These flanges were attached to the mufflers. I don't need flanges on my mufflers, but I do need them on the manifold outlets. A few months ago when the engine was out, I welded the other halves of these flanges to the manifolds because the original flange was rusted to hell. I cleaned them up and grinded off the nasty thick chop shop weld. Here's where I had to cut the cats to get the engine out of the G35. Flanges were BAD. Unfortunately, I didn't weld the manifold flange high enough, so the cats hang too low. I'm pretty disappointed by this, because I really wanted to keep the cats. Modern cats have been proven not to reduce power, and they came with my donor, so might as well. But the race is in 6 days and I have no time to take the engine out. At least it's less weight, but that means I need to fab a y-pipe and buy new flex pipes which were leaking anyway. So I went to Summit and bought some 2" pipe for the two banks, 2.5" pipe for after the Y, a couple mandrel bends, and two flex couplings. Just over a $100. Not my most GRM purchase, but I'm running out of time. It went...well! Definitely quieter, but with really bad raspyness at high RPM. I'm about 85% sure I have the riciest sounding VQ in the world. I don't know what I did wrong. Fuck it, haters gonna hate. Edited October 6, 2018 by Maschinenbau 3 Quote Link to comment
nl320what Posted October 6, 2018 Report Share Posted October 6, 2018 Raspiness is not an issue, it gives the VQ lineup its familar sound without looking you can tell a 350Z or G35 is romping around!!! Definitely a ratsun build, anticipating your test run and show updates!! 1 Quote Link to comment
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