MT Gear Position

Forum for the Xterra, Frontier and Hardbody, the smaller workhorses of the Nissan lineup!
dmtaurus
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Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2020 2:47 pm
Car: 2014 Frontier

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I have a simple Foxwell scanner and I kind of doubt it has the abilities to perform those functions, but I'll hook it to the truck and see if it gives anything. But the question is, how can this be fixed?


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VStar650CL
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2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

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First thing I would suggest is have the dealer upload the ABS part number and check it against DPC, it's possible somebody replaced it at some time and it has the wrong firmware. It could also have tinkered firmware, as I mentioned earlier. The fix for both of those is to have the dealer perform a "new unit repro" on it just like the ECM.

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VStar650CL
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Come to think of it, have them check DPC on the Combination Meter part number as well. If someone swapped it for a used unit with the wrong p/n, weird things could happen. I'm not sure what weird things, but it's a plausible cause.

dmtaurus
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What is a DPC? How long would it take to program the ABS? Each hour is $135.00.

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VStar650CL
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DPC is the Nissan parts system, used to be called FAST. The ABS's are quick to repro. No more than half an hour, and the only calibrations needed are the Steering Angle sensor and G-sensor, those both take under a minute.

dmtaurus
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Car: 2014 Frontier

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The saga continues.

My son took it to back to the same Nissan dealer because now the ABS and the slip lights are lit. But the traction control is not illuminated. So, the dealer said that the left rear sensor was bad (wire flexing was causing an intermittent signal) at the housing entrance where the bolt is, and they wanted $400 for the sensor and $200 to install, which he said "no". So, instead he ordered a left rear sensor for a manual trans truck, and to his surprise it did not fit; it was 1/2" longer and and had one mounting bolt. It appears that someone changed the rear or the factory did a swap. So, he is buying an auto trans equipped truck sensor and putting that in. Could the fact that the axle could have been changed out be the cruise control problem all along? I tend to think not since they all work on the same premise. Now he said the ABS light is always on. Also, when driving down the road he could feel a momentary brake pulse like the brake was lightly touched. That lasted for several weeks but has now gone away. What next to do? I included pictures of the sensors.
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VStar650CL
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Maybe the truck even used to be an A/T, hmmmm. Most Nissans have a set-speed limitation for the cruise, but it's very high. So yes, if they geared the rear way down, that could explain it.

You can find out if they changed the whole tranny by plugging the VIN into NissanPartsDeal and see what vehicle description they give you.

dmtaurus
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I've checked that site, and the official Nissan parts site, before and the description from both are:

King Cab; 4 Cyl 2.5L; Federal; Rear-Wheel Drive; S; 5-Speed Manual

Does it matter to the ECU and abs module if it's a manual rear axle or an automatic rear axle?

Question 2; is there a casting number or serial number on the rear differential to identify either an axle assembly for the auto trans or manual trans? When the truck was bought it really appeared to be unmolested.

To me it doesn't make sense that abs sensors would be different between an auto trans or manual trans equipped truck.

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VStar650CL
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dmtaurus wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 3:19 am
To me it doesn't make sense that abs sensors would be different between an auto trans or manual trans equipped truck.
That does seem a little weird. Did NPD list more than one part number for the ABS sensor for that MY? Maybe it's just a mis-identified part.

dmtaurus
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No separate part numbers.

Can you answer my first question and second questions, last post?

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VStar650CL
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The ABS will almost certainly have different firmware for an M/T versus A/T, but that's because the M/T has no VSS. Lacking one, if the tire sizes are all the same, then I don't see how or why the ABS would care about the rear end ratio.

Dunno for sure about the rear, but if there any numbers I've never noticed them.

dmtaurus
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Some of what I discovered tonight is now making some sense.

First, from what I could see the rear end was factory installed and never changed out. But now, after seeing what ABS sensor style is in the rear end, I am certain that at some point in the past the rear axle was changed out. Why? I don't have a clue, given this truck is in good condition and is unmolested.

Second, the axle ratio seems to be more like its for an auto trans equipped truck, not a manual trans truck. Spinning the rear wheels and counting the revolutions on the pinion, and doing a search for what ratios came in auto trans trucks, I think the ratio is about 3.71 to 1. Maybe that explains why the cruise control is messed up; the ABS wheel signal counts and the engine speed sensor info that is sent to the ECU is causing errors and not making sense to the ECU when shifted into 5th. Sounds plausible.

What I want to now know is if I tell the dealer the VIN can they tell me what rear axle ratio came with the truck. I tried to pin this down on the Nissan parts site but it doesn't tell me the specs.

I changed the bad ABS sensor in the rear (auto trans equipped truck style) and the ABS light went out on the gauge cluster.

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VStar650CL
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I don't think they can tell you the ratio from the VIN, but they can tell you the p/n's for the original pinion and rings. Then you can find pics and count teeth. I know there are about 5~6 different ratios that work in the C200 and I think 4 in the M226.

Bigcam
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Car: 94 D21

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If you put your VIN into partsouq.com you should be able to see what the ratio of the original diff was.
Also the model plate should have the transmission/ diff code.
FS5W71C / FS5R30A transmission
CA39 (C200 3.9 ratio)
CA41 (C200 4.11 ratio)

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Niti QX4
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Car: 2004 Nissan Xterra

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Bigcam wrote:
Fri Sep 03, 2021 2:46 am
If you put your VIN into partsouq.com you should be able to see what the ratio of the original diff was.
Also the model plate should have the transmission/ diff code.
FS5W71C / FS5R30A transmission
CA39 (C200 3.9 ratio)
CA41 (C200 4.11 ratio)
Thanks for the info on the site you listed! That's really cool and I haven't seen one like this here in the US.


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