Getting Sporatic Power Losses W/Mad Max

[Q45CALIBER]

Put on my new RB ECU...thanks Robert. and decided to go for a ride....

I have not had this problem before but I seem to be losing power with my new ECU. My car actually stalled after a run on the expressway on the NICO stage 2 setting. I did not even puch that hard...i hit maybe 100 once. I did notice that the car got up to 100 faster and with less effort than normal At points when i go to accelerate where the car just drops power almost like stalling out.

Scared the !@#$% out of me the car just shut off and would not restart.... I had to gas it and slam it in to gear (my poor transmission) because i was blocking traffic on a exit ramp.

I stoped using that program and put the setting on JDM because I was getting it on all except that one. What could be causing this. I have a stock air filter and housing; new gas filter, 8 month old fuel pump. No injector problems. Anybody....

[Q45tech]

What is your knock count [determined from real time Consult observation of ignition advance]............hopefully you are not trying with Ethanolized Gasoline?

Add 2 gallons of racing gasoline and determine if there is any change?

Probably something else but I have always wondered how protective the KS circuitry really is at worst case.

[CrimsonQ]

I would have kept this post off the boards.

[Q45tech]

Why? Other than his lame obviously promotional signature. which we [all] seem to accept as de rigour here. Everybody needs to make a living.Few things get edited, they may get a comment or two.

I assume everyone is telling it as they see it, as long as their mouth doesn't need soaping out.

[Because we have other than Americans reading these posts and their sensiblities maybe less hardened than ours.]

[CrimsonQ]

To me it portrays negative imagery on Roberts work. Great he has a f'd up car. The post title is bad IMO and in the wrong section where it might be taken differently. Maybe Im just a grump? lol!!

If I was considering buying an ecu from Robert (which I have) and I saw this post it might turn me off on it, thats all.

Bet it has old KS, which I recall WEs saying "dont buy this ecu if you have bad KS!
Modified by CrimsonQ at 4:15 PM 4/21/2006

[Q45tech]

Why people should be made to pass a written test before you allow them to buy your product.

The JWT price was designed to keep the unknowlegable out, not a mass market price as Robert is offering!

One would assume the engine is in the best shape possible before thinking of an ecu upgrade.

[BlackBirdVQ]

Nissan knock strattegy works wonders sometimes. In a instant where the engine is knocking beyond the ECUs capability to retard the timing- the engine will shut down and will be very hard to restart. All Pre OBDII Nissan ECCS systems have this function buit in for safety. Having put engines in tons of older Nissans I can tell you that this works on all of them- no matter if its a Q or a Sentra. My brothers G20 knocked so bad (rod knock when we bought it) that it did exacly this- shut down and wouldn't allow the engine to run.

Hopefully all you got is some cheap gas that caused you to detonate hard core. I am going to order my NICO ECU this week also but I have no problems with my engine, its like new mechanically and electrically.

[Q45tech]

"Hopefully all you got is some cheap gas that caused you to detonate hard core"

I'm afraid of overly advanced initial timing and that our current BEST premium blends might all be considered cheap gas .

The last test I did showed a 3 degree retard [from a 58F test an hour earlier] at 5,800-7000 rpm at 70F with QT premium with my Dinan program.

Air flow/MAF within 0.02 volts and injector times within 0.1 millisec coolant temp identical just the air temp was different...........this is the fuel octane air temp sensitivity at work......so called drivability index.

We will have to see what the change in Reid Vapor Point [Summer Gas brings] May 1. Using winter gas in warm conditions boils off the volatile high octane components.

[maxnix]

Other than his lame obviously promotional signature. which we [all] seem to accept as de rigour here.

Have had signtures deleted for over two years in my customized view. Same repetitive graphics and useless information, especially by newer members from other boards.

Anyway, the point is if everytihing else on your car is not pluperfect, the performance ECU maps will show it. Secondly, like Wes said, there isn't that much difference between the standard and the all out KS ignored map. Just more likelyhood of damage if all else is not in a perfect state of maintenance.

Roadside assistance and towing insurance are cheap.

[PopPop]

I love to listen to everyone's opinions on Nico and you are suppose to let members know of the positive and negative things of anything having to do with the G50! Just because one members say's something NEG. or POS. it might not hold true to the next member! Some people like ECU up grades, some say it was worth the money, and others will tell you otherwise! It will depend on your up keep of your Q and what other MOD's you have done what type of positive or negative feedback you will get from people! Personally I love it and would recommend it for the best up grade for the money. Besides if you have an issue Robert is more than willing to look it over for you!

[Q45tech]

IMPORTANT that members be educated on ecu and how updates work and a real understanding of ignition advance vs AF ratio vs the fuels available to them.

The multimode [different maps] is the best thing since sliced bread.

No longer does one size have to fit all [JWT/Dinan old] stock program and increments upward are great..............diagnose with oem.

Spend the money to have a instant program CHOICE.

[PopPop]

and you should still always keep spare ECU on hand!

[elwesso]

When we first started the ECU project we were thinking about having a screening for any Q that wanted anything more advanced than our standard program.. We decided that wasnt really necessary and I figured most people that would have an ECU would hopefully have their car up to spec...

One of the first things Robert told me that is if your Q is not in great shape with good KS and things like that the ECU wont do much because its just gonna stay in the knock mode...

FIRST THING YOU MUST REALIZE IS THAT the ECU is not at fault. At all. its not, seriously. Its your lack of maintainance on the car, simply stated!

On the mad max program if I recall correctly, the KS are completely ignored... This is why its called MAD MAX. its not to be used all the time! I have a specal program on mine that is the more advanced program, with the stock 4th gear maps for better fuel mileage (possibly) and moreover to prevent that partial throttle knock you can get while cruising at high temps with the AC on.... I think this is how the early versions were but we may now have put the stock knock maps in. IN our basic programs our knock programs are stock.....

[Q45CALIBER]

I would have kept this post off the boards.

Lets be clear here I have being giving Robert props and will continue to still give him props. I am still happy with my ECU. My objective was to find out if it is my gas or something on my car that I need to get up to spec or improve in order to benifit from the new programing. I stay in the post and follow the advise of those I respect one NICO.

I happen to use gas that had 10% ethanol (Shell) so that might have been the problem. But until I determine exactly what it is, I will ask. Maybe I should have just asked Robert.

Why? Other than his lame obviously promotional signature. which we [all] seem to accept as de rigour here. Everybody needs to make a living.Few things get edited, they may get a comment or two.

I assume everyone is telling it as they see it, as long as their mouth doesn't need soaping out.

[Because we have other than Americans reading these posts and their sensiblities maybe less hardened than ours.]

Q45tech-- keep your comments to your self....Once again if you dont have anything positive to say keep it to your self

How I advertise my business or any other venture is what it is. I am in the Real Estate field so I advertise on different levels in differnt places.

I dont here anyone saying anything when you spout your technical jargon and at the end plug level ten. Thats your business and it is what it is. Your opinion is meaning less at this point. Just do what you do good and state facts.... Leave common sense to others.

To me it portrays negative imagery on Roberts work. Great he has a f'd up car. The post title is bad IMO and in the wrong section where it might be taken differently. Maybe Im just a grump? lol!!

If I was considering buying an ecu from Robert (which I have) and I saw this post it might turn me off on it, thats all.

Bet it has old KS, which I recall WEs saying "dont buy this ecu if you have bad KS!

Modified by CrimsonQ at 4:15 PM 4/21/2006

All I was did was state exactly what was going on with my car.... It Roberts product is good it will have to deal with critisizm like anything else. And I am not even critising I am just trying to acertain what I am expericing.

I have replaced...KS-7 months oldFuel Filter-3 weeks old-(stock air box with removed piping)Fuel Pump-7 months oldMAF Senser-3 months oldAir Filter-3 weeks oldThermostat-4 months oldWater Pump-4 months oldIAC Valve-2 months oldThe Cats were gutted last week. Tune up-NKG Platnium plugs, new PCI valve.Valve Cover replaced.After replacing a damage in manifold which caused the car to take in too much air the car was checked to make sure there was a no vacum leaks( This was when I cleaned and then ended up replacing the IAC valve.And that is just engine wise......

So sorry Crimison you lost that bet buddy!!!! I will put my car up to yours body and mechanically any day!!!

This freaking post just rubbed me the wrong way.


Modified by Q45CALIBER at 10:39 PM 4/22/2006

[elwesso]

Clean that post up or I will!

[Q45CALIBER]

Clean that post up or I will!

yeah ok! clean enough for you Wes??
Modified by Q45CALIBER at 10:40 PM 4/22/2006

[Q45CALIBER]

Once agian I maintain my car better than alot of people with Q45s. So before using that as a means to knock my question takw look again.

I have replaced...KS-7 months oldFuel Filter-3 weeks old-(stock air box with removed piping)Fuel Pump-7 months oldMAF Senser-3 months oldAir Filter-3 weeks oldThermostat-4 months oldWater Pump-4 months oldIAC Valve-2 months oldThe Cats were gutted last week. Tune up-NKG Platnium plugs, new PCI valve.After replacing a damage in manifold which caused the car to take in too much air the car was checked to make sure there was a no vacum leaks( This was when I cleaned and then ended up replacing the IAC valve.

[elwesso]

Sigh.. Compared to other forums (on NICO) and other ofrums on the net, the Q45 forum is pretty lightly moderated... I dont get too upset...

This thread is pretty close to going bye bye and then we can try it again... maybe we can turn it around into a decent thread and then we can clean it up sometime else.....

one thing i dont about squibbles like this is they really look crappy when people come back and read the posts at a later date... I've deleted a lot of posts that you'd never know so that people dont have to deal with this!

OK... So now that we got that little squibble out of our system, lets get this tread back on topic.....

You have maintained your Q pretty good and and I think people tend to err on the side of convservatism.... You have to admit most people dont maintain the Q as they should be...

at this point, id like to attribute it to gas..... You said that no other programs would let the car start other than the JDM program.

One thing you need to do is whenever the car stalls is turn the car off so that the ECU loses power... like 4-5 seconds should do it.. I know in this case you may not have had that time.. THis in essence makes the ECU forget about the stall and lets it sort of recover from itself...

Generally if the ECU is bad it will cause really goofy problems... POSSIBLY this could be related to a problem at the ECU harness... sorta like the problem I had.

[CrimsonQ]

Sorry I wasnt bashing you bro!

I take back any bad comments, guess I had a bad day.

Sorry on my behalf

[Q45CALIBER]

Well I paniced at that point when it would not start. But for the record the car works in all modes. It just loses power on and off occasionally. I need to find a place to get good gas...

Crimson- I guess I have been s thru some much trying to get my car together I get alittle sensitive about it. Squash my statements. Just got fustrated.

[RobertsnewQ]

I'll be the first to say that there IS the possibility of a bad solder joint or flakey chip. Like I've said before I do these one at a time and do all the QC, etc. myself. There is always the possibility of a failure.

Does the engine stumble while idling?

If it DOES, does the CEL come on?

That would indicate something wrong with the eeprom or soldering.

Please don't drive with the ECU if you're at all suspicious of it. Swap in your spare and send it back ASAP so I can check it.

That goes for anyone else. I'm happy to provide 100% support after you get an ECU, and if you have trouble please send it back as soon as there is an issue.

And don't feel bad about bringing this stuff up in public. I need the feedback and I would rather have people knowing what's up than try to hide any issues.

Just think how bad you would feel if you just spent $600 on it!

[sijoko]

I say this from experience. Once you begin to modify for performance, you cannot have too much information as to what is going on with the car.

That is why I suggested for you to get a hold of some type of Consult interface so that you can see what is going on. I wish there was an easy way to monitor Knock Sensor activity, then you could see if the problem is a result of detonation.

Maybe the problem could be a bad tank of gas or a partially clogged fuel filter.

Maybe the car is running hot, which can only be seen with a scanner since the temp gauge in the dash doesn't move past the middle until coolant temps are above 235 deg.

There are a lot of variables to consider.

The ECU program that you have is aggressive. As a result, the little things that weren't a concern before are now causing problems.

[maxnix]

Q45tech-- keep your comments to your self....Once again if you dont have anything positive to say keep it to your self

How I advertise my business or any other venture is what it is. I am in the Real Estate field so I advertise on different levels in differnt places.

Your opinions are not shared by any long time board members. Grow up or leave.

I doubt sincerely anyone in the "real estate business" with your "command" of English could rise above janitor. Having been active on the transactional side of the real estate business for 32 years, I know what it takes to merely survive, let alone succeed. Ignorant bravado does not impress anyone on this board.

[Jesda]

The key to making good scrambled eggs is low heat and a splash of milk. Patience helps too.

[Q45tech]

Noted you replaced your fuel pump 7 months ago. Did you examine the FPCU socket and inside circuit board?

Some times there is a failure in just the high voltage mode .........where idle and cruise are fine, then ocassionally at high load or WOT the voltage to pump become intermitent, Grop outs that come and go and heal when the load drops.

Short of swapping the FPCU, you have to look or listen [audio amp] to the frequency generated by pump rotation. The pump draws current in almost sine wave fashion so the higher the voltage the higher the pitch.

Use a capacitor to pass the audio and block dc on the pump fuse or between pump and FPCU.

[Q45tech]

With 8 commutators in the pump, the rpm gets divide by 60 and then multiplied by 8 to equal frequency of audio tone generated.

4500 rpm/60 x 8= 600 Hz.

Much like the sound the induction/exhaust system creates except on V8 there 4 cycles per rpm.

4500 rpm/60 x 4= 300 Hz

Ear/brain can be pretty sensitive [if you remove the other distracting sounds].

Anyway just another method if you don't have oscilloscope. Some upscale VOM have a frequency counter built in.

[PopPop]

Tech is right about FPCU bad or aging FP will cause FPCU to go bad!

[Q45CALIBER]

I doubt sincerely anyone in the "real estate business" with your "command" of English could rise above janitor. Having been active on the transactional side of the real estate business for 32 years, I know what it takes to merely survive, let alone succeed. Ignorant bravado does not impress anyone on this board.

I am not interested in your experience maxnix. Since I don’t know you I would not make assumptions. I live in New York and I work hard and can live and do better than just survive here or anywhere else. Still that is meaningless because: 1) I am not interested in make a impression about what I do: 2) I like to concentrate on the facts which is not how I make a living. My objective was to find out what was going on with my car, and add my personal experience. Not to find out how you or anyone feels about my signature or my profession. For the most part I am cordial to everyone on this board and will remain to be.

When a post delineates from the actually topic, and comments that are negative are made this is what happens. Stay focused maxnix. Keep you comments that are nasty to your self unless you feel you have a legitimate bone to pick and that can be handled off of the forums in and in person with out a problem. I would hope that were above that.

Noted you replaced your fuel pump 7 months ago. Did you examine the FPCU socket and inside circuit board?

Some times there is a failure in just the high voltage mode .........where idle and cruise are fine, then ocassionally at high load or WOT the voltage to pump become intermitent, Grop outs that come and go and heal when the load drops.

Short of swapping the FPCU, you have to look or listen [audio amp] to the frequency generated by pump rotation. The pump draws current in almost sine wave fashion so the higher the voltage the higher the pitch.

Use a capacitor to pass the audio and block dc on the pump fuse or between pump and FPCU.

A local guy told me something along the same lines. We are going to check it out tonight.

Does the engine stumble while idling?QUOTE]

Robert sorry about the crazy stuff. I never intended for my post to get negative. The engine does stubble but not consistantly. No CEL comes on. I am going to keep the ECU for now. I am going to repair what I beleive is a exhaust leak check the fuel pump computer maybe swap, and get some better gas in the car. I will let you know the outcome.

[Q45tech]

Should have continued with my thought: With any of the 3 voltages supplied to the pump the rpm [and thus the audio frequency] is a function of suction resistance and back pressure and some short time to accelerate to that new rpm.

Even though the highest injector flow per time period [injectors open time is longest] occurs at torque peak rpm, the engine rpm rise continues until redline thus the used fuel climbs higher and higher in amount per time period.

An ammeter with a shunt at/in the fuse location could provide valuable information............the problem is an ammeter is more an averaging instrument and you could not differentiate mildly bad/failing individual commutators...............the change in audio tone would be more sensitive.

[jamesmost]

I am not interested in your experience maxnix. Since I don’t know you I would not make assumptions. I live in New York and I work hard and can live and do better than just survive here or anywhere else. Still that is meaningless because: 1) I am not interested in make a impression about what I do: 2) I like to concentrate on the facts which is not how I make a living. My objective was to find out what was going on with my car, and add my personal experience. Not to find out how you or anyone feels about my signature or my profession. For the most part I am cordial to everyone on this board and will remain to be.

When a post delineates from the actually topic, and comments that are negative are made this is what happens. Stay focused maxnix. Keep you comments that are nasty to your self unless you feel you have a legitimate bone to pick and that can be handled off of the forums in and in person with out a problem. I would hope that were above that.

A local guy told me something along the same lines. We are going to check it out tonight.

Does the engine stumble while idling?QUOTE]

Robert sorry about the crazy stuff. I never intended for my post to get negative. The engine does stubble but not consistantly. No CEL comes on. I am going to keep the ECU for now. I am going to repair what I beleive is a exhaust leak check the fuel pump computer maybe swap, and get some better gas in the car. I will let you know the outcome.

If u want to borrow I have a Low Milege FPCU u can try out for a few days.BTY the day i had a broblem with pinging was from a bad tank of gas from SHELL i topped it off w/ 3/4 tank of exxon and have not had the since.jamesJames