Mrd1234 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Have a 1995 pathfinder, I decided to take it for a drive in the river two days ago( not a good idea) and it died on me. I've had this happen many times before in my chevy but never a Nissan. So I've done a bit of work and still it won't start, I've put in new plugs, replaced distributor cap with another, put on a different mass air flow sensor and changed the oil and put on a new filter. The fuel pump is kicking in and before I changed the plugs and cap it actually ran for five or ten minutes extremely rough, spitting and spuddering and putting out a bit of black smoke. The truck did take on water coming through the passenger side filling up the floors. I understand the ecu is under the seat and there's still a green and red light coming on on it. Could the ecu be fried and causing this problem? After I fired it up when it came out of the water it would only stay running if I kept the key turning over and punching the gas but as soon as I let go of the key it would die. There is a engine light on which wasn't before but I don't have know how to read the codes and I only have a obd2 reader. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 In the how to section in the garage area, there is a thread on how to read your ecu codes. I would start there. If the engine light is on then it definitely has a code stored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrd1234 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 I read one of those and it wasn't similar to my vehicle. It said there should be a toggle switch on the side of ecu but there wasn't it just has a screw that says idle control and engine diagnosis if you turn it all the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gv280z Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 take the ecu and put it in a bucket of rice maybe all the moisture will wick out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrd1234 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Yeah that how to isn't examine my ecu properly as there is only a screw to turn and it says there's supposed to be a toggle switch too. The ecu has been sitting three days also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrd1234 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Any other ideas? I really need to get this thing started as it's still sitting down at the river! Really sucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 ECU Self-diagnostics in the Garage/How To section, first post... For V6:1. Turn the ignition switch on, but do not start the engine. All of the lights in the dash should be on.2. For VG30i: There is a little plastic tab you pull off of the side of the ECU(facing the door). A small toggle switch is behind it with 2 positions, "ON" and "DIAGNOSTICS". Using a small screwdriver or tool, move it to the diagnostics position. The red and green LED's on top of the ECU will blink simultaneously. One time, pause, then 2 times, three times, pause...so on for each mode, 1 through 5. Mode 3 is the most commonly used mode and will yield the ECU trouble codes you need to figure out what's going on with your engine.For VG30E with slotted switch: Turn the 'diagnostic mode selector' screw on the ECU fully clockwise. The check engine light will go out. Wait 5 seconds, then turn the screw fully counter clockwise.3. After it blinks both LED's 3 times move the toggle switch back to the on position. After about five seconds it will start to output out the diagnostic codes as with the 4-cylinder ECU. Note each code as it is displayed, the red LED flashing once for 10's, and the green LED flashing once for 1's. Meaning: One red flash and two green flashes means code 12.4. To clear the ECU of any trouble codes, move the switch to the "DIAGNOSTICS" position then back to the "ON" position and turn off the key. Also very clear in the FSM (free download in the thread pinned in the Garage section) starting about EC-34. You have to watch, count and turn the screw... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 That how to will work. If you read it says: For VG30E with slotted switch: Turn the 'diagnostic mode selector' screw on the ECU fully clockwise. The check engine light will go out. Wait 5 seconds, then turn the screw fully counter clockwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrd1234 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 I'm seriously about to set it on fire. It's getting pretty frustrating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrd1234 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 I'm seriously about to set it on fire. It's getting pretty frustrating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Like the other guys said, the how-to (and the service manual diagnostics it's derived from) will work on your ECU, just remember that you have a VG30E, not a VG30I. Both are discussed. The I model has a switch, the E has the slotted deal. If you can get a code out of the ECU, it'll go a long way towards fixing the thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrd1234 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 For VG30E with slotted switch: Turn the 'diagnostic mode selector' screw on the ECU fully clockwise. The check engine light will go out. Wait 5 seconds, then turn the screw fully counter clockwise. 3. After it blinks both LED's 3 times move the toggle switch back to the on position. After about five seconds it will start to output out the diagnostic codes as with the 4-cylinder ECU. Note each code as it is displayed, the red LED flashing once for 10's, and the green LED flashing once for 1's. Meaning: One red flash and two green flashes means code 12.--------- when it says after both led's blink three times turn toggle switch back to on position. What toggle switch is it talking about, and I remember when I followed those steps up until the three blinks both lights blinked once, then twice. Not making any sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I'll bet that was copy/pasted from the VG30I section by mistake. I assume it means you turn the screw back clockwise again. So put the key in, ON position, turn the screw clockwise until it stops, wait five seconds, and then turn it counter clockwise until it stops. The LEDs blink, then you turn it clockwise again. Then it should spit out the codes. The FSM probably explains it better. If you can't get it to work, I'll take a whack at mine (I know I've done it before) and see if I can figure out how it's supposed to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 For VG30E with slotted switch: Turn the 'diagnostic mode selector' screw on the ECU fully clockwise. The check engine light will go out. Wait 5 seconds, then turn the screw fully counter clockwise. 3. After it blinks both LED's 3 times move the toggle switch back to the on position. After about five seconds it will start to output out the diagnostic codes as with the 4-cylinder ECU. Note each code as it is displayed, the red LED flashing once for 10's, and the green LED flashing once for 1's. Meaning: One red flash and two green flashes means code 12.--------- when it says after both led's blink three times turn toggle switch back to on position. What toggle switch is it talking about, and I remember when I followed those steps up until the three blinks both lights blinked once, then twice. Not making any sense Sorry, yes, that not correct, I will go back and change the original. It should read... For VG30E with slotted switch: Turn the 'diagnostic mode selector' screw on the ECU fully clockwise. The check engine light will go out. Wait 5 seconds, then turn the screw fully counter clockwise. 3. After it blinks both LED's 3 times move the toggle switch back to the on, turn the screw counterclockwise to the original position. My bad, I didn't read it all the way through, but was it that big a leap from switching a toggle to turning a screw? We are trying to help... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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