Jump to content
SAU Community

4wd Light On Dash Of M35

Commsman

By Commsman,
in Four Door Family & Wagoneers

 Share

Recommended Posts

Commsman Veteran

Commsman

Posted
Posted

Hi guys

the 4WD light on the RHS of the M35 dash - what does it mean when it's on? Is that normal or a fault situation?

I bought a GReddy infometer the other day and of course with my luck, it didn't just work when it was plugged in ;) .

Works great on my daughter's Micra though....

The culprit is a wire that was removed from the OBD2 connector that the meter plugs into. This wire has been taken out and plugged into another wire (heading into the dark under dash) by a previous owner.

I disconnected it and only drove the car for about 50m before I realised it felt like when the snow button is engaged, ie I could feel the front diff working. When I looked the 4WD light was on. Stopped the car, plugged the rogue wire back into its aftermarket connector and the light went out and the car drove like "normal", ie feels like RWD.

I would like to confirm if the light is on for all/most people and if what I have is essentially a way to make the car RWD. If that's the case it's easy to rectify and get my new meter working.

Thanks, Leon.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/345644-4wd-light-on-dash-of-m35/
Share on other sites
andy65b Veteran

andy65b

Posted
Posted
Hi guys

the 4WD light on the RHS of the M35 dash - what does it mean when it's on? Is that normal or a fault situation?

I bought a GReddy infometer the other day and of course with my luck, it didn't just work when it was plugged in ;) .

Works great on my daughter's Micra though....

The culprit is a wire that was removed from the OBD2 connector that the meter plugs into. This wire has been taken out and plugged into another wire (heading into the dark under dash) by a previous owner.

I disconnected it and only drove the car for about 50m before I realised it felt like when the snow button is engaged, ie I could feel the front diff working. When I looked the 4WD light was on. Stopped the car, plugged the rogue wire back into its aftermarket connector and the light went out and the car drove like "normal", ie feels like RWD.

I would like to confirm if the light is on for all/most people and if what I have is essentially a way to make the car RWD. If that's the case it's easy to rectify and get my new meter working.

Thanks, Leon.

Hi Leon

the 4WD light only comes on in the process of starting my car. It goes off as soon as it starts and does not turn on again, not even with the Snow or Syncro modes engaged.

Sounds like you may have a device to split the drive front to rear.

Cheers

Andy

PN-Mad Grand Master

PN-Mad

Posted
Posted

We I can only go from my experience, and I have a different 4wd system to you. When I pop the fuse out of mine (I guess its the same thing as you disconnecting the wire) I get the same outcome with the 4wd light. 50 mts down the road it pops on. HOWEVER I have the opposite effect. when the fuse is pulled the car puts up the 4wd light, and the car only operates in RWD.

So for me- 4wd light = FAULT, and your only getting 2wd

I don't know if that'll help you at all. maybe you'll have to put the whole thing on stands, or a hoist, and figure it out.

bbenny Mentor

bbenny

Posted
Posted

Yeah mine sometimes comes on. When its on the car is rwd. Usually I just turn the ignition off and then on again and the light is gone and its 4wd.

Most common problem is low 4wd fluid in the attessa system. just pop the little box out of the right hand side of your boot and check.

It uses a synthetic transmission fluid i beleive.

Ben.

Commsman Veteran

Commsman

Posted
  • Author
Posted
We I can only go from my experience, and I have a different 4wd system to you. When I pop the fuse out of mine (I guess its the same thing as you disconnecting the wire) I get the same outcome with the 4wd light. 50 mts down the road it pops on. HOWEVER I have the opposite effect. when the fuse is pulled the car puts up the 4wd light, and the car only operates in RWD.

So for me- 4wd light = FAULT, and your only getting 2wd

I don't know if that'll help you at all. maybe you'll have to put the whole thing on stands, or a hoist, and figure it out.

Thanks Andy and Alex.

So discounting some small difference to 4WD systems between models, it seems 4WD light on = fault.

It's funny that, in Alex's case, light on = RWD and I felt that the car seemed to operate in snow mode with my light on and with the light off seems to be RWD....

Maybe the previous owners' mod was two fold; 1) make car perform essentially in RWD & 2) keep the light off.

Anyway, thanks for your replies. They have been very helpful.

I'm going to T off this wire and put a connection back into the OBD2 connector to get my InfoMeter working and thus leave the car performing as it was.

Next chance I get to have the car up on stands I'll see exactly what happens with & without the wire connected.

Cheers for that, Leon.

Commsman Veteran

Commsman

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Yeah mine sometimes comes on. When its on the car is rwd. Usually I just turn the ignition off and then on again and the light is gone and its 4wd.

Most common problem is low 4wd fluid in the attessa system. just pop the little box out of the right hand side of your boot and check.

It uses a synthetic transmission fluid i beleive.

Ben.

Thanks Ben, fluid levels are all good.

I'm pretty sure this is an electrical/electronic modification and does seem counter intuitive, given what I feel and what the light is doing. ie light on = 4WD, light off = 2WD.

Also worthy of note, when I use the snow button I don't get the orange 4WD light, just the green "locked differential" looking light.

Is that what you get?

Cheers, Leon.

zei20l Grand Master

zei20l

Posted
Posted

mine does it too, i also turn ignition off and back on again to clear the problem.

yes the 4WD light being on means there IS a problem. the green (orange on ours) 'sync' light is normal during snow and sync modes.

now if only i could get rid of the check engine light on mine lol

PN-Mad Grand Master

PN-Mad

Posted
Posted (edited)
It's funny that, in Alex's case, light on = RWD and I felt that the car seemed to operate in snow mode with my light on and with the light off seems to be RWD....

Maybe the previous owners' mod was two fold; 1) make car perform essentially in RWD & 2) keep the light off.

Its going to be pretty easy to tell if it is just rwd... Since you have an open diff/no LSD, plant it at low speed in the wet /low grip situation. If that rear inside wheel lights up, then your rwd. Thats what I found. If it hooks up and storms away, then your awd-ing.

In rwd, mine will just spin it forever... bit sad really, needs a LSD. But in awd, it will allow for a little chirp in the rear, and then just hooks up and shoots away.

edit- in safe and private area only.... don't be stupid :(

Edited by PN-Mad
Commsman Veteran

Commsman

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Its going to be pretty easy to tell if it is just rwd... Since you have an open diff/no LSD, plant it at low speed in the wet /low grip situation. If that rear inside wheel lights up, then your rwd. Thats what I found. If it hooks up and storms away, then your awd-ing.

In rwd, mine will just spin it forever... bit sad really, needs a LSD. But in awd, it will allow for a little chirp in the rear, and then just hooks up and shoots away.

edit- in safe and private area only.... don't be stupid :)

I'm always safe :(

Well, I bought an old OBD2 connectror from a wrecker and butchered it to remove one of the pins. After splicing it into the "special loop" that mine has and putting the pin in the connector where I believe it should go (pin 14) my new InfoMeter works properly and the 4WD light remains off.

Re real wheel spinning in the wet (RWD only mode), I've NOT been able to acheive that. Is it because your car has more torque down low than mine? I think the turbo motors are limited in 1st gear.

Either that or I am running in full 4WD mode. But that doesn't agree with what I feel when I pull the connector, which is the same as pushing the snow button.

I think your suggestion of putting it up on stands will be the only conclusive way of telling.

Cheers, Leon.

PN-Mad Grand Master

PN-Mad

Posted
Posted

My datsun with about 3 donkey powers could light a rear wheel in the wet. Come on, if its rwd, you really should be able to get some slip.

Iain, I'll let you know when I had it on the dyno, it had a perfectly flat torque curve thank you very much. You keep on talking but all I can hear is Lag... and a farting noise from a blocked BOV. :/

zei20l Grand Master

zei20l

Posted
Posted

my BOV is fine thanks mate :(

actually it not :banana: lol

i had a failed suspension install attempt last week so i wont be making it to this weeks thursday meet. when the suspension is done, ill come along!

zei20l Grand Master

zei20l

Posted
Posted

haha i didnt have my trolley jack so i couldnt get one end of the car in the air, only one corner. the sway bar prevented the strut from dropping far enough for me to remove the old one and replace with new one

also didnt have a socket large enough to remove the bolts that hold the brake caliper bracked onto the knuckle :(

i now have my trolley jack back, and ill be buying more sockets! just need to find a day to do all this crap!

  • 5 months later...
Commsman Veteran

Commsman

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Well done Leon..

There must be an aftermarket controller on your car some where to alter the front / rear torque split.

Cheers

Andy

I'm reviving an old thread of mine that I found when searching for info on torque split controllers.

I've had most of my dash out a number of times in recent months & not come across anything resembling an aftermarket controller.

Since changing the exhaust (& with some km's for the ECU to learn new parameters) the rear tyres are lighting up too easily for what I think a full 4WD system should allow.

Is this what others have found and I'm expecting too much from my attessa or should I not be able to do this with just an exhaust change?

Was wondering if the torque split controllers sold on E-bay for GTRs and C34's work on M35's? (Might just ask the seller & see if he knows.)

As fun as it can be, I really need more front & less rear torque.

Edited by Commsman
andy65b Veteran

andy65b

Posted
Posted

In the dry it is not possible to spin the rears unless going around a corner but in the WET, that is another story. I can regularly get the rears to spin in 1st mostly as the revs build through 2800 - 3300rpm and then the fronts grab and the car hauls away.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • 25zenki
      S1 rb25/s14 starting problem

      By 25zenki · Posted

      Harness is for a s1 Rb25det, and it is engine and lower harness.  the old harness had broken off plugs and was in very rough condition/exposed wires and splices etc. it is not able to be put back on the car, I could visually inspect to see if they had rewired any pins on the ecu plug. The fuel pump definitly isn’t turning off it’s an external pump and very loud you can hear it. Will look at the other harness tonight, am also going to pull the fuel rail and watch the injectors spray, will update here with what I find. Pretty sure at this point it has to be something to do with injectors because car will fire up on starting fluid and cas is clicking the Injectors. Fuel pressure is steady 43psi 
    • Waders360
      M35 Brake caliper replacement

      By Waders360 · Posted

      Sorry. Front brake calipers
    • MBS206
      S1 rb25/s14 starting problem

      By MBS206 · Posted

      Check the injectors flow evenly, and are actually flowing what you and the ECU think they should be flowing. If it's starting up on starter fluid, you have a fuel issue. Is it possible under cranking your fuel pump is turning off?   The harness you replaced, is that the whole engine harness? Do yourself a test, and drop the old harness on and plug it into the Z32 ECU. It's possible they've wired things different. From memory S1 to S2 is different in RB25 and you may have a wrong loom
    • 25zenki
      S1 rb25/s14 starting problem

      By 25zenki · Posted

      I haven’t pulled the injectors to watch them spray yet but they are clicking from the cas and all of the spark plugs are wet with fuel. I’ve thought the cylinders were being flooded from the beginning and was hoping fuel pressure would fix it. Tonight I am going to pull the rail and watch the injectors spray. Don’t know how to test/diagnose if the plugs are firing in correct sequence but that should be a timing thing and as far as timing goes my car still has the half moon for the cas can only install it 1 way. And my mechanical timing is 100% correct I posted photos above. Confirmed with the balancer on and off. 
    • 25zenki
      S1 rb25/s14 starting problem

      By 25zenki · Posted

      I checked spark on all cylinders and they all visually have spark with the plug pulled and grounded, but plug 1 is the only one that fouled. This was a running swap that blew up and was rebuilt by a machine shop, put a new wiring specialties harness and did all gaskets, studs, and bolts while it was out.  compression is 135-150 across all cylinders. Aside from that from my understanding with the z32 ecu and maf the car should start regardless. The wiring for TPS and the dual 02 sensor/ dual knock sensor stuff shouldn’t actually stop the car from starting or even running well, (just slightly rich)  they just give fault codes. Car supposedly is supposed to start as long as you have z32 afm and ecu with the nistune base map and that’s info coming from a well known and trusted tuner who does a lot with SR/RB (Rsenthalpy). After more trouble shooting today where I’m at right now is that the cas is sending signal to the injectors they click while spinning the rotor, Fuel pressure is now set at 43psi, all cylinders have good compression and all of the plugs looked great (just wet with fuel) except for cylinder 1 which was very black (cylinder 1 has 150psi compression). all of the coils generate spark if pulled out and grounded out on the head. On the fuel pump car just pops into the exhaust. On starting fluid car will fire off. Hard to tell if all cylinders are firing off but definitley a couple. sounds like all of them but it’s only for 3-5 seconds hard to tell. 
×
×
  • Create New...