Adaptive Cruise Control Bypass

[whitediamond642]

I need the help of any and all M owners on this one.

I have a 2007 M35X Tech. My Adaptive Cruise control sensor went out and I want to be able to use cruise control without having to shell out $2k for a new or $1k for a used sensor plus installation and alignment.

To me, putting such a delicate piece on the front end of our cars and not having an alternative if the lens gets chipped, cracked, scratched or whatever is a severe oversight by Infiniti. I want to find a way around it because I know there are a lot of others in my same boat.

It seems to me there are two main ways to go about this, but I would like input from others on which I should try first.

1. Trick the system into either thinking there is a sensor and it's working properly or that there is a sensor so I can at least put the cruise into non ICC mode.

2. Purchase a non-adaptive cruise ECU and go from there.

Number 1 is my preferred method, but I definitely don't want to do something that will mess with all the electronic gizmo-ry in this beast. If I understand the wiring diagram in the FSM correctly, there are 5 wires going into the ICC sensor, 1 power, 1 ground, 1 to the ICC Brake Hold Relay, and 2 (for lack of a better term) "data wires" that are connected to the ECU, transmission Control Module (TCM), ABS actuator, Body Control Module (BCM), Unified Meter, Intelligent Power Distribution Module (IPDM) and finally the CAN system (whew!).

The two data wires are obviously where all the magic happens. They are listed as CAN-H and CAN-L. I can only assume that there is either a constant or oscillating signal that comes from one of the wires and goes through all of the systems they are attached to and then goes back to the ICC sensor.

The million dollar question is, what kind of signal would I need to provide in order to simulate the ICC and how could I do it? This is where I need some help from someone who is smarter than me because I don't know where to begin other than to rip open my current [broken] sensor and attempt to make heads or tails out of it.

As for option 2, I'm really leaning this direction because it seems simpler, but I'm afraid of the byproducts of such a replacement. I know I would have to have a key that was coded to the new ECU's immobilizer to test it out, but I don't know what I can expect as far as the rest of my Tech package's functionality. I would also need to get an ECU that is close to my car's mileage, but I would think the dealer could adjust that for me for a small f[ortune]ee.

I'm pretty sure that the Adaptive Cruise came on the Tech Package along with other features like Nav, LDW, Adaptive lighting, etc. Some I could live without. Others I could not (Nav, bluetooth, etc.). Off the top of my head, I'm not sure what all the Tech package included, so I'll need to look that up before I pull the trigger on the ECU fix.

This ended up being quite long, so I hope you made it this far. If anyone has any ideas, I'm willing to give them a try. I just would like a little help on this front.

Thanks in advance.

[mexillis]

there's a normal cruise control already built in. Just hold down the cruise button until the icc range goes away and then press set to the speed you want.

[mazz]

what mexillis said is 100 percent correct.
when adaptive cruise gets messed up ,rain, sun, snow, mud ,i just switch over to regular.

[whitediamond642]

What you both say is correct. However, if your ICC is not working due to an internal fault, as mine is, then the amber "Cruise" light is illuminated at all times.

Currently, my ICC is not plugged in because of an internal short from a large rock hitting it. The short caused the ICC Brake Override relay to be activated at all times, thus the brakes are always "on". Because of the safety features built into the car to not be able to hold the brake and gas simultaneously (and for obvious driveability issues with the brake lights on at all times), I was forced to unplug the ICC to get around this issue.

The result is a car without any form of cruise, but a useable vehicle otherwise.

A replacement ICC is what I really need unless I can find a way around it, which is the entire point of this thread.

I already know about the built-in bypass, but if your ICC doesn't work at all, that's not an option.

Does anyone have any other advice? I know I can't be alone on this one.

[whitediamond642]

After looking it up, I found there is a difference between the Technology Package and Advanced Technology Package, which I did not know. The Advanced is the package that comes with the Adaptive Cruise. It also adds the extra 6 speakers, the 5.1 surround, DVD, Collision Warning System and Brake Assist with Preview.

I belive the 5.1 channel surround, extra speakers and DVD will work independently of the ECU, so the only things that I might be in danger of losing were I to swap ECUs would be the Collision Warning System (LDW?) and the Brake Assist with Preview, which I belive is part of the Adaptive Cruise.

I could live without those, so right now if I don't find an obvious solution to tricking the system, I'm probably going to order a new ECU with key, which I think I can get from a salvage yard for around $300. It's not as cheap as some wiring bits to trick the system, but it's not $2500 in a sensor and alignment.

Does anyone have any advice on this? I was thinking I wasn't the only one in this situation, but I'm starting to think that everyone else just shelled out the bucks or didn't have a sensor that was as far gone as mine.

Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

[The00Dustin]

I'm not going to pretend I know what's going on here, but if there are 5 wires and the FSM indicates which one is the brake hold and you believe that one is shorted in the sensor, why not just cut it? I assume it is open when the sensor is disconnected, but obviously test that first. I also assume you can and will be working on this yourself, so after confiring it is open and cutting it, you can solder it back if you need to. If either of those assumptions is wrong, you probably sohuldn't cut it.

[whitediamond642]

Thanks for the advice. That is going to be my first plan of action when I get into it. If I would have known from the outset how expensive the proper fix was going to be, I would have tried that when I had the bumper off the first time.

I'm going to cut wire to the brake hold relay and see if that changes things when plugged in. I'm planning on doing it this week becuase I'm taking the bumper off anyway to upgrade the foglights to HID. If that's all it takes to get this thing fixed, I'll be ecstatic.

According to the FSM, the two data wires eventually hook into the OBD2 data link connector at terminals 6 and 14, so I'll be able to measure the voltage of them from there to get an idea of what kind of voltage they put out from my current sensor's state as well as whether that changes when I cut the brake relay wire.

If anyone is willing to give it a try, I would really like to know what the voltage is on a system that is working correctly. If you have an OBD2 diagnostic cable, it shouldn't be that hard to plug it in and test the reading off of those two terminals.

Keep in mind that I'm in this position now, but this could happen to anyone who is unlucky enough to catch a rock in their sensor or anything else that takes it out. It's at that point that this thread will become relevant to whoever doesn't want to spend that kind of money for a new sensor.

Let me know if anyone is willing to help out on the voltage of the wires, and I can walk you through it.

[The00Dustin]

<snip>If anyone is willing to give it a try, I would really like to know what the voltage is on a system that is working correctly. If you have an OBD2 diagnostic cable, it shouldn't be that hard to plug it in and test the reading off of those two terminals.

<snip>

Let me know if anyone is willing to help out on the voltage of the wires, and I can walk you through it.

Does it really take an OBD2 diag cable, or could it be checked with just a multimeter?

[whitediamond642]

Sorry, I wasn't very clear on that.

I want to check the voltage the easiet way possible with a DVOM (Multimeter) without unplugging anything. To me the easiest way to do that it to take an OBD2 Data cable and plug it into the port and then probe the matching pins.

You are correct, though. All anyone would really need is a DVOM.

I'm just not a fan of working under the steering wheel unless I absolutely have to.

[The00Dustin]

My OBDII coector doesn't have pin numbers on it. Hoping to find a diagram showing the pin numbers against the connector, I went here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBDII#OBD-II
According to a pin-out there, those two pins connect to the CAN per ISO 15765-4 and SAE-J2284. I didn't look up the specifications, but I assume that means they are serial data communication pins. IOW, they won't have a specific voltage, and aren't connected directly to the ICC sensor (CAN stands for car area network or something). So you won't be able to fake what those are supposed to do (1s and 0s for communication, most likely at 12V and 0 or 12V and -12V). If cutting (or otherwise disabling the short in) the connection to the brake relay doesn't allow you to turn on cruise (while holding the button to skip ICC b/c once an error comes on a reboot is necessarturn it off), you are probably SOL on the making it work without a new/used sensor (at least I wouldn't want to try to replace the ECU and hope it worked). Good luck.

[whitediamond642]

Thanks for the info. I'm pulling the bumper back off this weekend to do everything, so I'll know pretty quickly if cutting the brake override relay does the trick. I'm really hoping so. BTW, the harness pinouts are at the bottom of the wiring diagrams in the FSM.

If it doesn't, I'm afraid you're right about being screwed. The ECU is my next attempt, but I'm not very excited about throwing $300 at if I don't know whether or not it will work. I'll also have to get all my keyes reprogrammed at the stealership as well for an additional $65.

I'll keep you updated. Thanks again for all the help.

[The00Dustin]

The ECU is my next attempt, but I'm not very excited about throwing $300 at if I don't know whether or not it will work.

Any chance of finding an ICC unit at a junkyard (or online parting-out used parts place)? Maybe it wouldn't be any more $$$ than an ECU, and certainly easier / more likely to work.

[whitediamond642]

I tried that after I went to the stealership. The best I could find for one from a junk yard (if they even had one, because 90% didn't) was $900-$1000. Most of those had no warranty either since it's electrical.

That option will be the last in the list after cutting the wire or trying a new ECU.

Thanks for the suggestion. If you happen upon a junkyard with one for cheaper than I've seen, please let me know (or buy it for yourself for the future, if you have Adaptive Cruise).

[vfd272]

For whitediamond642: I realize this post is very old but I'm desperate. I have a 2006 M35X with the amber Cruise warning light coming on whenever I turn the cruise control on. I suspect the ICC may be faulty. I can't change to "normal" cruise or SET my speed. Did you find a way to bypass the ICC sensor or did you end up with a new ECU?