ejin4499 Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I read a while back about swaping out the stock ecu in a pathfinder for the ecu from an infiniti m30. I did a little looking around and have found some spoty information. Thought I throw out the idea and see if anyone knows any good resources. I've so far found the z31 forum but most of the info on that is missing important pics or severly incomplete. I have also found a post saying that the 94 pathfinder ecu and the m30 ecu are basicaly the same I was wondering if anyone knew anything about that. Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 all you really need is the correct M30 pinout, witch is on z1performance.com (careful there is a wrong pinout there too) it can also be found in an M30 FSM (please share if you dowload one) the correct pathy pinout. (94FSM link should be pinned somewhere) the M30 MAF M30 o2 sensor automatic tps 94 pathy and m30 ecu the same? no, very different fuel maps. If they were the same z guys would be doing pathy swaps too instead of m30 swaps. if they were the same pathy's would drive allot better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejin4499 Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 (edited) all you really need is the correct M30 pinout, witch is on z1performance.com (careful there is a wrong pinout there too) it can also be found in an M30 FSM (please share if you dowload one) the correct pathy pinout. (94FSM link should be pinned somewhere) the M30 MAF M30 o2 sensor automatic tps 94 pathy and m30 ecu the same? no, very different fuel maps. If they were the same z guys would be doing pathy swaps too instead of m30 swaps. if they were the same pathy's would drive allot better... If I find a downloadable FSM how would I upload the manual to the forum? Found a scanned in manual its 85 MB Here the link http://www.f31club.com/manual/ Is there anywhere you would recomend to find more info on what exactly the m30 is capable of. I know you recomended it over a standalone in another post I was just wondering where you found your info. Edited May 27, 2011 by ejin4499 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I don't have all links here with me. But read some of the limted success stories out there. I don't have an all inclusive answer and I say limited stories becuase most ppl seem to drop off after they get it running and forget to post results down the road. So if your up to it, you could pioneer a good writeup for us pathy guys. I plan to swap the entire m30 mpfi into my TBI pathy and depending on how much I like it my 94 might get an m30 ecu as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewebster Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Are the m30 maps really "just better?" Or are there some tradeoffs made... like "sportier" performance but worse towing capability (or something, I'm just guessing here)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejin4499 Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 Are the m30 maps really "just better?" Or are there some tradeoffs made... like "sportier" performance but worse towing capability (or something, I'm just guessing here)... You know I really don't know. I've seen a bunch of people talking about how awsome it is, so I wanted to check it out for myself. I do know you can put a nistune daughterboard in it and tune the ecu wich is pretty cool. That way you could just load in the map that made the most sense for what you were doing. Other than Nistune I'm still not sure what the big deal is. Thats why I'm looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 M30 ECUs are far better than any previous Nissan ECU. Consult, adapt to changes rapidly, extremely, more capable of running the engine smoother, easier to install Nistune, etc. Now, the Z32 ECU is the most powerful Nissan computer produced. People have those running blown V8 drag cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarehouseRat Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 i to would like a little more insight to this ecu swap and how it performed and what is entailed in doing the swap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewebster Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 (edited) Regarding the TPS... my manual TPS has two parts, the idle switch, which is just on-off, but also the actual TPS which has a continuously varying signal as you open the throttle like 1-9V or something. How is the auto TPS different? Edited May 30, 2011 by sewebster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRN Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 (edited) This is the first I've heard of something like this, so excuse my ignorance. But from this my understanding is that if you have a '94 or '95 Pathy you would be able to swap in the M30 ECU, an auto TPS and the M30's O2 sensor? Or with the later WD21's, all you need is the ECU? Because if this would make for better performance, that would be awesome! Edited May 30, 2011 by SRN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewebster Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Various places on the web seem to indicate that nistune will now work with some pathfinder ECUs but they still don't list it on their website. Anyone on here figured that out? To me the appeal is more of a diagnostic nature than performance, but of course it wouldn't really be worth the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Regarding the TPS... my manual TPS has two parts, the idle switch, which is just on-off, but also the actual TPS which has a continuously varying signal as you open the throttle like 1-9V or something. How is the auto TPS different? The Pathfinder manual transmission TPS is just used as an idle switch. The automatic TPS is a potentiometer or variable resistor to give the ECU exact information on where the throttle plate is, and then feeds the information to the TCU for shifting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejin4499 Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 The Pathfinder manual transmission TPS is just used as an idle switch. The automatic TPS is a potentiometer or variable resistor to give the ECU exact information on where the throttle plate is, and then feeds the information to the TCU for shifting. If we are using a manual transmission and don't have the tcu installed will that info still be usable by the m30 ecu? Or a more exact question would be what does the m30 ecu do with the info from the TPS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewebster Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 The Pathfinder manual transmission TPS is just used as an idle switch. The automatic TPS is a potentiometer or variable resistor to give the ECU exact information on where the throttle plate is, and then feeds the information to the TCU for shifting. Ok. I guess what I'm saying, is that I have a manual transmission (from the factory) and it has this pot on the TPS unit as well, and it's plugged in (in addition to the idle switch). But maybe my ECU just ignores the signal? The FSM says this (91 EF & EC 13): "Throttle Sensor & Soft/Hard Idle Switch The throttle sensor responds to the accelerator pedal movement. This sensor is a kind of potentiometer which transforms the throttle valve position into output voltage, and emits the voltage signal to the ECU. In addition, the sensor detects the opening and closing speed of the throttle valve and feeds the voltage signal to the ECU. Idle position of the throttle valve is determined by the ECU receiving the signal from the throttle sensor. This system is called "soft idle switch". This one controls engine operation such as fuel cut. On the other hand, "hard idle switch", which is built in the throttle sensor unit, is used not for engine control but for self-diagnosis." There is a picture of the TPS unit. The hard idle switch connector is right on the unit itself, the throttle sensor connector is on a small wire bundle coming off the unit. On my manual truck I have both these connectors and both are plugged in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Must be a new edition for the MPFI Pathfinders, I haven't studied the wiring diagrams on the newer ones. The older versions don't use the extra plug on the TPS unless they're automatics. I'm used to Z31s and TBI Pathfinders. My Z31 MPFI Pathfinder TPS does absolutely nothing, as it is only an idle switch. Unplug the extra connector and see what happens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejin4499 Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 headed over to sacramento this week to pick one up. Gonna try this out looks like fun. Anyone know which ecu was better 90 91 92 or convertable or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 90-92 M30 ecu don't forget your titania 02 sensor and MAF. nisstune daughter boards can go in just about anything but the thing with the M30 ECU is that you DON"T have to modify the board to do it. Other Nissan ecu's have to be socketed or have other changes made. the M30 is a "luxury sedan" so think smooth performance was the goal and everyone loves smoother application of power esp if its a little more power Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRN Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 headed over to sacramento this week to pick one up. Gonna try this out looks like fun. Anyone know which ecu was better 90 91 92 or convertable or not? Keep us updated with what you do to get it installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 another thing about the m30/z32 is that the ECU's are what's considered "fuzzy logic" and that's why they can run just about anything. they learn about the engine through the sensors and make it run the best accordingly. The easiest way to fix an issue with a z32 or m30, is unplug the battery, let the ECU reset, plug it back in and go for a drive. the ECU relearns everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 90-92 M30 ecu don't forget your titania 02 sensor and MAF. nisstune daughter boards can go in just about anything but the thing with the M30 ECU is that you DON"T have to modify the board to do it. Other Nissan ecu's have to be socketed or have other changes made. the M30 is a "luxury sedan" so think smooth performance was the goal and everyone loves smoother application of power esp if its a little more power I wish y'all would have discussed this around 5 months ago, there was an M30 in the local pick a part. I have read what you said about installing the daughter board, so the M30 ecu has a socket already on the board? I grabbed a couple of extra pathfinder ecu's but they don't have the socket. So I need the O2 and MAF from the same vehicle too? James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dowser Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I remember reading somewhere that the 90-92 m30 had a few issues with the ECU's. Like it would randomly stall, or not start. I can't recall where I read that now but has anyone else heard this before? Also, These ECU's are getting very difficult to find up here in Canada. Usually wreckers here toss out anything 15 years old now. Making it substantially harder to ind stuff for me. I checked Ebay for the ECU's as well and I got 2 hits, each being about $95-100. There was some differences in the serial numbers obviously but I've been curious what the numbers refer to. These were the numbers. A18-A09 K31 (1990 ECU) vs. A18-A08 K30 (1992 ECU) Just thought I would put that out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejin4499 Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 (edited) Ok so after way to much time I finaly got ahold of a m30 ecu. Every time I hit picknpull someone else had already been there. The maf on this sucker is freeking huge. will post picks soon. Im thinking what I want to do is create an adapter from the stock wiring harness to the new ecu. That way if I ever need to I can easily switch back to a pathfinder ecu. I think all I would need to do for that is run the lines for the m30 maf back to the m30 ecu and then canabalize an old ecu for connecters and solder that critter together. maybe ..... I think .......... we'll see. Edited July 13, 2011 by ejin4499 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRN Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Any updates with this? After a few long distance treks pushing to keep up with a supercharged Tacoma up mountain passes, it'd be nice to have a little smoother power delivery. If the M30/Z32 ECU swap could provide that, that would be great as long as it doesn't hurt my off-road performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 (edited) If you aren't planning to do much other than changing the ECU then you won't see any noticeable difference in performance. However if you are adding bolt ons then you may be able to see a little benefit from that ECU. Edited February 15, 2012 by Tungsten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRN Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 If you aren't planning to do much other than changing the ECU than you won't see any difference in performance. However if you are adding bolt ons then you may be able to see a little benefit from that ECU. According to other posts in this thread, the ECU, MAF, TPS and O2 swap from a M30 has the potential to smooth out your power delivery and improve performance some. This is what I'm looking for and am hoping that the OP might have further details about how his swap went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now