Q45/Y33 Active Suspension

[coldturkey]

Hi all,
I have searched this to the death but there really is limited information out there.

I have a Y33 Cima (Japanese import) that has the Hydraulic Active Suspension. There is something wrong with it - on the open road while I am in cruise control the whole rear of the car sits down momentarily and then returns to normal. It is very un-nerving. My first question would be, are there any tips to what I can check to fix this?

My second question, worse case scenario and I decide to tear out the Active Suspension, I have been looking at this thread which has some really good information.
active-conversion-complete-article-t255581.html

However, it is an old thread and the pictures are now gone... Pretty much I want to know what was in the "conversion kit from joe" that was required, and where could I now get something similar from?

Appreciate any information,
Lawrence

[maxnix]

Your best bet is to contact TexasOil. If you live in Houston, so much the better. Reading his previous posts is a must for active suspension owners.

http://activesuspensionsystems.com/whynewac.html

[coldturkey]

Hi Maxnix,
Thank you for your reply. I have contacted Keith and he has a couple of suggestions.

I dont believe the problem lies with the accumulators - the ride is perfect apart from when it lunges.

I should add that I ran self diagnostics and it came back as (5,5) - Normal.

I was really after information of what was actually in the "conversion kit from Joe".

Regards,
Lawrence

[BadQ45t]

Well just call up Infiniti of Scotsdale and ask them, everythinginfiniti.com is their website. There was a work around to get rid of the active and replace with a standard set of shocks and struts.

[elwesso]

Basically the conversion kit is just shocks and springs assembly, so the shocks, springs, mounts, and dust boots. The only other thing you have to do is then bypass or loop the active side of the PS pump. The power steering pump is actually 2 pumps in one, as it operates both the active suspension and the power steering.

I guess we should be asking some of the obvious questions. How is the fluid level, do any of the actuators (shocks) look like they're leaking?

[coldturkey]

Thanks wes.

Yeah pretty much what I wanted to know what was required apart from the shocks and springs.

What is different about the mounts? I can buy some coil-overs that are y33 cima specific, surely they should just fit? A lot of coil-overs specify the size of the caliper bolts, 14mm or 12mm. Does this mean that the lower mount is different from active to non-active or something?

The active fluid is about midway on the dipstick, meaning it is in the "normal" range but could topping it up help? I have tracked down a suitable fluid and will give it a go anyway later this week, I will likely try relieve the pressure in the system and top it back up, perhaps this will help.

Interestingly I have noticed I dont have the issue when I am carrying a heavy load in the back of the car...

[elwesso]

Honestly, very few of us have experience with the active, and the Y33 chassis has an entirely different setup than the G50's which is what the active was used on primarily. I didn't even know the Cima was offered with the active, so I'm purely basing this off my knowledge of the G50.

The reason the spring mounts are different is that the springs on the active vs non active are different. The springs on the active are very light, they're there basically to just hold most the weight of the car.

I would think that coil overs would bolt right in, and you'd still have to do something with the pump.

Honestly, after you saying that the issue doesn't happen if you have a heavy load in the back would kind of indicate to me one of the height sensors is bad, perhaps. The height sensor could have a worn spot in it, and if it suddenly loses voltage (or shorts out), that could explain why it's doing that. Self diagnosis might not pick up on something like that. When you have a heavy load in the car, perhaps it makes the back end sit down a little more moving it out of that "bad" range in the sensor. You also wouldn't want to rule out a bad connection somewhere.

Check this out... Start at page FA-34, I'm referring to the "vehicle height adjustment". Perhaps you could tweak the sensors a tiny bit and that would fix your issue?

[coldturkey]

I think what you are saying makes a lot of sense! I will certainly try that.

Ah, when you mentioned "mounts" I thought you were referring to shock/strut mounts, not the spring mounts. Makes a lot more sense now. A lot of confusion I had was around if I changed the whole shock assembly over, then how could it be different!

Yes it is a very unique vehicle. I will only be removing the active if I cannot fix it, I believe for the most part it is in good shape as I get a nice ride. I know how to loop back the pump, no issue with that.

Many thanks,
Lawrence

[elwesso]

I guess one way you could confirm (probably what I would do) is hook up a volt meter up to the sensors (hook it up at the active control unit, not the sensor itself) and watch the voltage as you drive. If you see the voltage spike (high or low), then you know you've found your problem. Good luck, keep us updated, we're here to help as much as we can!

[sldwys]

Cold turkey - Are you from New Zealand ? If so you rung me the other week.
If not sorry - But I can supply you with some actual y33 coilvoers from Japan. would be JIC's or Similar.

[coldturkey]

Hi sldwys,
I dont remember calling anyone?
It may have been an email possibly, are you Hamish from poweredbymax?

I can get coilovers from the likes of Yahoo japan but I quite liked the pricing on your website so decided to see if you had any in NZ.

However if you can get something for a similar price I will be interested for sure.

Cheers
Lawrence