nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

#SSC is skrong on this one

Congrats,

Ps.look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves! And you gonna need some tires money now

Cotozic

I like my automatic. It's so finicky to drive, but I'll take it. You also have to manually shift it... so I don't even know. I'm keeping it automatic. I would have definitely swapped before hand if I wanted a 6 speed. Honestly, because I do some city driving, I like to have the function of a drive gear, but it's great to manually shift. With this turbo setup, I basically have to shift up when boost kicks in, or the car will act funky, so I have to use the manual gears right now when accelerating hard in lower gears, because the car especially hates to do it in the Drive gear. When I'm cruising on the interstate though, I can leave it in D with absolutely no problem. I dunno, I like it as it is, so I'll keep it auto.

So in other news... this car and I have not been getting along this week. I want to drive it so bad, but it wants to fight me constantly. Dirty ****. First this week was a fuel leak under the hood. Super easy fix but it kept me out of the car for a couple days, until today when I fixed it with a new hose. Problem was when I went to drive it today with the amps and capacitor set up, blasting away like I used to, the car decided it wanted to start dying at intersections. Finally I had to stop the motor at an intersection in front of a ton of traffic... And it decided it was done. Wouldn't crank anymore so I had to gather a couple folks to help push.

To say the least, got the car jumped and it was right back at it. Disconnected my amps and now I've got the fancy Brake and Battery lights on when the key is in the on position. So now I've gotta get a new alternator. I've decided I have no time and I'm just going to pay my mech to put a new alt from the auto parts store in with my new spark plugs since I can't really drive it now and don't have the space to do that kind of job right now. Once this is done, im thinking everything will be up to spec.

On a money note, because I don't have any, tires will have to wait as well. I wanted new wheels which I was gonna put the new set on, but I'll have to compromise for new tires this fall, and new wheels next year.

Mattx

iTrader: (2)

You may want to look into getting a low mileage used oem alternator from a part out or from a junkyard. I and many others have gone thru multiple alternators from auto parts stores. I've gone thru three since replacing my original a little over 2 years ago. Even though I do the work myself it's still a pain in the a** to have to do the work. The worst part is now advanced auto is trying to back out of their warranty. They told me when I returned the last one, even though I had it tested both in and out of the car that I could not return my current one. Anyway if I was someone who paid to have the work done each time I would be even more pissed.

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

i have an autozone alty myself *knock on wood*, but Napa seems to have the best parts from the big box part stores.

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

That's horse ****, I would throw a bit of a fit and start *****ing at corporate.

Mattx

iTrader: (2)

Yea I did and the funny part is they tried to say it's in their return policy. So I read the receipt and all the stuff posted in the store and nothing anywhere said anything about multiple returns for warrantied parts. So I ask the guy to show me where and he couldn't but said it was on the company sites website. Texas is where the actual company corporate hq is. So I said print me the literature off the site. The manager said ok but it will take a little time. So by now I know I'm being lied to so I said ok I'll wait. Well 30 min later he still hadn't come out with the copy so I left.

Cotozic

I'm not too worried about it. Looking to buy something new with a warranty opposed to a rebuild. I have a sound system, but I don't really need anything fancy. I may wear down the new alternator more quickly, but not quickly enough that I need to invest in some ultra gadget when alternators already don't last forever, and my system isn't anything extreme. As long as I don't have a problem for several years, I'll be good.

I've been checking the voltages though, and the battery is holding charge, and will go to about 3.7 at startup on occasion, but after a drive, the battery is back down to about 12 to 12.4v. It's definitely the alternator. I can't currently monitor the voltage from inside the car, so using the capacitor in the trunk has had to do. I know at rest it will be lower, but I do know the alty has problems making a decent amount of charge at idle. I reattached the amps and such to just have some music for my short drives, and I keep it low, and sometimes rev up a tad at stops being paranoid of having it die.

I'm hoping to get a replacement installed on Thursday. Not too much longer to wait. THEN, I can really sink my teeth into my setup.

Cotozic

Alright, so I did a lot in the past week.

First thing was fix the charging problem. Mechanic said it wasn't he alternator after he ran it for a long while at a specialist. What this entails, I don't really know, but when I got the car back, he suggested a new battery which wasn't the worst thing in the world. Swapped in an Optima yellow top and it's been fine ever since.

Next thing was the spark plugs. Took a night to change them between around midnight and 3AM with a Taco Bell break. Let the sealant cure until the following evening and then spent about an hour reconfiguring the vacuum hoses which wasnt too hard. Wanted to make sure everything was right. The new plugs are a step colder and the car is running a lot better with them.

Overheating was the next concern. I had been having problems with this, which I believe, along with the tube for the idle, allowed the old battery to die. It's been hot, so I added a bottle of water wetter and some additional distilled water after I made a mess with some coolant. My bad. Been a lot cooler since.

Lastly, I had Moncef adjust the tune for the idle A/F. Since then, been running super well.

All wins this week. The reliability is back.

Cotozic

Transmission might be taking a dive. Going to service it here soon when I get a chance and swap in some new fluid, though fluid is still looking good and is level. Can't hurt. I can't be 100% sure as of yet if it's failing, but there are difficulties with lag in shifting when car is in boost, and it doesn't want to shift at all when in higher boost while in 3rd, unless I ease off the pedal and push back into it. I mean, yeah, sounds like a transmission issue, but with everything new going on, I don't know yet, especially since there's no abnormal noise, and it's not heating up.

This car is really fun though. I've had a couple interesting run-ins with others on the roads with this setup. Oddly enough, ran into a 4th gen Maxima that looked beaten to pieces with a massive spoiler and "racer" painted on the back. Got to "race" them on the interstate. Their faces when they saw another Maxima was precious, and I'm sure it was a surprise to see a boosted Maxima in my area. It's been pretty easy to stay low profile though.

Looking at IPT for a new auto maybe sometime later this year or early next year. Heh - gotta be wise with student loans... http://www.importperformancetrans.co...sion-4435.html

Other than some shifting inconsistencies, car still running pretty well. This has become my blog that I just drop thoughts off onto.

Quick notes for me...
Oil at about 149400
Spark Plugs at about 149500

Concerning coolant overheating... still looking into it. Fans are working just fine. It's been extremely hot here for the past week, but when it's around 85 or less outside, I haven't really had any problems. I'm looking into a full aluminum radiator, such as the one from Mishimoto. In my neighbors garage, it'd probably take a few hours in the early morning hours to swap in, which wouldn't be a problem at all. My current radiator setup with fans has been designed to clear the downpipe for the turbo by using thinner, 14" fans on my OE radiator. I will have to measure the space to get a better idea for clearence since I'm pretty sure the Mishimoto radiator is thicker. I need to make sure the Mishimoto gives a decent amount of cooling benefits before even entertaining the idea of purchasing one.

Mattx

iTrader: (2)

Welcome to life with a boosted maxima. You should either get very friendly with a good mechanic or learn to work on these cars yourself. As far as the transmission from my experience I'd go shopping for one very soon. Just a couple of suggestions though. I read in an earlier post you manually shift your car. I would stop doing that if not now when you get the new trans then. These cars were not really designed to do that especially on a semi/regular basis. Especially not with the extra 100+ hp. You can more than likely keep your valve body since you have a shift kit installed and swap it with your new one. Also third seems to be the problem. I lost the ability to for the car to shift out of second into third or fourth. I did drive many miles with just 1&2. When you get a new trans try to not hold the pedal to the floor when it shifts that seems to help with the longevity of the trans. These are just some observations I've made in the time I've had since being boosted and also replacing my auto trans. This one had many many fewer miles then my original so I'm sure that has helped. Keep us updated.

Cotozic

I can do most work myself given I have borrowed space available, but if I have to do any work that requires pulling the drive train, I will have to take the car to my mechanic. I have a close mechanic who will do work when I need it.

But transmission wise, yeah, I'm honestly not too worried about it. Car is actually shifting very well with some adjustment to my driving and some new knowledge. Firstly, I determined that my problems were partially impacted by an issue with the amount of fuel in the tank based on throttle. This past week, I haven't had any shifting problems, and I've been learning the cars patterns again. When shifting while "racing", I haven't really had any need to press the pedal down fully this week, but to achieve the 3rd to 4th while near/full throttle, like you said, I just slip off the gas a tad and push back on after allowing it to shift. Works like a charm. It's not ideal, but it seems to work just fine that way when flying in 3rd gear. Also, it seems the use of the MAF sensor might also contribute to problems with shifting that led to limp mode problems I was having earlier. I will be servicing the transmission here within the week, but that's just to get it out of the way at this point. It's important to note that I haven't lost any gears, and it will shift into all gears in drive, and manually.

The shifting issue is complicated, but I know a few tricks for which I use the manual shifting with the higher RPM required to spool the turbo, and avoid limp mode. Other than that, I stay in Drive all the rest of the time. Manual shifting does however prevent unnecessary shifts, and this is a good thing when entering and exiting power more frequently on a drive. They can get rather rapid if you're at the right amount of pedal around 60/70mph.

This won't be relevant again until I break it though. I just kind of panicked one night when I was frustrated and my car was what I got caught up on to freak out about. I also might be MAF free sooner than I thought. Transmission is in the plans for an upgrade before I do any more performance stuff way down the road.

OH - but before I forget. I contacted Import Performance Transmissions - just starting to inquire from a few different places for options for transmissions in the future - and they got back to me right away. They say that their built transmission will be able to handle my current power much better than my current setup. I did however ask about how much power they were rated for since I don't want to cutt myself off from potential expansion in the future, and they did say that their model won't be well suited for a lot more power. I need to ask how much "a lot" is, but it seems that they might be a good option. They said they'd be able to build me one and ship it to me, so it's definitely on the list if it can support a decent amount of more power. This is not any rush though. I cannot afford a new transmission right now, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask around.

Mattx

iTrader: (2)

One thing I would try and it can't hurt is to reset the ecu and do all the throttle relearns. Just follow the steps doing the "pedal dance" and after the last one for idle be sure to unhook the battery for 15 min or so. I had a similar problem going into limp mode at 3500 to 4000 rpm. Couldn't figure it out but I ended up cleaning my throttle body after changing plugs so after I did the relearns it hasn't happened since.

MoncefA33

iTrader: (6)

Hey Chris, how about an AdminTuning 6speed swap?

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

How much for one of those?

Cotozic

Don't get Moncef going. He'll use his silver tongue to convince you to put the Admintuning touch on everything from your future turbo to your blinker fluid. I'm already in a committed relationship with @admintuning 's Admintuning future Admintuned products and I don't even know what they are. smh, I've been brainwashed.

If you can hook me up with a decent auto transmission... maybe.

murphys_law

Neat build.

Cotozic

Put a couple videos on instagram.

I've been working on fixing a couple leaks. The auto shift linkage likes to rub on one of the couplers on the IC piping heading down from the turbo. That's been fun, especially since I've blown it a couple times. Not hard to fix, but I haven't been able to get the adjustment just right. Ordered a new coupler just in case the rubbing coupler finally tears. Transmission fluid is leaking from the temp sensor too, so continuing to keep an eye on that until I can get a replacement T fitting.

Things are holding up well. Transmission is doing fine and I've figured out the best way to drive it. I'm becoming more confident with this cars reliability daily. As far as computer stuff with the car, the MAF sensor seems to be harder to get to fail, regardless of what I do, which means limp mode is a rare occasion. I rarely rev highly in 1st, but I have been able to do so successfully AND shift into 2nd without triggering LM, which is definitely a win. Still just need to handle cooling issues with a bigger radiator.

I'm considering some Enkei wheels since they're closer to my budget. I can get a set of 18x8s, which would be about the same weight as my stock 17x7 wheels, with great tires for around 1800 bucks. I'd like lighter wheels, but with my budget, these would still be an upgrade to function and looks. Still looking into it though.

MoncefA33

iTrader: (6)

what is this convincing you speak of?

Cotozic

New powersteering high pressure hose installed today. Cooling fans rewired to stay on max speed for now until it cools down a bit outside.

New issue is figuring out why the car occasionally runs lean at high RPMs. I have noticed fuel tank levels have a factor in the past, so perhaps it's a fuel pump issue since it can occur with a full tank as well.

Cotozic

All fuel problems fixed, just had to replace a hose in the gas tank. All leaks fixed. I adjusted some stuff, so that might have done it, or magic fairies sealed them. Car runs great.

VQVillain

Hey man, new to the forum but not at all new to fast VQs. Wanted to chime in with a couple things. First the heat issues are almost certainly caused by the placement of your oil cooler and intercooler. These cars are very sensitive to airflow over the radiator and need a good bit of it to keep coolant temps down. Re-Position your items to get more pass over airflow for your rad and over heating issues will go away. As for the tranny, I would either have your stock tranny built or go the 6 speed route. The 4/5 speed RE auto trannys do not support much more than 300 HP in stock trim before giving out. I went through 2 LSD and one open diff Auto in a single year with my boosted auto. Finally went with a built 4 speed and new converter and the car was faster and more consistent than it had ever been before. From what it sounds like your stock convertor is slipping right now which will eventually lead to every position being "Neutral" lol. At a bare minimum if you must use a stock tranny, go with a stronger aftermarket convertor and add a decent tranny cooler with fan. This will atleast extend the life of your next stock tranny, but don't expect more than 10-15k miles and that's if your nice to it most of the time. Auto/boosted VQs can be a ton of fun and very quick; you don't lose boost in between shifts at all so the turbo stays spooled and making power, but this creates a lot of heat which is the biggest enemy of the stock auto tranny. All in all though, for a straight line car built auto would be my choice as it is simply more consistent and offers better launches than a manual. For a street car though I loves me a 6 speed VQ, and money saved up for spare tires haha. Good luck. Also not trying to bash but the UTEC is really holding you back man. I tried that game back in the day and lost my first turbo engine because of it. Went UpRev and never looked back. Speed density (MAP style) is easier to tune than MAF setup regardless, but if your going to keep a MAF use a blow thru setup rather than a draw through, that will make tuning safer and easier. Learn from my mistakes lol.

Cotozic

Hey VQVillain, yeah, I don't get on here much anymore, but I appreciate your input.

The car is holding up very well now. The "slipping" mentioned before was actually not related to the transmission at all. I was having fuel problems, and ignition problems that eventually got ruled out and fixed. The transmission is fine though. Absolutely no problems with an external cooler, and the TransGo HD2 VB mod. I'm no longer worried about it, especially since replacements are cheap. Also, manually holding gears I believe will extend the longevity of this transmission when racing. I usually only do pulls through 1-2, or a drop into 2nd and pull on the interstate. The transmission doesn't have to deal with a lot of constant, rapid upshifting or downshifting during a pedal game. Again, zero problems, and even if there is, it won't be a huge headache.

As for heating issues, I'm not only running an oil cooler, but a transmission cooler between it and the radiator. Believe it or not, the radiator melted from a sandwiched zip tie that got stuck between the radiator and headers and melted, creating a hole. That has since been replaced, though I'm looking into getting a new radiator fabricated for this build. I like the coolers where they are, so a bigger radiator is the way to go for me. The intercooler is massive, and that's literally the only place they will fit and get airflow behind the bumper.

The UTEC and tuning stuff is up in the air right now. I'm not worried about losing my engine to the tune, since it's held up for thousands of miles, and Admintuning tuned the car, and I've no doubt that Moncef's tune will make reliable smiles-per-gallon. The UTEC does have drawbacks with the MAF, and limp mode is still an issue that occurs now and then. I do already have a MAP sensor running along side the MAF, but it's unfortunately a depency of the UTEC. So the MAP essentially patches holes for the MAF as far as I know, but the MAF is a finicky sensor. I'm looking into other options with them, so we'll see what happens.

In recent news, my ignition problems/jerking/misfiring under load have been solved. Wasn't fuel. Wasn't the MAF ($$$). Wasn't a loose hose. It was the coilpacks. Lesson learned. Just another push towards a new ECU. After all the ruined spark plugs, I know what the symptoms were telling me.

PS: Hitachi MAF for 115. It works just fine.

Cotozic

Hammered out a Mishimoto radiator to fit the car. No more overheating. One year down and car still running strong at 165k miles.

maxgtr2000

iTrader: (29)

Good deal. With the maf I would try clamping it. Maybe the tuner could clamp it at the rpms just before boost and use the map after that. The maf/ecu should be happy and won't freak out in boost.

Cotozic

I obviously didn't tune this car, so my knowledge of the limitations aren't that great. I do know that the UTEC used to tune the car requires a MAF to function at any range, so I'm not sure anything can be done about it, unless I shell out for a different tuning device.

In all fairness though, I rarely have MAF problems anymore. Avoiding letting off and letting the car upshift automatically, then pressing the gas really fast will prevent the car from going into limp mode. I just lock the gear manually when racing and let the car ride in the gear as I slow down after boost, as opposed to letting it upshift. At certain RPMs with the HD2 kit, it wants to upshift way too fast on release and that does it.

Just have to be a little careful or I'm stopping on the side of the road to restart the car. As much as I'd like a better computer, not a big deal having learned the quirk.