Nissan – importnut.net

Push Button Start Nissans – Won’t Start? Here’s the common fix

importnut — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 15:00:59 +0000

Replacing Nissan’s Brake Switch

Recently, my wife’s 2008 Nissan Altima wouldn’t start. Press the brake, press the start button. Nothing. It didn’t even try to crank. I had changed the battery a few months earlier and felt confident that it wasn’t the issue. A quick search online pointed towards a faulty brake switch. Pumping the brakes while pressing the start button would result in a start, but that’s no way to live especially considering the fact that this is the same switch that lights up the brake lights! No switch, no brake lights.

While I was at work, my wife stopped by the dealer and they confirmed the issue. I had called ahead and confirmed that they had a new brake switch in stock. Although I was able to price out cheaper replacements, we needed to get her back on the road quickly and safely. She picked up the new brake switch and headed home.

A quick way to confirm whether or not your starting woes are related to the brake switch is by pressing the brake and checking for brake lights. If the brake lights aren’t coming on or they are flickering, then you know you have a bad switch.

The part number of the switch listed for our Altima is 25320-AX00C

For clarity, here is the part number tag on the packaging of the new switch.

It turns out that this is the same brake switch used in quite a few push button Nissans and Infinitis. Here is a listing of the part from a parts supplier that also lists alternative part numbers and the vehicles in which it is used.

How easy it is to change the brake switch? It is about as easy as checking the oil.

Tools necessary:

None

Let’s Begin

For starters, it is probably not a bad idea to secure the vehicle by setting the parking brake or chocking the wheels.

Looking under the dash, look for the brake switch. It is the larger of the two switches over the brake pedal.

The brake button in this Altima has the white plug. It is probably similar in other models.

Start by removing the plug on the brake switch. This is accomplished by squeezing the button/tab on the side of the connector.

For clarity, in case you’ve never tried to remove a plug like this, you will need to push the rectangular tab indicated by the arrow. In some cases, the release will stick and be difficult to remove. Try pushing the connector into the switch then press the tab. It should slide out easily.

Once the wire is off, turn the brake switch counterclockwise until it pops out of the mount.

After you rotate the plug, the spring in the button will push it up. You should see something similar to this picture.

It doesn’t matter if you remove the connector first, then the brake switch. It may be easier to release the connector if the switch is still attached. Decide what works best for you.

Installing the new switch

Holding the new brake switch in the same orientation, press it into the opening and watch to make sure the button is fully depressed without moving the brake pedal itself. Turn the brake switch clockwise until it stops.

Reattach the plug. Test for brake lights and ability to start.

Celebrate

Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Nissan Altima Spark Plug Replacement (4th Gen)

importnut — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 18:33:23 +0000

Recently, my wife’s 2008 3.5SE Altima was due for new spark plugs. Having swapped plugs on her old 2003 3.5SE, I was familiar with the process and ordered plugs and an upper intake manifold gasket. Very quickly, I learned that there was a slight difference. The newer VQ35 and QR25 engines use a very narrow plug. The plug uses a 14 mm socket rather than the typical larger options. Not only is the plug 14 mm, but the spark plug hole is much narrower preventing me from using a standard 14 mm deep well socket. After sourcing the proper socket for the job, I decided to do a write-up on the work.

Note: The FSM for the Altima shows that the QR25 4 cylinder engine requires the same 14 mm socket. The QR25 spark plug operation is considerably easier since the plugs are located on the top of the engine. Scroll down to the section describing the plug change for pointers.

See the end of this write-up for torque specs.

Tools and Parts Necessary

Metric Allen Drivers
Metric Socket Set with extensions
14 mm Deep Well Spark Plug Socket #S-381490-12P
Various pliers
6 Spark plugs for the VQ35 Denso FXE20HR11
4 Spark plugs for the QR25 Denso FXE20HR11
Upper intake manifold gasket Nissan #14032-JA10A
Throttle body gasket Nissan #16175-JA10A
Anti-seize

The most important part of this maintenance is buying the correct tool for the plug.

The spark plug used on both the 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder engines, is a unique 14 mm size that is not covered by the standard spark plug socket sets. I found an inexpensive solution to the problem at Craftsman. It is a tool labeled as a BMW Deep Well Spark Plug Socket. I ordered mine at a local Sears. You can order yours online using the numbers I’ve provided in this picture. As an added bonus, this socket uses a magnet to hold the plug rather than a rubber sleeve.

Start by removing the engine cover. Remove two allen bolts.

The cover is also held in place by these two rubber grommets. To remove the cover, pull up using your hands.

After removing the cover, start by swapping out the front three plugs. Unplug the three harness plugs then remove the bolt that secures the coil to the valve cover.

Pull the coil packs out and set them aside.

Using the special socket, an extension and a ratchet, remove the plugs. They will be a little stiff and squeak as the work their way out. Put a dab of anti-seize on the new plug and thread into the head. Tighten the plugs to 14.5 ft-lbs of torque for the VQ35 and 14 ft-lbs for the QR25. Pop the coil packs back into place, install the bolts and reattach the harness plugs.

110,000 mile plug on the left, new on the right. the gap was still perfect on the old plug.

With the easy part out of the way, it’s time to make room to reach the rear plugs. Sorry, the is no other way. Remove the air box cover. Loosen the two hose clamps and disconnect the air temperature sensor.

Lift the cover out of the way. Disconnect the vacuum line on the bottom of the air intake assembly and remove the intake hose.

This is what you should see once you have the air intake and air box out of the way.

Now it’s time to get serious. This area looks rather busy with all of the vacuum lines, wiring, etc. It’s not as bad as it looks. Start by removing the 4 vacuum lines indicated in yellow. I like to take pliers and rotate the vacuum line on the fitting to break it free first. After the vacuum lines, remove the 6 bolts marked by red arrows. With the bolts and vacuum lines removed, move the vacuum line “manifold” away from the intake manifold.

With the bolts and vacuum lines removed, move the vacuum line “manifold” away from the intake manifold.

Remove the bolts and nuts that attach the upper manifold to the lower manifold. The outer two fasteners are nuts and the other four are bolts.

At this point, there are a few more steps to work through before the manifold can be removed.

Remove the vacuum line from the back of the manifold by moving the clamp and twisting with pliers before removing.

Remove the bolt that supports the power steering line and remove the vacuum line, both marked by red arrows.

Remove 4 allen bolts that attach the throttle body to the manifold. It’s easier to remove the throttle body in order to avoid having to drain the coolant and remove the lines that feed it.

Lay the throttle body down.

If you haven’t missed anything, the upper intake manifold can be lifted out. Remove slowly and check for anything that may still be attached.

Now you can easily reach the rear plugs. Follow the same steps used for the front three plugs. Remove the bolts, disconnect the harness plugs, remove the coil packs, swap out the plugs and put it all back together.

With the plugs finished, reinstall the manifold. Follow the removal instructions in reverse order. If you bought new gaskets, this is a good point to replace them. I can say that at 115,000 miles, the gaskets were still pliable and could have been reused. They are relatively inexpensive, especially compared to the cost of the plugs so why not change them?

A shot of the new throttle body gasket installed.

Torque Specs:

Spark plugs 14.5 ft-lbs
Upper intake manifold: 8 ft-lbs
Throttle Body: 6.2 ft-lbs
Coil pack: 5.2 ft-lbs

Torque sequence on the manifold:

—–3—-2—–
5————–6
—–1—-4—–

A quick outline for reassembly:

Use the two studs on the lower intake manifold to line up the upper intake manifold and slide it into place.
Install nuts and bolts to secure the manifold.
Reattach throttle body with 4 allen screws.
Reattach 2 vacuum lines and power steering bracket on the back of the intake manifold.
Set the vacuum line “manifold” in place and install 5 bolts.
Reattach 4 vacuum lines.
Slide the intake tube back into place and attach large vacuum line.
Install the air box cover, tighten hose clamps and reattach the air temperature sensor on the air box.
Pop the engine cover in place and install 2 allen bolts.

Now that it’s done, you won’t have to worry about it for another 100,000 miles!

Good Luck!

240SX LSD Swap

importnut — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 23:57:56 +0000

Open Diffs are a drag and aftermarket limit slip units can be outrageously expensive. There is hope for any non-LSD equipped 240SX. Factory limit slip diffs are available from many different Nissan offerings. The 300zx, LSD equipped 240’s, Q45’s and J30’s to name a few. In most cases, the only extra parts necessary are 240SX VLSD diff outputs that can be picked up at your local Nissan dealer.

I picked up a ’90 300ZX non-turbo diff. This is the R200V differential that is recommended. It has the same final drive ratio as the 240sx at 4.083:1. The turbo 300ZX has an R230V diff with a 3.69:1 final drive ratio. Some say that that case will not fit in S13 240’s. Plus, the taller ratio will make for a more sluggish 240 unless you are putting down serious power.

Below is the process to change the diff and the parts necessary.

Note: S13 and other notes from 240SX list members are at the end.

Tools Necessary

socket set
Combination wrenches (box wrench)
Jack and Jack Stands
Pry bar

Parts Necessary

R200V differential (4.083 final drive ratio)
Correct diff outputs if you don’t have a 240 diff: 38220-92L00, 38220-52F01
2 quarts of 80W-90 Gear oil (I used Pennzoil, Nissan’s Recommendation)
For S13’s, you will need to obtain the correct rear cover.

The Differential:

The R200V from the NA Z32 300ZX

A clear indication that there is more going on inside than normal.

Prepping the new diff

Regardless of how new the diff is, it is a good idea to change the fluid. Plus, if you are changing the diff outputs, you are going to need to drain the fluid anyway. Depending on which cover you have, the drain plug will be on the bottom and the fill plug will be on the driver’s side of the diff. Either way, this is a much easier process when the diff is not in the car.

Notice the easy access to the fill hole when not installed. This is much more difficult to reach once everything has been installed. Take the time to do this minor maintenance before you install it.

Once you have drained the oil, remove the outputs. Again, if you have an VLSD from a 240, you will have the correct outputs and can skip to refilling the diff with new fluid.

Removing the outputs is as simple as popping them out with a pry bar

Here are a few pics comparing the diff outputs. You’ll see that the 300ZX outputs have ABS rings and a completely different bolt pattern.

For your ordering pleasure: 38220-92L00, 38220-52F01

Comparing the 300ZX VLSD output to the 240SX VLSD output does raise some questions. They look very different, but I assure you, it works as expected

These outputs are still different, but not as radically different as the other side.

Sadly, when I did this swap over a decade ago, I didn’t compare the non-vlsd outputs to the vlsd. Sorry about that.

Note: You cannot use the 300ZX half shafts. They are about 1-2 inches longer than the 240’s half shafts and do not have the proper rings to protect the wheel bearings. Jeff Callaway attempted to combine the 300ZX & 240SX half shafts with no luck. The 300ZX components have a larger spline diameter preventing the combination.

Using a rubber mallet or a hammer and a piece of wood, tap in the new diff outputs.

At this point, you can refill the diff with fluid. I chose to prop the front of the diff with a piece of wood to make it level as it would be in the car. The service manual calls for about 3.5 pints. Keep adding fluid until it runs out of the fill hole and install the plug.

Note the angle of the oil container…you can’t do this when everything is installed.

Installing the diff

Raise the rear end of the car and support it with jack stands. The best place to support the rear end of the car is by the front of the sub frame mounts. Although I didn’t remove the sway bar (regrettably so), it would make the process significantly easier. Support the diff using a jack and a piece of wood. Be careful, the diff is well over 70 lbs. Remove the drive shaft bolts and move it aside. Remove the half shaft bolts and push them out of the way. Ultimately, you can give yourself more room by removing the half shafts entirely, but that would take quite a bit more work. Remove the two big bolts on the bottom of the diff and remove the two nuts on the back of the diff.

Again, make sure to support the weight of the diff. Once all of the bolts are free, it will be hard to hold it up without a jack. With everything unbolted, carefully lower the old diff.

Once the old is out of the way, load the new diff on the jack and slide it into place. Install the two rear nuts (72-87 ft-lbs torque – to avoid breaking the aluminum cover) replace the two bolts in front. Then, reattach the half shafts and drive shaft and then the sway bar if you removed it.

At last, the finished product

Driving Impressions

During normal driving the diff is completely invisible. Corning under power is much more confidence inspiring. Power sliding and drifting is much more predictable. Hard acceleration is definitely improved on abnormal surfaces. As with the diff upgrade on my civic, this is a critical upgrade for serious driving.

Those swapping into an S13

S13 240’s diff mounts differently than the S14 and pretty much any other chassis where an R200V diff was standard. This requires a different rear cover as well as a change to the front bushings. Here is an explanation from 240SX chat list subscriber Jeremy Dibble:

I posted on freshalloy about the s14/j30/z32 diffs having bushings on the front that need to be replaced with metal spacers. The reasoning behind this is that the s14/j30/z32 diffs are mounted by bushings to the subframe where as the s13 is metal on metal to the subframe. When replacing just the rear cover the front points are bushing mounts while the back ones are 4 small solid mounts. Also note the rear cover is aluminum and rather fragile. If the front end of the diff is allowed to move then it puts stress on the solid mounts on the rear of the diff. I will be getting metal spacers fabricated for this purpose to install my s14 Nismo diff in my s13 since the s14 subframe won’t swap over without special eccentric bushings.

I also want to add that you may want to consider SPL’s aluminum diff bushings for the front mount.

J30 Diff

The Infinity J30 uses an ABS sensor that attaches to the input of the diff. If you have an ABS equipped 240, this will be the same sensor ring. This sensor ring requires that you have a drive shaft that is approximately .55″ shorter than the non-ABS counterpart. If you do not have ABS, you will have two options. First, you can buy the ABS driveshaft. Second you can buy the non-abs diff input. This information was provided by Bill Redding, also a 240SX chat list subscriber.

Another important point to note, is that the J30’s final drive ratio is taller than the 4.083 found in 240’s and NA 300ZX’s. The gear is approximately 3.9:1

Another alternative – Swapping Internals

One other option that most people do not consider, in the case of obtaining a J30 diff, or trying to swap a diff into an S13, is to swap the internals. Technically, the only difference between an R200 and an R200V is the addition of the VLSD unit. I would recommend having a shop do the work for the purpose of getting the tolerances correct.

This idea will prevent you from having to figure out how to properly swap any diff into an S13. Swapping the VLSD unit into the original case will allow you to safely install the differential.

Blitz Realize TT Exhaust – 240SX

importnut — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 14:29:59 +0000

(Originally Posted in March, 2008)

My original exhaust had about 218,000 miles on it before it finally started leaking bad enough for me to bite the bullet and replace it. I knew I wanted an exhaust with a classic looking muffler…meaning, an oval shaped muffler with a normal looking tip (albeit a large one). Most of the exhausts in 3″ or larger form were the round cans that popped out at an angle. My choices were the Blitz Realize TT and JIC’s exhaust. As you can see, I went for the Blitz exhaust.

The Blitz exhaust was an excellent choice! It looks great and sounds fantastic! With the OBX header and test pipe, the exhaust note was very intense, but not too loud. If you didn’t want to hear it, leave the window up. If you wanted to enjoy it, crack the window open.

Fit and finish were spectacular! Compare the pics of the new vs old and you can see that this is a well executed exhaust. Everything bolted together properly with no interference with suspension or the body.

If you want a subtle looking exhaust that fits well and sounds great, you won’t go wrong with the Blitz Realize TT!

What it sounds like in my garage:

What it sounds like on the road:

Nissan Speedometer Repair

importnut — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 18:08:29 +0000

A few years ago, I bought a 1995 Nissan truck to use at work. Given it’s task, I wasn’t too concerned about the general condition of the truck. One small detail did prove to be a problem. The speedometer didn’t work. Considering the fact that I was paid for mileage, it was important that this little detail worked as it was intended. After perusing the internet, I saw several people describing the same problem. I decided to take the time to document the repair. My speedometer and odometer would stop working intermittently. My first thought was that the speed sensor had failed. However, if I smacked the dash, the speedometer would start working. I found a used base model cluster on ebay for a fraction of the cost of an upgraded cluster (with tach) and scavenged the parts to repair my original speedometer. I wanted to retain the mileage as well as the trip meter function. In order to accomplish this, I swapped out the drive motors and circuit board.

In my case, the motor itself was the problem causing a short that disabled both the needle movement and the odometer operation.

Before ordering any parts, test the vehicle speed sensor. The factory service manual is a good source for diagnostic information. If the sensor is in good working order, try the donor cluster to verify that it’s working properly.

These instructions will work for nearly any Nissan that uses a similar speedometer. I know that the ’95-’98 240SX used a similar design.

Tools Necessary:

Soldering Iron
Solder Sucker
#1 & #2 Phillips screwdriver
Small clamping pliers

Remove the 4 screws surrounding the plastic circle.

After removing the screws, the speedometer can be removed.

Before you can remove the circuit board, you will need to remove the 4 screws, marked in yellow, and unsolder 4 posts, marked in red.

Once you’ve removed the solder and screws, you can remove the board. Be aware that the odometer’s motor is plugged into the board.

After removing the circuit board, remove the single screw that holds the odometer motor in place and remove the odometer motor.

Remove the two screws that hold the speedometer motor in place.

The next step is a difficult part of the project. If you try to pull the motor off without holding the shaft, you run the risk of pulling it through and ruining the small return spring. You can try and rely on the needle holding the shaft in place, however it is a substantial risk. Use a very small set of locking or clamping pliers to hold onto the shaft.

It doesn’t take much to keep the shaft in place. This picture shows the base model speedometer which does not have a trip meter. This area is much more congested with the trip meter present.

Once you have the shaft supported, slowly pry off the motor.

Repeat the process for the donor speedometer.

Now that everything is apart and the donor parts are ready to install, you can start assembling the speedometer. I would suggest using all of the new pieces from your donor cluster.

First, install the new odometer motor.

The next part of the process is complicated. Both the shaft and the motor need to be at their “home” position which is 0 mph. Returning the motor to its home position is the hardest part. You may need to solder the motor to the circuit board, screw it into the cluster, connect the cluster and power-on the ignition. This will bring it back to the home position. If you do not do this, you could end up with a needle that will rest at something other than 0 mph when the ignition is off. Like this:

Oops…

The whole process may take some trial and error but it can be accomplished.

Once you get that resolved, screw the motor in place, push on the circuit board and reinstall its screws and solder the motor pins.

Set the speedometer back into the cluster and secure it with four screws from behind.

Finally, reinstall the cluster.

Ultimately, the easiest thing to do would be to use the entire donor cluster or possibly the speedometer itself (if your donor cluster is a base model version and you want to retain your tach. If the mileage is close or you’re not worried about losing the trip meter, you could skip the hassle of soldering and properly clocking the motor to the shaft/needle.

Good Luck!