Ignition Coils and JOBD Reader - Nissan Cima 2002

A Q45 forum / Cima forum for the President of Infiniti's lineup. Brought to you by Infiniti Parts USA, your OEM source for Q45 parts!
smoked-berries
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Dec 11, 2022 6:10 pm
Car: 2002 JDM Nissan Cima

Post

Hi guys,

Pretty new to the JDM community. I recently bought a Nissan Cima 2002 JDM with 102000 kms.
It had the check engine light on so I had it looked at by a mechanic and they mentioned the camshaft position sensor was problematic, so it was replaced and the check engine went off.
When I picked up my car and let it idle for a bit before driving off, the check engine came back on. The mechanic determined that it's probably the ignition coils and I'm wondering rather than spending ~$100 per coil for the Cima, if I can buy it's NA counterpart from rockauto.com for like $35. The engines are apparently different, the Cima having the VK45DD and the Infiniti Q45 having the VK45DE. I'm wondering if the parts are cross-compatible. I did some research on the coil part numbers and the Cima uses 22448-AR015 while the Infiniti Q45 uses 2248AR215, do you think this would cause issues if I were to buy the one used in the Q45 2002?

Also, looking for a JOBD reader here in Canada that could work for my car.

Cheers!


User avatar
VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 8294
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

Post

I very much doubt the USDM coils will give you problems provided you replace all of them. Differences in current response between coils can cause DTC's in cars from that era when you replace individual coils, especially if you use non-OE replacements. Since you're changing all of them, I'd think pretty much anything that "fits in the hole" will work fine. Since it's a DD engine, giving it a de-carboning before swapping any hardware would be a very good idea. That might be your whole issue.

smoked-berries
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Dec 11, 2022 6:10 pm
Car: 2002 JDM Nissan Cima

Post

Hi VStar650CL,

Thank you for your reply! I've never de-carboned a car before so unsure how to go about doing that by myself, especially with this import. I'll admit I'm definitely intimated by the car and the check engine light coming back on.

Just as a thought, are you 100% certain that using the coils from the NA counterpart (The Infiniti Q45 2002) will this work with my Cima if I replace all 8 of them? Here's the link to what I'm planning on buying: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... swgw%3D%3D

The fact that the interchange numbers are different from what is considered OE for my Nissan Cima makes me worried the most so I just want to double, and triple-check before I make any decisions.


Some of the most noticeable symptoms I've had with my car since the check engine light has been definitely the fuel mileage, this car granted being a 4.5L V8 just guzzles petrol like no tomorrow. Especially way higher than the estimated mileage of 10.9L/100km, so far I'm getting somewhere closer to 20L/100km, granted it is winter in Canada and temperatures drop below -20C all the time. I'm wondering if the ignition coils will do the trick. I also can sometimes smell a very weird "fuel-like" odor when my heater is on for the first minute or 2 and then it disappears, wondering if this is related.

Thank you for all the help!

User avatar
VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 8294
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

Post

Rock and Nissan NA websites won't have interchanges for a JDM part, but with items like coils or brake pads the differences are usually in manufacturing and qualifications and not how the part functions. Coils are actually "emissions" parts and the USDM version probably needs to meet different (and likely more stringent) quals than the JDM part. Everything JDM is always a crapshoot because of the dearth of documentation, so I'd never vouch 100%, but in this case 99%. For the most part, coils are coils as long as you don't mix and match them.

De-carboning is very easy, just make sure you have a spare spark plug on hand (I'll explain why momentarily). This is the method I use for my DD customers, I do it for them with every new air filter to prevent major buildup from ever occurring. Put some ATF (any kind) in a squirt can or bottle cap. Warm the engine thoroughly, then pull the brake booster hose loose and cap it with your thumb so the engine doesn't stall. Have an assistant hold the throttle at 3500~4000 RPM and put a teaspoon or so of ATF down the booster hose. That's all there is to it, the cold blanket of ATF vapor will crack the hot carbon and dislodge it, leaving your valves and piston crowns clean. In the old days before catalysts, small block Chevys and Fords could develop carbon on the backs if the intake valves so thick that a valve would stick open. The customer would arrive with a dead miss. When we hit it with ATF, quarter and dime sized chunks would come flying out the tailpipe. If the customer was watching, they'd usually turn white and mumble something like, "Holy s__t, that was in my engine??" You won't see any of that because of the cats, but the cats will burn up the dislodged carbon harmlessly. The reason for a spare spark plug is because in your case, the carbon may be equally thick. When it breaks loose, there's always a small chance that a chunk will get caught between a piston and a spark plug and bend the electrode shut. It happens rarely, but have a plug available just in case.

User avatar
Q451990
Moderator
Posts: 11473
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 8:21 am
Car: 1990 Q45 - 118K, 2022 Toyota 4 Runner, 2004 Frontier M/T - 108K, 2012 Xterra (Mom's), 2023 Rogue (Inlaws)
Location: Columbia, SC
Contact:

Post

VStar650CL wrote:
Mon Dec 12, 2022 7:22 pm
Since it's a DD engine, giving it a de-carboning before swapping any hardware would be a very good idea.
What is a "DD" engine?

User avatar
VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 8294
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

Post

Q451990 wrote:
Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:41 pm
What is a "DD" engine?
Direct injected. Nissan generally uses "DD" to indicate a GDI injection system and "DE" to indicate port injection.

smoked-berries
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Dec 11, 2022 6:10 pm
Car: 2002 JDM Nissan Cima

Post

Had my car scanned today by a mechanic and got the fault code P1320 - Primary Ignition Signal. Not sure what to do about it. Would swapping all 8 ignition coils and spark plugs do the trick of fixing it?

And thanks for all the tips with de-carboning! The mechanic I spoke to said that since I use premium there's a low chance that there's carbon build up but in the event that I did want to de-carbon the engine, it's best to not use ATF, but octane instead. Thoughts?

User avatar
VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 8294
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

Post

P1320 isn't really used anymore, but it's usually from one of three things, bad coils, bad coil grounds, or a worn out condenser on the coil power supply.

The only DD Nissans that don't get carbon are the few like the new Altimas with both GDI and port. Some are worse than others and the GDI M's are awful, even with steady premium and lead-foot driving. There are plenty of posts about it in here. Octane won't cure it, but if you want to do it gradually, a steady diet of SeaFoam, Techron, or BG in the tank will break it up. That's expensive and takes awhile. A capful of ATF every 15K or so is as cheap as it gets and works instantly.

smoked-berries
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Dec 11, 2022 6:10 pm
Car: 2002 JDM Nissan Cima

Post

Been trying to find a manual/diagram of where the condenser could be located to see if swapping that might do the trick. My next best bet is to buy the NA ignition coils and spark plugs for the Q45 and swap them out instead but that's definitely more costly.

I will also give ATF a try. What direction would you take given the code?

User avatar
VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 8294
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

Post

The code is most likely a coil issue. De-carboning is a good idea, but carbon is unlikely to cause a P1320 and de-carboning is unlikely to cure it. The condensers are usually wrapped up in the harness somewhere near the wire loop, but they can be very hard to identify and un-bury. They usually die from simple deterioration and go open-circuit, so if you can't find it, there's generally nothing wrong with splicing a new one onto the supply wire where it comes out of the IPDM.

smoked-berries
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Dec 11, 2022 6:10 pm
Car: 2002 JDM Nissan Cima

Post

Just to solve this thread for anyone else who is curious. The Q45 2002 parts fit like a glove for the Cima. The ignition coils and spark plugs replacement worked well to solve the engine code P1320.

De-carboning will be my next step to see if I can increase fuel mileage as I'm getting an absurd 25L/100kms. If anyone has tips to increase mileage let me know!


Return to “Q45 Forum / Cima Forum”