In the 5.5 Gen, right next to the Throttle Body, there's the Evap Solenoid bolted to the top of the UIM. Specifically, it's the ""Evap Canister Purge Volume Control Solenoid Valve", referenced on page EC-37 in the Field Service Manual.

I want to tuck this under the engine cover. Has anyone here done that?

The more I look at it, the more it seems possible, particularly since I've regained the under-the-cover space that used to be taken up by the VIAS vacuum tank; (which was deleted with the VIAS-delete block-off-plate modification.) I may need to manufacture a retention bracket to support this, but it seems reasonable.

Again... anyone done that before, and do you have any advice?

 

For perspective, note the Evap Solenoid below, circled in red:



And here without the engine cover. Note the 2 available retention bolts circled in red.

There seems to be enough slack in the power harness to turn it around. All I would have to do is manufacture a retention bracket and extend one or both of the vapor hoses. While that sounds easy enough... it's still a project.

Sure would look a LOT cleaner under the hood without that wart so obviously bolted to the UIM.

 

This idea turned out to be so simple, I was able to tuck the Evap Solenoid on the very same day I started thinking about it.

1. Remove your engine cover.
2. Unbolt the Evap Solenoid from its retainer bracker.
3. Unbolt the retainer bracket from the UIM.
4. Unclip the two wires held away from the engine by their own retainer brakect, just next to the Evap Solenoid.
5. Drill out the hole where the plastic clip went so it's big enough to put the Evap Solenoid bolt through.
6. Having enlarged the hole, bolt the Evap Solenoid to this bracket.
7. Bolt this bracket back to the UIM.
8. Run the two wires over the Evap Solenoid wiring harness, so they continue to be safeguarded from the engine.
9. Put your engine cover back on.

Here's the Evap Solenoid in it's default position:



...and here it is moved left and down:



Here's the Evap Solenoid in its default position, with the engine cover on:



...and here is the Evap Solenoid tucked under the engine cover:



These steps take all of about 10 minutes, and I think the bay looks a lot better than otherwise.

 

Looks a lot better definately! I would vote to tuck the uggly green service port also

 

Damn Rochester has done it again folks just when I thought his engine bay couldn't get no nicer or cleaner!! He proved me wrong!! And do you get your engine detailed or do it yourself with some products!!

 

Hahaaa! Good idea Rochester. I just moved mine. I saw this thread, got all excited and ran outside to do this. The wife was like "what the-...??". Haha. Anyway, looks better now. See! (pardon the dirty cover etc.)

 

That's so funny, jowo9! I could totally see myself doing the same thing, and my wife giving me the same WTF-are-you-doing look.

What's been driving me nuts for the last couple of hours... I've lost the Evap Solenoid retainer plate during this little project. I can't find the damn thing anywhere. I suppose it doesn't matter, because I don't need it anymore. It's just... I can't find it. Feels like I'm going insane.

 

Haha that's hilarious. Yeah I know how you feel about not being able to find that plate. But you're also right, you don't need it anymore! There's not even a small chance you'd want to revert back right? So let your mind rest easy. (unless you dropped it in some drive belt or something)

 

I can't imagine any reason to revert back, and if I did, any old hunk of metal, with a few drilled holes, would do.

But really, the solenoid is controlled by the ECM, and the vapor hoses aren't in any location that's any hotter than they were 2 inches away. No, there's no logical reason (that I can imagine) which would necessitate moving it back where it came from.

Looking at this stuff, you have to ask yourself what the designers were thinking of. The only explanation that makes sense is that the UIM was designed with some bolt holes for "whatever", and some completely different design group made use of them. There just doesn't seem to be a lot of good, ergonomic design consideration for some of this stuff.

Meh, I suppose it's just an engine, not an oil painting.

 

Mine's been tucked long ago. Definitely makes it look a lot cleaner.



I miss this old engine bay....

 

^^ WHY do you miss this??! You have a turbo beautifying your engine bay now! And a sweeeeet airbrushed cover. I'll trade you engine bays any day.

 

Because I miss the humbleness and simplicity of it all.

 

So Roy, you did the same thing? Bored out the wire retainer hole on that middle bracket?

Ah, the old axiom: great minds think alike.

 

I swung back to this thread today, and your comment caught my attention. You're right in that the green cap is too obvious. I don't think I can easily "tuck it" like I did the solenoid, but I can probably paint it with plastic paint.

And I should remove that evap paper tag. Don't know why I left that there.

Good call, Colt!

 

Yeah, good call. I've used Krylon Fusion quite extensively and it's super easy and seems to hold up really well on plastic with minimal preparation.

 

It does look better painting that bright green cap black, and ditching the paper tag.

Now all I need are some SS mini-clamps.

And re-do the TB wiring with some high-temp 1/4" loom.

 

Lookin good

 

never would have thought of that. looks great, good job.

 

Here's another "tuck" that's really easy to do.

The passenger side ABS Sensor wiring harness is clipped to the side of the bracket which holds the Power Steering Reservoir, and for no apparent reason the wiring itself has two rosebud clips keeping the bulk of the cables flat to the strut tower. In all likelihood, brakes come before steering on the assembly line, and the most efficient thing to do was to clip it out of the way for the next spot down the line.

Here's a picture from member OnzMax's car:



...and here's a picture from my car tonight with the wiring tucked behind the reservoir bracket:



The steps are pretty easy:

1. Un-clip the ABS wiring harness connector.
2. Use a small, flat-head screwdriver to pull back the thin metal clip behind the reservoir, and gently lift the PS reservoir up and away from the bracket.
3. This gives you access to two of the bracket bolts. Back each off. This let's you swivel the bracket counter-clockwise on the third bolt.
4. Tuck the wire behind the bracket.
5. Bolt the bracket back in.
6. Re-attached the reservoir.
7. Use some high-temp, 1/4" wire loom to dress up the wires.
8. User some small, black-plastic hole plugs where the rosebud clips were.

 

This is a re-post from elsewhere. Sorry. But it belongs here with all these "tuck" ideas.

I don't know about the 5.0 gen, but on the 5.5 gen the Throttle Body wiring has this large, 3" loop taking up slack in the wire length. This loop is attached to a bracket underneath the Throttle Body, connected with a zip-tie with a rosebud clip. And this bracket itself is bolted to the TB by the lower-left casing bolt.

Why? Meh, who knows? Again, it probably has something to do with the sequence of manufacturing, and the shared Nissan parts.

Anyway...

1. Cut the zip-tie and loosen up that big loop of wires.
2. Relocate that loop of excess wire so that it's under the engine cover. Down by the valve cover is a fine place.
3. Zip-tie that new loop in place.
4. Delete the ugly little bracket.
5. Dress up your wires with high-temp wire loom.

Here's the before picture...



...and here's the after photo.

 

at this rate you'll have your battery, intake and radiator tucked in no time!!

seriously though...good job

B

 

The battery relocation is a pretty common mod, usually tied in with a CAI. But I'm OK with the battery right where it is, and prefer my SRI configuration anyway.

Hmm... radiator tuck? JK.

Actually, the right-most O2 Sensor wire in the front of the engine is held away from the Valve Cover on another rusty old bracket. This too can be tucked under the engine cover, and the fugly bracket deleted. I did that this weekend as well, but didn't think it was photo-worthy.

(I also discovered that the ABS module under the brake master cylinder will polish up just like chrome... but that's a different topic entirely.)

 

just tuck the engine...




















B

 

I don't have an "after" picture, because it's pretty obvious. But here's a before picture on tucking the right-most O2 Sensor wire under the engine cover.

Not exactly rocket science...

 

Bookmarking this for future use. Keep it up.

 

Damn man really nice tucks very detailed great job

 

You put ads in your engine bay, Rochester? O.o

When you were talking about the solenoid, I was confused for a minute 'cause I thought you meant the service port--which looks way more like a "wart" than the plug.

Off-topic, but what does that plug actually do? I kept meaning to post a picture in the "What's this" thread, but never got around to it. I disassembled my intake and stuff one day and then forgot to plug that back in after reassembly. It dropped my fuel economy from 21 to 13 MPG. I'm not really understanding what change that causes. The evap lines were still connected, so it's not like fuel vapor was dumping into the engine bay.

 

Just feeling the pride, man. That's all.

Plug? Well, there's the access port into the EVAP line, and then there's the solenoid itself. I guess I'm not sure what your question is. Go ahead and post that in the "What is this thing...?" thread and see what kind of clarification you can elicit from the 5th gen crew.

 

What are we to do, those of us w/o an engine cover..

 

remove all electrical components and Fred Flintstone that **** lol

 

The engine cover serves a real purpose, helping to reduce debris and grime build-up. I suppose you could easily argue that's a losing battle, but I distinctly remember the senior tech at my dealership, frowning at me with a little bit of disdain a few years ago, and grumbling, "Put your engine cover back on."

I remember saying something sheepish, like, "But doesn't it trap heat?" As if I knew better than the only guy in the area certified to work on the GT-R. Yeah, that didn't go well.

Anyway, the cover went back on.

 

It helps but won't save your front valve cover from acting like a pocket for dirt and grime. I keep it for aesthetics only. If I went to the track or something, I'd take it off for the runs.

 

Just because he works on a GT-R doesn't men he's great at being a 'Maxima' tech.

 

Yeah, that could be. And it's also possible forum fanboys know more than a mechanic who's worked on Nissans over 30 years.

Anything is possible, really. Ultimately, it's my choice because it's my car.

I'm using the engine cover.

 

I like my engine cover...

 

Right on cue, Roy. Looking sharp.

 

Looks good,nice job!!!

 

Maybe I have a hard time giving any credibility to people who barely even touch their cars, albeit for the exception of adding different nuts & bolts here and there.

As far as Nissan techs go, again, it may be my bad experience with them and their lack of knowledge on anything other than being robots and doing what they're told, and not to ever look outside the box.

 

I understand, and that probably describes the majority of techs. The guy in my story, however... he's the area guru. So I listen to him when he tells me to do something. (He actually approves of my phenolic spacers, which was a shocker.)