FGY33 Plenum Removal Question

[KingKarl]

Paranoidjack's great thread including photos convinced me that I could accomplish removiing the Plenum on my 1998 Q. Furthermore, comments by Max and others convinced me that it needed to be done. While in the neighborhood, I also decided to add new drive belts, coolant hoses, O2/knock sensors, sub-harness and rocker cover gaskets. I have all week and all the parts, gaskets, etc. from IOS.

I started Monday and have finished the drive belts and rear O2 sensors. But, I am obviously an idiot and really need help separating one connection on the main harness. It is the smooth, square, solid black connector underneath and to the firewall side of the throttle body. I can see no metal clip or no plastic "click" release and refuse to force the issue. (After this, the main harness is free and I have yet to break anything.)

Should I put down the tools and back slowly away from the car or is this connector yet another payback for dropping the bomb? PLEASE HELP!

[maxnix]

Wish I could remember. Look at it with a mirror and surely you will see the release. Force is not an option.

[KingKarl]

Thanks, Max...I'll take a look with better lighting. I tried tried the mirror before and there is a groove (internal tab?) on the underside, but I couldn't see well enough to determine how it works and I don't want start poking things into the connector.

[KingKarl]

Got it! there is a tab on the underside that has to be levered out, not pressed in, like most of the other connectors. Thanks again, Max.

[paranoidjack]

Hah, Karl you made me laugh.

Man do I hate that damned connection. Every time I pull the plenum it takes me at least a few minutes.

Any questions at all on the job don't hesitate to email me, it's all painfully fresh in my memory.

STUFF THE RUNNERS WITH RAGS IMMEDIATELY, god I hate reading those sad threads about "lost" articles.....

[KingKarl]

I'm not likely to ever forget the "black box." Point well taken, Jack, re blocking the runners. I have the clean shop rags ready.

By the way, thanks again for taking the time to do pics and write up and I am certain to take you up on your offer of help, if necessary. Guys like you, Max, Q45tech, etc. make this the best car board going.

[paranoidjack]

I'm not likely to ever forget the "black box." Point well taken, Jack, re blocking the runners. I have the clean shop rags ready.

By the way, thanks again for taking the time to do pics and write up and I am certain to take you up on your offer of help, if necessary. Guys like you, Max, Q45tech, etc. make this the best car board going.

Thanks Karl, glad it was of help. I wouldn't bundle me with Tech though, he's an engineer + and I'm just a backyard mechanic. But to your point, during my plenum removal, I reached out to maxnix and he was of great assistance. For anyone considering posting walkthroughs, do it - I'm convinced after the various messages I've received that it was of significant benefit to some.

Soon, I have to re-do all the suspension components (front end AE), so I'll have hopefully take more pictures of the that project as well.

[maxnix]

I myself am only a partially failed armature.

[KingKarl]

Not to brag, but I am the 2005 National Institute for the Preservation of Baling Wire Man of the Year and former technical advisor to the Red Green Show.

[elwesso]

Not to brag, but I am the 2005 National Institute for the Preservation of Baling Wire Man of the Year and former technical advisor to the Red Green Show.

[KingKarl]

The job is done and the result is very gratifying. KingKarl runs so very smoothly...idles at 675, accelerates effortlessly and shifts like glass. The next project will probably be a new starter motor and/or fly wheel because, as Paranoid Jack mentioned, I really have trouble telling if it is running or not.

I can't thank the people on this board enough, especially Jack who invited me to PM him and was gracious even when I asked questions like "Should I use a butane torch to loosen up those stubborn fuel lines?" and "Will a little sulfuric acid help me disconnect that square, black connector under the throttle body?"

Well-done, Jack. You talked me down. Every bracket in place, all of the plastic ties in one piece and holding sub-harnesses where they should be. No parts, left over, no 10 mm bolts or fiber washers down the intake pathways. No fuel, air, coolant or oil leaks and no CEL light. I only had to do it once thanks to you and your pictures.

[paranoidjack]

Great job Karl. Glad to be of assistance.

Amazing what the internet does nowadays - 15 years ago, you would be out thousands unless you knew a friend familiar with q45's!

Don't forget the most important part - call Infiniti and get a written quote on what it would cost to have them do it, so you can put it on the wall and smile at it every day.

:P

[KingKarl]

Thanks, Jack. I am honored to be included among those who have "gone beneath the plenum." Sincere words of caution to those who might wish to lose their "plenum cherry."

1.) ALL PARTS MUST BE INFINITI OEM. No exception! 2.) New hoses (vacuum, fuel) OEM. 3.) New OEM Gaskets: FSM as to how they are installed.3.) New OEM hose clamps4.) Send Paranoid Jack $400 for services he will kindly render.

Max...please feel free to add to this list.

[maxnix]

That's pretty much it. Read the FSM, look 2 or 3 times before you dive in, take lots of pictures with a real camera and focus, take notes as you go, and clean everything and every surface.

Cleaning before removing valve covers and such will help prevent rocks falling into the valve train.
Modified by maxnix at 6:53 PM 1/9/2010

[KingKarl]

Great advice, Max. After studying my hard copy FSM (and using the online FSM to print some pages out, including those that had bolt tightening patterns and torque specs) and printing out Paranoid Jack's thread with pics, I made a step-wise check list to follow for tear down and build up. This kept me focused on doing one thing at a time.

Also, the cleaning...how could I neglect to mention the cleaning. I tried to do as much "outside cleaning" as possible before I took anything apart or off, protecting the internals (runners, ports, electrical connections, etc. as I went. The stuff I found on the casted surfaces on top of the engine block between the heads was amazing. I slowly ran a magnet around and found a #7 bolt and a hose clamp that must have been dropped when the car was built, and an old metal/rubber engine cover gromet.

Although I never drive on unpaved roads and my car is garage-kept at home, I found a load of sand here in the compartments made by the casted superstructure of the block. I very carefully vacuumed it out using a length of 3/8 inch ID rubber hose taped to a car vac attachment. Last Monday , I had a really serious talk with the grounds crew supervisor where I work about using leaf blowers and weed eaters around parked automobiles, especially mine.

Lastly, before and after an hour-long test drive, I spent a total of about 3 hours with lights and mirrors looking for poorly installed clamps, loose nuts and bolts, coolant, fuel and oil leaks and/or anything else that seemed out of place or looked unfinished.

Thanks again, all. After driving the Q this weekend, I can say without reservation that it was all worth it. And, I now know the secret of the "Black Box."

[NightRiderQ45]

kudos!!!!!! I think that you are the only one who has done this without any issues on the first time around. You are better than I since I will not try to do this with my car. I'm about to be at 218k and it's still running soundly...without the coil pack stumble too!

[KingKarl]

Nice of you to say NightRider but I would bet there are a few on here that could do the job blindfolded. The real credit for the "one and done" goes to ParanoidJack. His write-up and pics were a huge help. Plus, he had the stones to confess is mistakes after gremlins appeared and posted what he did to set things right. There is no doubt that going to school on his experiences kept me from a number of do-overs.

Jack also gives a ton of credit to Maxnix for his help and so do I. Max has very high "do it right" standards and I have a great appreciation for that.

[NightRiderQ45]

Yeah, you're right...there are a lot of guys here than can do it, but I think you are the 1st (to my knowledge) that completed this with no problems afterwards. Do a search, you will see. That's why I've always been scared to tackle this...and really don't plan to lol.

[KingKarl]

To be honest, that's exactly what I did, starting back in June. I searched and read and kept notes. The "search" resource is another reason why this board is tops. Each thread I found offered something "to do" and/or "not to do" that was useful.

Another benefit I had, that most DIYers don't, was time. I had the luxury of the week off between the Christmas and New Year holidays. My wife (the Iron Swede) and daughter (the Tin Swede) allowed me to clear the deck so that I had no obligations, family, social or otherwise. They even complied when I designated the garage an Al Bundy "No Ma'am Zone."

Even after 6 months of planning, I fully admit there was a time when I looked around the garage and thought, "OMG, what have I done?" I can tell you this, the experience has given me a new-found respect for those Infiniti Techs who do this for a living. I think the labor time for replacing knock sensors is rated at 3.5 hours. At $85/hour, that is a flat steal in my book. Honestly, considering all of the prep time I invested, the job took me more that 3.5 weeks but I'm greatly relieved that I didn't have to suffer the humiliation of hauling the Q to T3 with a trunk full of parts.

All in all, I love the work, as long as I have enough time, IOS for OEM parts, the right tools and the help of NICO board members.