My FX is Breaking Down....!!!!! AHHHH.....

W

White_Hair

Premium Member
Premium
Location
Vancouver, Canada
I went do some grocery shopping with my family yesterday. The FX was just parked on the side of the street. Came back in 20 mins and started the car (Still in park mode). VDC, SLIP, Engine Service, Tire Pressure , Hand break lights are all on and flashing. All the meter readings are going up and down like crazy. :eek:

I shut down the car and started the engine again. Now, Engine Service, VDC and SLIP lights were on and solid. The car was still driveable. Drove it back to my house and turned off and restarted the car again. Only the Engine Service light was on solid, VDC and SLIP were gone.

Brought it to the dealership this morning. They said the error code is U1000. And they said it is normally a grounding issue and they suggested I remove all the grounding wires (I installed the 10 wires grounding kit like 2 months ago, everything has been fine till now. No other modification after that.) The mechanics said resting the Engine Service light should resolve the problem, if the Engine Service light is on again, just remove the grounding wires and clear the codes and either way doesn't affect the driving.

So I paid the labour for resting the error codes. On my way home, the VDC and SLIP lights were on and solid again when I stopped the car at the intersection (No Engine Service light this time.) Just about 1 km from my house, the Handbreak light, Tire Pressure, VDC, SLIP and Snow lights are on and flashing. When I hit the gas, the car is applying brake itself, driving is resistive.

Managed to get the car home and restarted the car again and now only solid VDC and SLIP lights were on; the rest of them were gone like ghosts. Called the dealership, they said they don't know about the flashing lights but solid VDC and SLIP means problem with brakes and suggested me to check the brake fluid.

I checked the brake fluid. The color is gold and clear and at MAX. No fluid leak on my car at all. And the rotor seems to be clean and evenly scratched, so no alignment issue. Brakes were done within a year. Now I don't know what to do!!! :tears:

Could it be a battery or alternator isssue? And advices are helpful and greatly appreciated!! (Sorry for the lengthy post!!)
 
WOW just had this problem with mine yesterday! just not as bad

....is it just coincedence we both have the same GW kit from Nathaniel?

Talked to Nathaniel yesterday, and he suggested moving the ground wires located on the front of the engine( where the 2 stock wires and 5g.wires go into, not onto the plenum, but the front ) to the lower bolt. You'll see it when you look into the engine.

He had one other issue with a G35 that had to be moved to that lower bolt.

I'm not going to do it to mine yet, I'm going to wait till the CEL comes back on, take the GW kit off, and then take it back into the dealer

Also, solid VDC and Slip sounds like a Throttle Position Sensor problem.
 
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Have you checked your battery conections to make sure everything is secure and tight. since you checked your brake fuild just make sure nothing is open, does your break pedal feel mushy. check your pads. I'm not sure what to tell you but I'm sure some one just ran into this a few days ago that posted a thread with the same code. hopefully some else can chime in to assist.
 
Get rid of grounding wires in their entirety. They're useless. In fact I'd say they're less than useless, they're counter-productive if they're causing these issues.

Did you try removing all grounding wires then do the ECU-reset pedal-push procedure? Please try that first before spending any more money. I've always been and always will be against installing something like extra ground wires.

Anybody who's reading this and is thinking about adding a grounding kit, please use a multimeter to determine resistance between the two points you're going to add a ground wire BEFORE AND AFTER adding the ground wire.... somebody prove me wrong :tongue:

Lastly, check fuses? I had some funky issues with gauges and it turned out to be a fuse.
 
I had that same code back in November - has nothing to do with the grounding kit - theres a TSB for it.........

InfinitiScene.com - View Single Post - "Service Engine Soon" WTF?

Go back and tell them they are full of it and tell them to perform the TSB
 
Yes. I got it from Nathaniel. I will tried to move the wires but I need to bring the car to dealer for the VDC and SLIP. But during driving all other lights were on and flashing. And the car is applying brake itself!!


toy4x said:
WOW just had this problem with mine yesterday! just not as bad

....is it just coincedence we both have the same GW kit from Nathaniel?

Talked to Nathaniel yesterday, and he suggested moving the ground wires located on the front of the engine( where the 2 stock wires and 5g.wires go into, not onto the plenum, but the front ) to the lower bolt. You'll see it when you look into the engine.

He had one other issue with a G35 that had to be moved to that lower bolt.

I'm not going to do it to mine yet, I'm going to wait till the CEL comes back on, take the GW kit off, and then take it back into the dealer

Also, solid VDC and Slip sounds like a Throttle Position Sensor problem.
Click to expand...
 
BTW I got my U1000 before I got my grounding kit......thats how I know its not related.
 
Frankiago said:
Get rid of grounding wires in their entirety. They're useless. In fact I'd say they're less than useless, they're counter-productive if they're causing these issues.

Did you try removing all grounding wires then do the ECU-reset pedal-push procedure? Please try that first before spending any more money. I've always been and always will be against installing something like extra ground wires.

Anybody who's reading this and is thinking about adding a grounding kit, please use a multimeter to determine resistance between the two points you're going to add a ground wire BEFORE AND AFTER adding the ground wire.... somebody prove me wrong :tongue:

Lastly, check fuses? I had some funky issues with gauges and it turned out to be a fuse.
Click to expand...


I will do that and see what's happened. However, I have to get to the dealership for the SLIP and VDC problems. I started a new job on Monday and the commute is 100km round trip. So I need the car done by today :(.
 
I have checked teh battery connections and tighten those up even more with a wrench. Brake fluid was checked. Color = clear and Level = Max. Cap is tightly secured. Pads were about 80% left according to my maintenance about 2 months ago.

Deecarp said:
Have you checked your battery conections to make sure everything is secure and tight. since you checked your brake fuild just make sure nothing is open, does your break pedal feel mushy. check your pads. I'm not sure what to tell you but I'm sure some one just ran into this a few days ago that posted a thread with the same code. hopefully some else can chime in to assist.
Click to expand...
 
White_Hair....first thing I would do is go over ALL the bolts you messed with installing the kit. Maybe one is loose?

If not, Take off the whole GW kit. My dealer didn't really wanted to deal with the car with it on. Especially cause, like you I had multiple error codes going off. I think the dealer counted 6 or 7 codes.... my post has it.

If there is an error...I'm guess the GW kit somehow scrambles the ECU posting up several different codes, and the ECU doesn't know what really failed. So the dealers have no idea where to start looking. They immediately ask you to take it off, so they can narrow down the error.

G's and Z's are having failed Throttle Position Sensors (P2185). So much so, that now you can have the refurbished unit($200) installed instead of a brand new one ($440). You have to replace the whole TB...as you can't get this sensor seperately. Not saying this IS your problem, I'm no mechanic.

Good Luck....this situation SUCKS! If it was mechanical, no problem, most people can fix it....but electrical, you have no choice but to take it in to a dealer.
 
Psiclne said:
Thanks Keemo - but im starting to think people skip my posts sometimes......:tears:
But I do try to help when I can:wink:
Click to expand...

Thx Psiclne. I was searching for the TSB on infinitihelp but found nothing. I think I will call them and ask the dealer to see if there is such TSB on their system. Canadian Infiniti dealers are not really professional. They never checked their TSB list.
 
Found this on another site -


Any of the U codes refer to a loss of connectivity or transmission capabilities through one of or both of the CAN lines. These wires are not only used to perform a rationality check but it also transmits vital signal information to all the major control units to keep the car operating correctly.

While I highly doubt that that bulletin applies to your incident (it has very specific verification criteria) I would not be surprised if you have a ground issue somewhere. The fuel level sensor uses both a power/signal wire and a detectable ground wire to set a code. If there was an incomplete ground causing a variance on the signal supplied to the ECM, thus the detection logic sets the code.
Not being able to erase the DTCs means they are current. This is not a diagnosis job for a rookie, I don't know your skill level but to properly diagnose this right without potentially damaging any of the control units. If you have a warranty I would strongly recommend taking it to them. If you are interested in doing this yourself I can try to help you but it will require you disassembling many things.
As a first quick check look at your battery cables. Are they clean and tight (wiggle them clockwise and counterclockwise), if they are dirty or loose, clean and re-tighten them. Also remove the battery cover and inspect the negative cable mounting on the passenger side inner fender. If the two 10mm bolts have any rust or corrosion on them remove them and clean the mating surfaces and re-install them.
(I would think about adding a layer or spray paint or some type of protective spray to the ground point, given your location)
There are several things that may cause this but checking these simple connections you will rule out the most common cause of the CAN dtcs. Good Luck, and Happy New Year.
Click to expand...

Your symptoms are exactly what happened to mine back in November - All the lights flashed and the 3 lights stayed on......I turned it off and the CEL stayed on. I called Cheryl from Metro Infiniti and told her what happened. I dropped it off and my paperwork showed the U1000 code & that TSB. Theres someone here thats a Mod over on infinitihelp........ugh cant recall him handle.
 
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Psiclne said:
I had that same code back in November - has nothing to do with the grounding kit - theres a TSB for it.........

///57190&postcount=11

Go back and tell them they are full of it and tell them to perform the TSB
Click to expand...


They probably will not perform the TSB...he has an 03 and out of Warranty.

Frankiago is somewhat right....I disagree that the kit does nothing, Most people here with one, noticed better performance.

go through this list and if one is ok, go to the next in line.
1)Check fuses
2)Check bolts of wire kit
3)Take off the wire kit
4)Perform the ECU pedal dance, start car and go for a "spirited" drive
5)Take it to dealer again
 
New UPDATE:

On my second trip to the dealership today, the AWD light came up. So there were three solid lights (AWD, SLIP and VDC). The CEL was off. I stopped by the gas station to get a drink. After I came back and turned on my car, all the lights were gone. I was like WTF???

So drove the dealership, told them what happened. The senior mechanics did a quick scan of my car. A loose grounding wire was found (the one connected to the shock tower). According to him, due to the high quality copper grounding wires we are using, the connector is soft. So he recommended everyone who installed the grounding wires, crushed down the bolts and nuts to the bottom to ensure everything was secured.

After he crushed down all the bolts and nuts and everything was fine after that. He was going to performed the faulty ground terminal TSB, but he said the terminal was in good shape.

So, according to this experience I got, I would recommend toy4x double checked for your grounding wire connections, crush them and tighten them down. However, if the CEL is still on or come back again in a day or two, I would remove the grounding wire in the future.

I greatly appreciated everyone's input and advices. Special thanks to Pisclne, keemo, toy4x and Frankiago. :.smile:
 
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