Help trouble shoot my problem.
 

Ok here are the basics, car is a 2012 with the 6MT and a GTM st2 SC. About a week ago it seemed like it was ever so slightly down on power and it got progressivly worse from there to the point of running really rich and barely able to hold an idle, to not running on all cylinders..... I had a friend plug in his professional code reader..

Things I have checked :
- Spark plugs have spark
- All vac lines are good
- Bov seems to be working
- Plumbing connections are all tight
- I reflashed it with a safe tune from J Tran ( seemed to help but it only fired for maybe one or two revolutions and now just cranks )
- Looked at cam sensors, they look good
- Fuel system looked good, pressured up nice and held it
- Air filter is clean
- We even tried helping it with a couple shots of carb cleaner right into the intake while cranking, nothing happened.

Codes being thrown :
- U1024
- Various wheel codes from aftermarket rims and no tpms
- I know this isn't a code, but even with engine turned off it showed that rpm was at 2800 ish.


Things I haven't been able to check yet :
- Crank sensor (can't find the damn thing)
- Spark plugs, no socket I have is thin enough walled to get them out


Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm out of ideas.

My guess would be the vdc due to the aftermarket wheels or the sparks plugs. How many miles are on those plugs? Also maybe try reflashing your ECU with Uprev again and make you sure have a solid 12v...

http://www.the370z.com/tuning/15433-code-u1024.html

Maybe try flashing it back to stock and then back to the new map? That won't solve all of the problem, but it should address the code unless something more serious is going on.

Spark Plug Socket...This is what you need

Amazon.com: Motion Pro 08-0512 14mm Spark Plug Socket: Automotive

I would also suggest a long pair of needle nose pliers (double hinged for narrow openings if you can find them) as the socket gets stuck on the plug most the time and you have to fish it out.

I know its not the wheels since I had them on before the supercharger went on and they never caused any problems. Only code they through was that the computer couldn't get a pressure reading off them, my VDC still worked...... I tried reflashing the ecu from a gtm map to a safe J Tran map and still nothing, but I suppose I can try the stock map.
As for spark plugs, they have 3500 miles on them, just like the rest of the car.
Is the hex on the plug 14mm or is it the normal 5/8. Becuase worst case, is I have a friend with a really old snap on spark plug socket ( better metals back then, thinner walls ) and if that doesn't work I can always buy a 5/8' deep impact and turn it down on a lathe.
I can try, but UpRev never even picked up the code, and car was fine all of last summer when the kit was on, it was only last week that things seem to have gone for ****. But like I said, I can reflash to a stock map no problem, that only takes a couple minutes. Just want to check a few things like crank sensor ( if I can find it ). Because before I reflashed with the J Tran map when it would try to fire it sounded like the timing was so far off that it was almost backfiring into the intake.

As the car got progressively worse, what have your AFRs looked like? Was it all gradual, or was there an event?

Until you can get those plugs out, see what the old ones look like and get new ones in and maybe a compression test, I don't think we can tell you much.

The socket I Iinked you to is definitely a 14mm

I am unsure on AFR by the time I could hook my laptop to it it was barely running at all. At idle the AFR on both banks was exactly 10.000 according to UpRev.. It seemed "gradual" but it was over the space of a week but maybe only 3 driving days with not many miles on those days... I will try to get an old plug out today. But no chance of getting new plugs for a while since no stealership nearby and online shipping is slower than molasses.

Doesn't Uprev just read the stock sensors? You need a wideband reading homie

Yep. You need a separate wideband for a build like that. The factory sensors leave a lot to be desired. While the car is down, go grab an Innovate or similar AFR gauge and install it.

I can try. But there is no aesthetically pleasing spot to put it. I have a boost and oil press A pillar pod. And I don't have the money for 3 new quages and to pay someone to be ripping the dash apart... I know everyone says have a back up money plan for when things break, but seven months unemployed kind of chews through that.

Then get some sort of multi-gauge for the a-pillar and sell whichever one it replaces. You need that gauge.

:iagree:

PLX and Zetroinix make some pretty good multi-guage options. I went with the GReddy but it's an odd size and won't fit your pillar. Not to mention I'm on backorder 8 wks for a damn pressure sender, can't imagine what the gauge wait time would be.

How was it tuned with out Afr gauge tom? Yikes

I'd assume the tuner used the tailpipe sniffer. I hope. The other option is that he's still on the GTM base map which is so rich it likely fouled his plugs to this point.

I am not familiar with your setup but when I had my supercharged BMW 330, I had a similar problem to yours. It turned out to be the MAF sensor going bad. I am not sure if your system uses a MAF but if it does, I would definitely check that.

The place that he took his car for install and tune doesn't really have a sniffer lol well it didn't work when I took my car there anyways

How does that even work?

Hey Kelby, their sniffer works now. Plus you don't need a physical gauge to tune, its just a medium for displaying information... I'm not sure if it is their base map or not. The car was datalogged a few times and reflashed with a new tune so it has to be somewhat custom.
I also pulled out a plug today and looked at it. Sure it was a little sooty, but not any worse than I have seen from any normal vehicle, still made a good strong spark... I'm thinking there might be something under the fuel rails that didn't get plugged back in when I had it all apart to fix a leak, so that is what I am currently checking.
Also pulled out the mafs and had a look at them, spotless, not a speck of dirt or oil on them. Even checked them with a multimeter and seemed to be good.

UPDATE : I tore the intake down to the fuel rail to see if any connections were off, they were all good. Compression is good, no particles in the oil. Crank sensor looked good... So I tossed everything back on, reflashed it to a stock map and tried to start it, all it will do is crank. Reflashed it with a safe boosted map and same thing, all it will do is crank.

Give it some gas on start up. Pump the pedal

Yeah I tried that, nothing. I even tried spraying in some starting fluid while cranking, also nothing. It should have at least fired from that.

That's making me believe there's a spark issue, but you're saying all of the coil packs seem ok and the plugs are ok?

Yeah. I even checked with a coil, pulled it out, found a random spark plug laying around, grounded it, and it made a nice spark... Computer still spit out that U1024 code and one about vvel. Something about the computers not being able to communicate to each other.

A coil, or ALL coils? Fried ECU maybe?

I tried a coil... Even if only one was working, it would still try to run as a single cylinder. Maybe a fried comp. I guess I can try and talk to a stealership about it... Since in theory the only thing the kit changes is a few mechanical changes, and a reflash... Nothing electrical

Did you get the U1024 before the reflash with the new safe map, or after? A bad ecu wouldn't slowly crap out, right? So you have a mechanical issue with the slowly reduced performance, and an electrical/ECU issue with the code and not starting?

It's hard to say. Cipher wouldn't pick up any of those codes. It took my buddies professional reader to pick up on it... And I could only get that good reader onto it after I had put on a safe map, and by then it wasn't starting no matter what map is on it, stock or the safe one. And I can't even think of what mechanical issue could be wrog, I've gone over everything. I'm just running out of ideas.

So you're getting fuel, you've got spark. I'm out of ideas unless the ecu is just bricked. The 2800 rpm at idle thing is really odd.

Yeah. It's got myself, my dad, and my mechanical genius friend all stumped

At this point it is really starting to like the ecu is smoked. unless can is shorted that is the only other thing mentioned under u1024. Sorry.

Nissan Electronics:shakes head:

But can an ECU/CAN fail gradually?

Exactly... I know it is not unheard for a reflashed program to lose a couple ones or zeros somewhere. So maybe it dropped a portion of its program, but not enough to make it altogether quit, just enough for it to get confused.

if it is cracked solder connections that are causing the failure yes. does computer ram fail gradually? Just a catch all though it doesn't mean something else isnt wrong or something is overloading a circuit in the ecu that causes the failure, or there is another condition that is giving the ecu the same symptoms of sensing a communication error with the vvel module. that is why Nissan Electronics :shakes head:

You could replace the boost with a boost/ AFR, the one I have reads boost in a ring around the outside and AFR digitally in the center.

Kind of sucks that it seems like I'm the only person to have this problem.. Woohoo having a big expensive boat anchor in the garage.

Could be a bricked ECU or a blown VVEL sensor.

Have you tried flashing a "back to stock" ROM on there? Also, make sure the ROM file is the correct one for your ECU.

If the injectors are larger and the intake plumbing is different with your set up, it will run pretty roughly, but should still turn over unless bricked.

I've flashed it back to stock with one for my ecu... All it does is just crank. I guess I can try a VVEL sensor replacement maybe.

if you have a buddy with a 370z unmarry your cable, flash his with the nats disabled and see if it will start your car. if it does you need an ecu.