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Nov 30, 2016

Does Your HICAS Light Turn On After Five Minutes of Driving?



This is a super common issue, that we see more and more the older these cars get.  The more DIY guys with not a lot of knowledge in how the systems in the cars work.  We would suspect about 95% of the time, the HICAS light is on of these two simple problems.

R32 GT-R HICAS system



 #1) STEERING WHEEL

Early steering wheel on the left. Late steering wheel on the right

Yes seriously, the wrong steering wheel will cause your HICAS to fault.  There are two versions of the R32 steering wheel. Putting the wrong steering wheel, putting the wrong steering wheel boss into your GT-R will make it fault. We see this quite often. Even in cars coming from Japan.  If your car starts up, no fault. But then about 5 minutes after driving down the road, you MOST LIKELY, have the wrong steering wheel or wrong aftermarket steering wheel boss on the car.  Pull the steering wheel off, and check the position.

Early steering wheel, notice the position of the cutouts. About 1 o'clock

Late steering wheel, Cutouts around 12 o'clock
The Nissan Data Scan tool can check to make sure the steering wheel is in the proper position. If you own a GT-R you should own this tool and cable.


  • Nissan Datascan user manual
  • Nissan Datascan Buy Now


  • If the steering angle is 0, the boss is correct, and you are still getting the light, then a BAD ALIGNMENT can cause a light. We just had a car with a bad alignment that was causing a Hicas light.  No code, just the light after driving.  Looking at the car you could see the issue, but some may not have ever noticed it.

    Suspension and alignment settings

    Steering Wheel Bosses for Nissan Skyline from HKB
    ModelAirbagCruise ControlNotesHKB Boss
    R32 Skyline  No HicasON-07
    R32 Skyline GT-R (Early)  HicasON-110
    R32 Skyline GT-R(Late)  HicasON-115
    R33 Skyline  No HicasON-175
    R33 Skyline  HicasON-177
    R33 Skyline XCruiseON-208
    R33 Skyline GT-R (Early)X AirbagON-203
    R33 Skyline GT-R (Middle)X Dual AirbagON-204
    R34 Skyline  AutoON-229
    R34 Skyline GT-RX Dual AirbagON-228

     

     

     

     

     

     



    #2 FLUID

    Relocated power steering reservoir


    Fluid. If the fluid in the reservoir under the hood is low, or the electrical connector to the float is damaged, then it can throw a HICAS fault light.


    How to read HICAS self diagnostic codes, and put it in test mode. 

    More HICAS information : GT-R USA Blog

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    Nov 27, 2016

    R's Day Meeting at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

    R's Day Meeting picture from Frank

    The first R's Day meeting was held at a wet and cold Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on November 26, 2016.  We took a Bayside blue R32 GT-R to the event, along with a black R32.  In addition to our two cars, there were about 23 more cars making it a total of approximately 25 GT-R's. Mostly R32 GT-R, with one R34, several R33, one R32 4 door, and several R35 GT-R.

    Putting some 101 octane VP unleaded gas in the car. 


    The first session was very wet, and very slick. Many of the owners was the first time on track in a car, or first time at Laguna Seca, first time on track in a GT-R. The rivers flowing across the track made it interesting.  Any tip in of the throttle in other than a straight line resulted in big oversteer.  Several cars went around.  A few cars grazed the walls.  Luckily with all wheel drive, no one got stuck.

     Laguna Seca has some pretty shity neighbors. They complain about the track that has been there since 1957.  The neighbors moved in last year, and don't want to hear the noise. So on days like yesterday, the noise limit was 90 dB. This means that lots of cars have to come up with creative ways to stay under that limit.  If you Google Laguna Exhaust, you will see some very creative solutions.  Since the GT-R are turbocharged, they generally aren't as loud as a normally aspirated car, but they can still get loud, right Jacko, Grant, Aki, etc, etc....  We might have got spoken to as a group once about noise.

    Blue R32 on track. 
    R's Meeting owners. Pic by Victor

    The rain died down in the middle of the day, so there was at least one somewhat dry session, with just a few small rivers running across the track.  On the dry session, we took out Takeshi's R32, and he had to keep reminding us that he had to drive it home.

    Takeshi adding some air to the tires
    At the end of the day, there was a raffle for lots of goodies from sponsors. Yokohama tires, Cusco umbrellas, Tomei exhaust, GT-R badges, keychains, and keys from us, and much more.

    Was a great fun day at a historic track. Looking forward to seeing more GT-R's on track, not hard parked in front of the boba shop.

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    Nov 24, 2016

    R's Day at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Prep : #bluecar



    R's Day at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Prep


    There is never enough time in the day to get everything you want done.  At least if you properly prioritize what you need to do, you can get those things done. The "must" get done. The "nice" to get done.

    For R's Day, we are bringing this Bayside Blue R32 GT-R.  It has some modifications that make it pretty well suited to a track day. We have checked it over, and it will be a good candidate.

    On the cooling side, the radiator is stock, but it has a Greddy/Trust oil filter relocation and oil cooler. Not a huge fan of the location, but it will work. We added some Redline Water Wetter, and burped the system. Should be GTG.

    AD08R onto the 18 x 10 +20 BBS wheels. 





    Tires. We are running Yokohama AD08R tires 265/35/18. These are a great street tire, and should provide good grip, and tire life. Especially since it looks like rain is in the cards for the event.

    Wheels are BBS 18 x 10 +20. One of our favorite wheels, in a great GT-R fit.



    Brakes. This car runs a 4 piston Brembo front caliper. The funny part is looking at it, seemed very familiar. Turns out the Stoptech ST40 is a knock off of this caliper. The same we used on the Scion tC when we raced it. So Dan at DG Spec had a ton of pads. We picked up a nearly new set of Hawk DTC60 pads.  On the rear, the car has factory R34 Brembos, and looks like it has Endless or Mu pads. Stainless lines. BM50 brake master (?)  Fluid is Castrol SRF. We have some Vspec brake deflectors, but instead of installing them, we are writing this.


    Tune and engine. This car has a set of HKS turbos on it, ARC twin entry intercooler. Hard HKS inlet piping. We swapped the HKS mushroom filters for some OLD AEM dry flow filters. These are prototype one off style filters, but they fit on the ends of the Z32 MAF.  The tune on this car is really good. We have boost turned down to 1.1 bar on 91 octane. Pulls strong to 9000 rpm, probably has some cams in it.





    This is an old NASCAR dry sump breather tank. They can be picked up on eBay very in-expensively. Had a -12 fitting on the bottom. The car had just the breather dumping on the ground. We tried another type of can first, but then the carbon tank seemed to just be the right one for the job.










    Dry carbon catch can installed. With some more time, we would clean it up a bit. Also notice Mr. Justin Bieber protecting our battery terminals. Normally of course the only one you need to cover is the negative, but we got into an argument once with a tech guy over putting tape over the negative. Not necessary, they wanted it. Easier just to do it than argue with someone that doesn't understand electricity.






    Wheel weights
    Don't forget to tape the wheel weights.














    Wheel weights taped














    The car has a Japanese roll cage setup. Nothing I am much a fan of, but it stiffens up the chassis.

    Temporary wheels when swapping to the AD08R
    Suspension wise, the car is on Buddy Club coil overs, with Swift Springs. Has NISMO, and other parts in the suspension, so looks capable. Would have liked to corner balance, and string the car, but as we said in the start, only so many hours in the day.  The NISMO strut tower brace isn't installed in the pics, but it is on for the event.

    Exhaust has a resonator and muffler. We bought a turndown, but it is not big enough to go around the muffler tip. Also too big to fit inside. Modifying that now.

    Getrag.  This car has a 6 speed Getrag transmission, with what feels like OEM R32/R33 4.111 gears. How to install a Getrag V160 into an R32/R33 GT-R.






    Finishing up prep today, with Victor from Emergency Hookers Towing picking the car up on Friday.






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    Nov 22, 2016

    RB26 : RB25 : RB20 MAF : Nissan Skyline GT-R Mass Airflow Meters : Troubleshooting and Repair


    Group A R32 GT-R with OEM MAF

    The stock RB26dett has a pretty unique arrangement for measuring the amount of air that comes into the engine. It has a dual MAF, or mass airflow meter. Most production cars have a single MAF, but for the RB26 Nissan decided to double up. The way they work, there is a heated element in a tube. Air passes over that heated element, and from the change in resistance, the amount of voltage varies.  Since they can put out anywhere from 0-5 volts, it is not often that you will see a "CODE" or Check Engine Light if it is faulty. 

    Watch out for cheap knock off MAF. There are many out there on the internet. You are better fixing your OEM sensor, or buying a used OEM than a new aftermarket MAF. If you car has what seems like a 2500 rpm limiter, it might have a MAF going bad.

    Code 11 - crank angle sensor signal system
    Code 12 - Air flow meter signal system
    Code 13 - Engine temperature signal system
    Code 21 - Ignition signal system
    Code 34 - Detonation sensor signal system
    Code 41 - Intake temperature sensor signal system
    Code 43- Throttle sensor signal system
    Code 51 - No error



    MAF - OEM part number:  22680-05U00 .The stock RB26 65mm body(2.55 inches), 70 mm hose connection.  MAF(Mass Air Flow) sensors are good for about 400 wheel horsepower. Above then they run out of range and max out their voltage. A popular replacement(in 2000) is the Nissan 300ZX meters. A 300ZX uses one 75 mm body MAF - we double up for the GT-R..They are physically larger(80mm hose connection). More recently the R35 blade style MAF have become popular. With most stand alone engine management, cars generally go to a MAP(Manifold absolute pressure) sensor. The thing about MAP based tuning is that the density of air is dependent on temperature and pressure. Some ECU's swap over to MAP based load, but with the ITB's, it can be a difficult thing to tune for part throttle.

    OEM RB26 MAF at the body. The inlet is about 63mm ID. 

    OEM RB26 MAF at the hose connector side. 70 mm Based on this then Z32 are 75 mm, not 80 mm as I have always used. 
    Z32 MAF at the body. 75.3 mm on the body, and 80 mm at the hose side. 

    Z32 MAF at the body. 75.3 mm on the body, and 80 mm at the hose side. 


    The thing is, the mass air flow meter are probably 25 years old, or older now. Since they are one of the main inputs into the ECU to schedule fuel and timing, what they have to say is very important.  Often we see the solder joints inside the MAF go bad. In this case, it is possible to open up the top, resolder, and you are back on the road. Check out these links below.

    65 mm = 2.55 inches
    70 mm = 2.75 inches
    80 mm = 3.15 inches
    90 mm = 3.5 inches

    How to repair RB26 MAF - Skylines Australia



    https://youtu.be/0nnigpKWFnY


    OEM MAF metering ranges

    ------ --------- OD mm--- RWHP ---- RWHP ---- BHP ------ BHP
    No of AFM's ---- -------- 1 ---------- 2 ------------- 1 -------- 2
    RB26 ---------- 65 ------- 200 ------ 400 ------- 271 ------ 474
    RB20/25 ------ 80 ------- 300 ------ 600 ------- 376 ------ 683
    Z32 ------------- 8075---- 340 ----- 685 ------- 415 ------ 763
    Q45 ------------ 90 ------- 400 ------ 810 ------- 479 ------ 890

    R35/Nissan   70  ----- 300---------600
    R35/Nissan   76.5-----350 --------700
    R35/Nissan   88.9-----500--------1000

    PMAS HPX   63.5----580 -----   1160
    PMAS HPX   70 -----640------- 1280
    PMAS HPX   76.5 ---830 -----  1660
    PMAS HPX   88.9 ---1130 ------2260


    Strengths of Mass Air Flow

    • Extremely accurate fueling and spark delivery across a diverse range of engine conditions (at least while in steady-states): the holy grail for engine management. A properly set-up MAF system can adapt to changes in weather and altitude with ease.
    • Minor changes to engine equipment (i.e. headers, minor camshaft changes, intakes that do not significantly alter the placement of the MAF) do not require recalibration of the ECM.


    Weaknesses of Mass Air Flow

    • MAF systems are extremely intolerant of vacuum leaks. Any leaks between MAF sensor and engine generally cause all manner of odd problems, running lean in most cases due to un-metered air making it into the engine.
    • MAF sensors can be extremely sensitive to how they are “clocked” – merely rotating the sensor at a given spot in the intake tract can be sufficient to significantly change its output.
    • MAF sensors require laminar flow to read 100% accurately. True laminar fluids do not exist so this introduces some degree of inaccuracy to MAF sensor readings. Placing MAF sensors near bends, size transitions or obstructions where flow is less laminar greatly magnifies this issue.
    • A MAF sensor can be a flow restriction in cases where the MAF housing is the smallest portion of the intake system.
    • Hot-wire MAF elements are very fragile. Debris can destroy delicate wires easily. Dirt and oil deposits can build up on the sensor element, adversely affecting readings.
    • MAF systems have a relatively poor response to transient conditions, such as sudden throttle changes. This is explained by the time it takes air to move from the MAF sensor where it is measured to the cylinder where it can be involved in combustion.
    • MAF sensors are not “one-way” sensors – reversion from a camshaft with large amounts of overlap can cause air to be metered on its way in to the engine and then again on its way out resulting in an artificially high MAF reading. This can almost always be fixed by placing the MAF sensor sufficiently far from the throttle body, however doing so comes at the expense of making transient response even worse.

    It may seem like there are a lot of weaknesses of MAF systems, but it is truly hard to emphasize just how amazing and important the strengths are. It is no secret that the majority of OEMs today are implementing MAF systems as the primary control strategy. There is a good reason for this, namely that engines can be controlled much more precisely (with the goal of meeting stricter and stricter emissions standards) with a MAF system than any other type of control strategy.


    Upgrades or Aftermarket

    OEM RB26 MAF, CAS, and Consult cable. Part of a Roadtrip Tool spares kit


    OEM - Don't use non Nissan parts


    300ZX - Z32 MAF, 80 mm hose connection (3.15 inches). You need a new connector, you need tuning. Not plug and play unless you have a Power FC, or NISTUNE. They will do about 400 hp each, so will meter about 800 hp of air in a twin setup for an RB26 twin turbo car.

    R35 to RB26 MAF adaptor from RHDJapan.com


    R35 - There are drop in adaptors available. Even in black so they look near stock.

    NISTUNE MAF adaptors

    OEM Nissan sensor
    Part number 22680-7S000. This is used on most current Nissan engines. Commonly referred to as the R35 GTR sensor but they’re actually used on everything from the GTR to the VK56 powered trucks and down to the lowly Tiida 4 cylinder. Nissan simply adjust the housing diameter to give them the required airflow range for the different engine sizes. Larger engines often use twin sensors. They’re good for around the same horsepower range as the Z32 MAF in a similar diameter housing but this can be adjusted by using different diameter housings. 

    • 2.75" housing (70 mm) 300 WHP each
    • 3″ housing (76.2 mm) 350 WHP each
    • 3.5″ housing (88.9 mm) 500 WHP each


    PMAS “HPX” sensor
    These are a custom sensor developed by Precision Mass Airflow Sensors in USA. More expensive than the Nissan sensor but good for big horsepower. New connectors are available for these and they come with a generous length of wire attached. More details below.


    3D printed MAF housings

    Look, I am as shocked as you. Someone used 3d printing, for something other than a knockoff of a cupholder! I know, I wasn't sure it was possible.  John Kennedy made these ones which fit the Nissan (R35) MAF in a stock size. 70mm OD, 61 mm ID on these.


    3d printed MAF housings for Nissan (R35) MAF

    3d printed MAF housings for Nissan (R35) MAF



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    Nov 19, 2016

    LA Auto Show 2016 - NISMO Sentra

    importavehicle.com R32 GT-R
    NISMO Sentra

     We started our LA Auto Show week at the NISMO Sentra Press event on Tuesday. importavehicle.com brought out two R32 GT-R, and a Hakosuka.
    2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO

    BRE John Morton 510 racecar

    Interior 2017 NISMO Nissan GT-R. A nice upgrade from 2016. 

    Waiting for the reveal


    Nissan/NISMO press details for NISMO Sentra

    Available with a 6 speed manual transmission

    Nov 18, 2016

    7.87@177 mph : Street Radial, Street Car RH7 Nissan Skyline GT-R



    WORLDS QUICKEST TRUE STREET RADIAL GT-R RH7GTR C&V PERFORMANCE 7.87 @ 177 MPH. MORE VIDEOS TO COME


    Records falling all this week in the GT-R world. From 7.16, to 7.14 to 7.01 in the R35 World. From 7.89 to 7.87 in the R32 GT-R "street car" World.  John's R32 GT-R sports a 3.2 liter RB based engine on a billet block. Twin turbos, and a two speed Powerglide transmission. Tires are a 255/50/16 Hooiser on stock 16 inch R32 wheels.



    https://youtu.be/Razpcw2iIPk


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    Rs Day Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca November 26,2016




    https://youtu.be/pUT-76mO3OI

    Buy USA Legal R32 Skylines at Importavehicle.com!
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