Seafoaming, spark plugs, valve covers/pcv, knock sensor, TB/IM cleaning...here we go!

ridinwitha35 · 10-24-2009, 11:53 AM

As of lately, car has really been lacking in power. Has about 135k miles.

So...on tomorrow's agenda:
- spark plug change [ngk iridium ix]
- valve cover change (front & rear) [nissan]
- PCV valve change (included in the VC change) [nissan]
- knock sensor & harness change [nissan]
- TB cleaning with TB cleaner (drive-by-wire too...)
- IM cleaning with TB cleaner
- MAF cleaning with CRC MAF cleaner
- Transmission sensors cleaning with CRC Electrical cleaner
- Transmission drain/refill (non-synthetic)
- Oil change (only been 1200 miles since last)
- seafoaming(intake & oil) & fuel system treatment(gas) before doing all of that

Hope to have a good update for you guys tomorrow...will take pics too. I'm actually worried as heck but this is it...all or nothin! Car used to be run air-filterless...

Next week it's fuel filter...

*djfrestyl* · 10-24-2009, 12:13 PM

Sounds like a nice list - good luck.

Rochester · 10-24-2009, 12:14 PM

That's a very ambitious list for one busy Sunday. Good luck!

mist max2000 · 10-24-2009, 12:17 PM

take lots of pics!

prob goes without saying.. but make sure your valve colvers are from an 04...

word from the wise.. TB's are real sensitive on the 3.5 ,.. i wouldnt play with the butterfly.. do some research around here on people that messed theirs up BAD by cleaning...

..also ..too bad you didnt have a set of spacers to add in while you had it all ripped apart

ridinwitha35 · 10-24-2009, 03:08 PM

Shouldn't be too bad since everything's in the same spot mostly. Suspension work (what I've grown accustomed to) you have to deal with tight-*** seized bolts & rust...shouldn't be that big of an issue with the stuff I'm gonna do.

I'm armed with the:
- IM removal howto
- ECU reset/idle relearning procedures

Valve covers & knock sensor should be self-explanatory once the IM is off. VCs are from an '04 with the included PCV valve.

I've done MAF cleaning before, so no worry with that.

Have also done a great deal of reading regarding the DBW throttle & the sensitivity of it. Will use the key-in-ON & trans-in-gear method with something holding the accelerator to the floor. Depending on how dirty it is, I might just skip it if it looks too clean.

Will try to take lots of pics but don't be surprised if you see a lot of "start" pictures but almost no "end" pictures....that means I was running out of time.

Be funny if I do a knock sensor howto after the IM is off...

Rochester · 10-24-2009, 03:21 PM

Kind of figured you did your research. All that stuff is covered again and again here.

ridinwitha35 · 10-24-2009, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rochester

Kind of figured you did your research. All that stuff is covered again and again here.

Yup. +1 for the "org".

I just hope this thread doesn't turn into a "help me get rid of these CELs & my crazy idle"!

Ghost_54 · 10-24-2009, 08:00 PM

Looks like a very busy Sunday indeed, I trust the work list is not in the order of jobs to be performed ... As I would do the seafoam in the oil crank case & suck up through the break booster hose ( be sure to let the seafoam have about 10 mins with the engine off to work)and then start up and hold the ideal up to burn off as much carbon as I can, (which will also help in cleaning TB inside) and then start with changing the components listed and finish up with a fresh oil change and filter ( because the seafoam treatment will really thin down your oil and leave your engine with very little (if any) protection

ridinwitha35 · 10-24-2009, 08:31 PM

My plan of action is as follows:

1) seafoam application
2) seafoam burnoff (~30 miles)
3) oil & trans fluid change
4) IM & intake removal
5) VC oil cleanup & removal
6) spark plug install
7) new VCs install
8) cleaning: IM, MAF, trans sensors; check engine oil level, add if necessary
9) knock sensor & harness install
10) IM install
11) TB cleaning
12) intake install
13) ECU reset
14) start car & pray. verify: trans fluid level, any codes
15) idle air relearning
16) test-drive

Then if I have time, inspect my subframe/frame bushings.

Unklejoe · 10-25-2009, 08:21 AM

If you have the high idle problem after cleaning the TB even though you did the idle relearn, don't forget to check out the TB cleaning thread. I explained in there the procedure to do if the idle relearn doesn't stick.

Goodluck

ridinwitha35 · 10-25-2009, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unklejoe

If you have the high idle problem after cleaning the TB even though you did the idle relearn, don't forget to check out the TB cleaning thread. I explained in there the procedure to do if the idle relearn doesn't stick.

Goodluck

I think I remember reading about it...the process which involved disconnecting the front injectors to temporarily lower the idle, right?

Unklejoe · 10-25-2009, 11:07 AM

That's exactly it

*rroderiques77* · 10-25-2009, 02:42 PM

Careful with the TB. I don't recommend cleaning it. Lot of guys have ruined theirs. If I were you, I would start spraying behind it. Just my .02

ridinwitha35 · 10-25-2009, 08:33 PM

Well, didn't finish all that I wanted.

Forgot to buy some carb cleaner for the IM cleaning & the electric parts cleaner for the trans sensors....so skip it.

Also started at like 2pm...add in a nagging girlfriend and there was no way I was gonna get through all that with 4 hours of daylight.

Also for some reason I thought with the IM off the knock sensor would be easy to get to...I was wrong...a little easier but not as much as I figured...it's still in "the valley".

(Stuff in red means completed)
1) seafoam application
2) seafoam burnoff (~30 miles)
3) oil & trans fluid change
4) IM & intake removal
5) VC oil cleanup & removal
6) spark plug install
7) new VCs install
8) cleaning: IM, MAF, trans sensors; check engine oil level, add if necessary
9) knock sensor & harness install
10) IM install
11) TB cleaning
12) intake install
13) ECU reset
14) start car & pray. verify: trans fluid level, any codes
15) idle air relearning
16) test-drive

So really all I gotta do is knock sensor & then reassembly but with TB cleaning before throwing the intake back on. Still a little paranoid about TB cleaning but I'm gonna be gentle as heck...hardly no pressure on it.

Front of my throttle plate is really dirty, can only imagine how dirty the back is. Spark plug #6 had tons of oil. Also some dried oil residue on the IM. Air filter unusually dirty...been less than 5k miles since I put it in (K&N).

Bad stuff: broke a rear VC bolt; oh well, 9 bolts should be good enough. And that IM removal guide should tell you that you need to PLUG THE ENGINE BLOCK or coolant will constantly come out (when he's talking about the unreachable hose).

*Child_uv_KoRn* · 10-25-2009, 09:00 PM

No coolant should come out if you bypass the throttle body lines (couple them together, I would make that permanent while you're at it).

sontakke · 10-26-2009, 08:11 AM

So, after doing all that, does the car drive beautifully or not?

phatboislim · 10-26-2009, 09:17 AM

no issues w/ the seafoam?

ridinwitha35 · 10-26-2009, 10:00 AM

Don't know yet. Got the knock sensor in & IM back on. About to do TB cleaning.

But I've had no issues with seafoam. Got some good smoke. No (extra) codes thrown & car wasn't driving worse than it was before seafoaming.

BlueFusion6851 · 10-26-2009, 10:46 AM

Nice. I thoroughly enjoyed smoking my neighborhood out. Hope you get some POWAH back from doing this.

Nelsito65 · 10-26-2009, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueFusion6851

....I thoroughly enjoyed smoking my neighborhood out......

....

ridinwitha35 · 10-26-2009, 11:33 AM

All plugged back in & started it up. Funny sounds right at startup but soon leveled out. No funny sounds now on startup. No codes. No crazy idle. I did do the idle relearn procedure. So far no indication of any problems or malfunctions. We will see how the car does for today. Full update coming tonight...now I gotta go to school!

ridinwitha35 · 10-26-2009, 06:30 PM

Overall response: well pickup is definitely improved. Not as much as I thought it would be, but significant nonetheless. Accelerator pedal more sensitive...find myself having to not press as hard as I used to...e.g., tapping on it lightly before = almost nothing; tapping on it now=instant rpm response. The idle speed is still in the same spot (but I did do relearning). No misfires or codes or anything. Smooth engine sound throughout the entire 7k rpm range (in Park). So next are some of the main pictures I took.

The full gallery is here
-----------------

Materials (4 bottles ATF, 1 small tube of RTV black, knock sensor w/harness, 6 ngk iridium ix plugs, mobil-1 5w-30 oil & oil drain pan, CRC TB cleaner, CRC MAF cleaner, valve covers & gaskets)

Rear VC near chamber #6...can see dried up residue...in for a treat!

broken rear VC bolt hole on installation

New plug

old fouled plug

ridinwitha35 · 10-26-2009, 06:31 PM

Spark plug chamber #6 was filled with oil. Once I removed the coil & heard the "sucking" sound made by the rubber I knew there was liquid in there. Tons of oil. Took a while to get it all out by stuffing paper towels in. But I tried my best to prevent oil from getting in the combustion chamber.

chamber #6 oiled up coil

chamber #6 oil

dirty air filter (should've did a recharge)

ridinwitha35 · 10-26-2009, 06:32 PM

Knock sensor wasn't that bad. A breaker bar/big torque wrench made cracking it off no sweat. Originally I was using a basic ratchet to start it off but I switched to the breaker, the wonderful crack was heard. I did use some PB about 10 minutes beforehand.

knock sensor tool (12mm socket, u-joint, 9" extension, breaker/tq wrench)

old knock (didn't look that bad, but is one wire missing???)

new knock...(guess it is just a 1-wire...engine block must be ground for the sensor)

new knock in

ridinwitha35 · 10-26-2009, 06:32 PM

TB cleaning: the befores/afters aren't as drastic but I was just being really gentle. Plus removing the intake takes like 10 seconds and I could do the TB cleaning again if I wanted. Backside of plate was oily. The IM rim was dirty as heck too. Tried my best not to get the center shaft wet (at the far left & right). Cleaned as much as I could with the plate closed then, propped it open with the accelerator to get to the backside.

pedal holder for TB

tb front before

tb front after

tb rear (and rim) before

tb rear (and rim) after

ridinwitha35 · 10-26-2009, 06:33 PM

Afterwards: Idle is normal. Reset the ECU, all monitors are ready and I only got 1 (pending) code (P0138 which has been coming off & on for the past month)

cold start, idle ~1250rpm

after warmup, idle ~700rpm

how much coolant I lost

SteveB123 · 10-26-2009, 06:39 PM

Looks good.

That's not Mobil-1.

ridinwitha35 · 10-26-2009, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveB123

Looks good.

That's not Mobil-1.

Ehhh...I tend to say Mobil-1 whenever I really mean to say Mobil...but you're right...just conventional, not synthetic.

mist max2000 · 10-26-2009, 08:33 PM

very cool and helpful pics.. thanks.. at first looking at those gauges.. i was like ...wth are those.. and then it clicked.. ohhhh I35 ... lol...

and..you snapped the bolt while taking the old ones out or putting the new ones in?,..also why do you think it snapped.. to much tq? or was it doomed from the start?,.. would pb blasters of helped at all?..i ask because i plan on putting 04 vc plus spacers plus new plugs at some point this winter...

hope you track your gas mpg.. might see some gains after a week...

and call me a noob..but whats with the tape on the sockets..

*accordingtou* · 10-26-2009, 08:38 PM

Great job man
In for the fuel filter R&I

shadyonedeath · 10-26-2009, 09:05 PM

what is this, a diary?

mist max2000 · 10-27-2009, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadyonedeath

what is this, a diary?

wow you really love dumping on ppls threads in the 5th gen section huh.. go back to the 4th gen forums...

his car wasnt running 100%,.so this is the usual list of stuff to do to get it going,.. pics are helpful to many on here,..as is info on what to fix or what could be wrong.. so

phatboislim · 10-27-2009, 07:05 AM

this pic scares me

were you ghost riding the whip? lol

looks like u made some nice progress...for my FYI..whats the purpose of the knock sensor?

*djfrestyl* · 10-27-2009, 07:19 AM

^^ Doubt the engine was on. He just used it to open the butterfly valve in the TB to clean it.

phatboislim · 10-27-2009, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djfrestyl

^^ Doubt the engine was on. He just used it to open the butterfly valve in the TB to clean it.

LOL OK

ALL I SAW WAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND SHIFTER IN DRIVE

ridinwitha35 · 10-27-2009, 11:32 AM

Full days-worth of driving and everything is still good. Flooring is fun again. Now if only I could fix my suspension problems I'd be extremely happy with my car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mist max2000

very cool and helpful pics.. thanks.. at first looking at those gauges.. i was like ...wth are those.. and then it clicked.. ohhhh I35 ... lol...

and..you snapped the bolt while taking the old ones out or putting the new ones in?,..also why do you think it snapped.. to much tq? or was it doomed from the start?,.. would pb blasters of helped at all?..i ask because i plan on putting 04 vc plus spacers plus new plugs at some point this winter...

hope you track your gas mpg.. might see some gains after a week...

and call me a noob..but whats with the tape on the sockets..

I snapped the bolt when I tried to install it. For some reason that bolt was unusually tight from the get-go. I followed the sequence (left to right, top/bottom): 9-[6/5]-[2/1]-[4/3]-[8/7]-10. Got them in finger tight in-sequence, then tightened down a little more following the sequence again....but that bolt was just tighter than it should've been, even after backing it out & reinserting it. The amount of rust you see at the hole says a little bit about the condition of the bolt.

As far as what you're trying to do, it's actually not all that bad. Taking the intake off is simple (4 bolts & then loosening the flathead screw on the TB clamp). UIM is simple for the most part too; the worst part was just getting off one of the bolts near the firewall. The rest is trivial; just hoses & clips. But the important thing is to make sure you have everything going where it needs to go...that's where your time should be spent.

Masking tape was used to just keep the socket/ujoint/extension together 'cause where the knock sensor is is a place you don't wanna have to be searching for dropped stuff (especially if you don't have one of those magnetic pickup tools).

And my ribs hurt like hell from leaning over the car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by accordingtou

Great job man
In for the fuel filter R&I

That might be a little bit down the road now...aching too much to even plan for doing other car stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadyonedeath

what is this, a diary?

Yup. A public one. I hope you enjoy reading it. In seriousness though I'm just putting it all out in the open for 1) documentation purposes and 2) in hopes that others will find it useful in one way or another. I consider myself a noob (heck when I got the car 6 months ago all I had ever did were oil changes), so I'm also letting us other noobs know that this stuff isn't that bad. In addition, there's a big debate on DBW TB cleaning & MAF cleaning and people ending up with problems. This is just a 'success' story.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phatboislim

LOL OK

ALL I SAW WAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND SHIFTER IN DRIVE

lol, yeah that does look funny but djfrestyl is right - engine was off; key just in ON.

Rochester · 10-27-2009, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by accordingtou

Great job man
In for the fuel filter R&I

That would be this, no? -- http://www.shiftice.com/fuel_filter.html

It might seem intimidating, but was actually a pretty easy step-by-step. Was it really necessary? Meh. Did it anyway for the peace of mind.

Rochester · 10-27-2009, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadyonedeath

what is this, a diary?

duh.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ridinwitha35

Yup. A public one. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Hey, I enjoyed reading it. Great pics, too.

Well done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ridinwitha35

And my ribs hurt like hell from leaning over the car.

funny. true.

bigpimpen092 · 10-27-2009, 11:53 AM

looks good I will do this soon.

sontakke · 10-27-2009, 02:31 PM

Great write up; although I do wish you had done one step at a time and check on the work. That way we would have known the step which gives best bang for the buck but more importantly, if something got screwed up, you would know it immediately rather than having to backtrack.

- Vikas