# MY GTR HAS GONE MAD.............



## T80 GTR (Jan 10, 2010)

well, i was out driving when my car when it decided to light up like a fairgound.
all my warning lights came on greabox, 4wd, vdc, key, and master warning light
the the gears started flashing on the dash, water temp drop to -40. pull over turn'd her off 10mins later she fired up and drove fine....... but then it happen agen, and guess wot agen 3 f****ing times. just about made it home. i rang middle hurst told me to check brake fluid levels, was fine now they need to see the car.
has anyone else had problems like this or can anyone tell me want mite be causing this? 

thanks:thumbsup:


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## BuffordTJustice (Jan 4, 2010)

Sorry nothing to add, other than to say I hope it gets sorted ASAP.


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## charles charlie (May 3, 2008)

Judging by all the "caution and warning" lights, you should have said...


"Middlehursts, we have a problem...."



In all seriousness, I hope this gets sorted asap for you. Knowing Linda at MH as I do, she'll have you sorted in a jiffy.


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## kevan kemp (Jan 27, 2010)

T80 GTR said:


> well, i was out driving when my car when it decided to light up like a fairgound.
> all my warning lights came on greabox, 4wd, vdc, key, and master warning light
> the the gears started flashing on the dash, water temp drop to -40. pull over turn'd her off 10mins later she fired up and drove fine....... but then it happen agen, and guess wot agen 3 f****ing times. just about made it home. i rang middle hurst told me to check brake fluid levels, was fine now they need to see the car.
> has anyone else had problems like this or can anyone tell me want mite be causing this?
> ...


hi i will try to help you 
i do know alittle on fashhing lights & i love them lol

how ever your sought of flashing lights (not as pleaseing 


this is my advice due to your limited data given!!
all nissans after a certain year suffer from ecu dash light issues

the r35 gtr is no differant
the main issues with these systems revolve round low battery voltage

many gtrs are not used on a regular basis so battery voltage beggins to drop ! after a time the ecu throws up error codes all over the place!

in my experiance (guru status) badge expert your nissan sorry r35
has picked up code errors
the main one will be steering angle/ this will give your symtoms
i had traction lights/gear lights/suspension lights/return to dealer
all flashing!!!
what to do not telling you!
....................................................................................
only joking first trickle charge battery all night
then the difficult bit to belieave(trust me)
get your self down to your freindly nissan dealer(the ones with micras out side) ask them if they would be so kind to put there consult3 onto the dl16 data port(they will know where it is)you might use it if you have a cobb access port.
the technition selects 350z (dont laugh)run system
codes are wiped and this time stay off..before all you comics expect it to run like a "Z" it wont !!
you might have to persuade the technition but it works!! 9times out of 10 and if it doesnt youve lost a tenner HPC centres what do they know appart from very large invoices!! save your self some cash and give it ago i did.....i good luck kk:thumbsup:


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## Come on Geoff (Sep 13, 2009)

*The Truth Will Out*

In all seriousness, I hope this gets sorted asap for you. Knowing Linda at MH as I do, she'll have you sorted in a jiffy.[/QUOTE]


I see, and just how well do you know Linda. Taking the 5th is not an option over here, sorry.:chuckle:


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## charles charlie (May 3, 2008)

Come on Geoff said:


> I see, and just how well do you know Linda. Taking the 5th is not an option over here, sorry.:chuckle:


She's had chocolates and flowers off me.......


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## Zed Ed (Oct 24, 2007)

charles charlie said:


> She's had chocolates and flowers off me.......


you old smoothy


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## tyndago (Oct 24, 2002)

Sounds like a power or earth(ground) issue with the battery to me. I would take off the terminals, clean them, tighten them. 

My Q45 does the exact same thing about once every 8 months.


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## charles charlie (May 3, 2008)

Zed Ed said:


> you old smoothy


ha ha ha ha!!!!!


Love it!


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## Jimbostir (Dec 2, 2008)

Check the alternator is charging properly


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## E5.UNICORN (Jul 17, 2009)

I work with these units every day. You seam to have a fault with one of the many ECU, ECM, BSI or cluster the GTR has. Its in your best intrest to reset all of these units by removing the neg cable from the battery and leaving it for a good 1 hour. Reconnect and you should be O.K. If it happens again, you've got a serious fault and you hould have you car sent to your local HPC straight away. This fault will be stored within the so call mysterious black box found on the GTR and if not its a pile of shite.


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## T80 GTR (Jan 10, 2010)

Update!!!
Midedlehurst collected my GTR R35 last week and after testing all wiring and ECU's they found the problem was the engine ECU.
The problem occured due to having the car flashed and re-maped by ecutek software, which may contain crupt files in result needing a new engine ECU.
Ever since i had the flash and re-map ive had numerous amount of electrical faults with the car. 
Within 2 hours of having it done, the car went into limp mode when i was in heavy traffic on the M6 going home. I had to leave the car for 10 minutes in the hard shoudler till it restarted and went back to normal.
I rang Ian from Litchfield to ask him why the car was behaving like this and questioned him on whether it was to do with the flash and re-map because i NEVER had any problems with the car before. He told me it was nothing to do with re-map and ive probably got a problem with the gearbox (which i thought was a bit cheecky as ive never had any problems with the car).
Spoke to him today and i told him the full 100 that his re-map has caused my ENGINE ECU to fail. He then went on to tell me that his re-map was unlikely to cause this problem but was willing to help me solve the problem by taking my ECU and updating it with the new software that he had got. 
I will be hearing from him hearing from him tomorrow as he told me he would speak to Middlehurst and also told me he would go up there and try and fix the problem, so i will see what he says tomorrow .


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## sumo69 (Mar 31, 2008)

Are Middlehurst refusing to warranty repair the failure as a result of their findings?

Did you volunteer the info to them?

What stage remap are you running by the way?

D

PS Hope it gets sorted without too much pain to the wallett!


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## thistle (Oct 27, 2007)

I'm sure Ian will look after you. ECUs can be weird, but it is often incorrect to blame them, but -40 on the MFD happens when the MFD is not receiving CAN signals from the ECM. Flash memory techniques are not always reliable, they can be voltage, RF and timing sensitive. With checksums and self testing though, they usually tend to be all or nothing, the car won't start or it will and is perfect. It may be that ECM replacement is not the end of your issues, but I hope it is for you.


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## E5.UNICORN (Jul 17, 2009)

The only way this will now bee sorted is either a new ecu or the exact same dump file to be re-instated in to your ecu. To be honest with you i dont know why people are bothering with this cars performance via the ecu as 100s of stories have come out of the states and australia about the issues people have had. Nissan has sucked all the performance out of this so if your going to upgrade in any way start with the hardware and not bits of it as the bits you dont change will probably fail due to the stress. Cobb tuning got it right as you always have the original file within a box so if any errors are caused by a new map the original can always be uploaded, unless the hardware fails whilst uploading or downloading. All the best you may need it.


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## thistle (Oct 27, 2007)

I'm aware of few flash related problems on GTRs. In the main LC1 failures, engine bearing failures, BCM failures, key failures, solenoid failures on stock and tuned cars.

The gains from simply flashing are huge on this car with high 2s 0-60, high 6s 0-100 and high 10s on the quarter on the best stock cars with just a flash and with excellent reliability apart from the known issues above.


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## ScottyB (Jun 9, 2009)

IF it can be proven that the ECU reflash caused the issue AND Middlehurst are not going to cover a new ECU under warranty (Don't see why they should as you have played with it) then hopefully Ian Litchfield will do the decent thing and ensure your car is repaired so that it is running 100% even if this includes stumping up for a new ECU.

Dont hold your breath!!


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## David.Yu (Jun 28, 2001)

Uh oh, don't let Steve! see this...


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## Litchfield (Feb 26, 2008)

Just to be clear on this before trial by internet takes over  The first I knew of any “ECU fault” was from Mr Thompson’s phone call at 17:14pm yesterday.

Some brief history. The car was actually my old demo and has been through various owners and thus far as not caused a problem. Not bad considering it was the first car in the UK and with over 40,000 spirited miles 

As you can imagine it has been programmed a few times with the ECUTEK software, of which we have never had a problem with ANY GTR we have programmed. No “Bricked” ECUs. 

Mr Thompson visited us on the 5th of November last year for tyres, an exhaust fit and remap. I tested and logged the car after the remap and everything we fine.

Just before he reach home he said a “gearbox light came on when at the redline in 2nd gear” the car when into limp mode. I called Mr Thompson the next day but no answer.

I heard nothing more about the problem until by chance I met Mr Thompson at the Autosport Show. He said the fault had not re-appeared after turning the car on and off and seemed happy as we discussed further upgrades including intercoolers etc.

So the next time I hear of this was late yesterday afternoons phone call. Mr Thompson said he did not have any more problems (including a driving trip to Europe) until about a week and a half ago. I explained that I did not think that the ECU remap had caused a problem particularly as such a long period of time had passed without fault. I said I would speak to Middlehurst and help him resolve it.
I immediately called Middlehurst but there was no answer, understandable at that time.

I spoken to Andy Middlehurst first thing this morning and then immediately left a message for Mr Thompson to call me. Andy and I discussed the faults and that they would send the ECU straight to ECUTEK for examination. We both thought it very unlikely that the act of reprogramming the ECU had caused the problem but ECUTEK would be able to check.

Moments later Andy called me back to say he has spoken with his chief technician he believes it wasn’t the reprogramming but an unrelated communication error with the ECU as Consult III would no longer communicate.

So after a few hours of work this morning I thought I’d read some of the forums only to discover this thread, joy 

So I think it’s fair to say we have acted correctly, quickly, and will continue to support our customer. Naturally we will make any decisions once the FACTS are know on exactly what has gone wrong with the car.

Iain


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## maxxwaxx (Feb 25, 2008)

Dont worry we know theres always more than one side to every story


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## Litchfield (Feb 26, 2008)

Cheers Max


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## countvonc (Feb 11, 2009)

Yeah, facts are the key thing. All parties need to have the opportunity to examine the car and react before the trial starts.


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## zeyd (Apr 15, 2008)

i would ask myself why the HPC said that this is ecutek fault if they new there is a hardware problem as consult3 didn't communicate properly


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## Litchfield (Feb 26, 2008)

In fairness to Middlehurst anything that may have been said originally is based on them thinking the ECU had been meddled with. However experience says ECUs tend to either work or not, they don’t progressively get worse. We only change the units in predefined tables not solder in additional hardware etc.

They have tested the car with another JDM ECU and everything would appear to be ok. That to me means either the original ECU has a problem (for whatever reason) or the Communication error that stops their ConsultIII resetting the original ECU is the problem. ECUTEK checking the ECU should show what the issue is.


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## Robbie J (Jan 8, 2005)

as usual a load of hearsay before any facts

I will leave the silly posts in as its obvious you are dealing with it and its unlikely the flash anyway but proves how people make assumptions...


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## charles charlie (May 3, 2008)

Good on you Ian for taking the time to calmly give your side of this and looking into the problem.


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## sumo69 (Mar 31, 2008)

charles charlie said:


> Good on you Ian for taking the time to calmly give your side of this and looking into the problem.


..as any reputable retailer would - I don't think Litchfield's strong reputation would be so if they turned their back when issues like this arise.

For clarification, I haven't met Ian or spent a penny with him..yet!!

D


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## NINEIR0N (Oct 5, 2009)

If my GTR got the hump after the mods/tweaks I've made ,IAN is and should be the first port of call for any GTR owner.What he dont know aint worth knowing. First class service all round.

P.s This is not an ad. Its from first hand experience.


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## highlandsaf (Jun 24, 2009)

I must say Ian I have always found you and your staff top notch. You and your guys deliver a service second to none and at a price that makes your customers smile. All my dealings I have found you and your staff honest and true to your word which is more than I could say for my hpc

Keep up the good work


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## Litchfield (Feb 26, 2008)

Mystery solved! The ECU has been programmed with a Cobb device.

Spoke to Middlehurst again and they said the customer mentioned he had “plugged in a handheld device to check the fault codes”. Middlehurst mentioned something about a “stage2 map” and assumed it was something we had installed.

Iain


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## Cardiff R33 (Jan 16, 2004)

the plot thickens


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## Litchfield (Feb 26, 2008)

Had a good chat with Ben to confirm a theory I had about why the Cobb might have caused a problem.

Just need to get hold of the customer now to find out what he wants to do....


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## charles charlie (May 3, 2008)

.....and why he was cobbing an ecutek tuned gtr?


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## David.Yu (Jun 28, 2001)

charles charlie said:


> .....and why he was cobbing an ecutek tuned gtr?


+1. Never heard of a Cobb-related ECU failure either.

Could it have been unplugged mid-upload? I can imagine that would be a very bad thing...


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## Litchfield (Feb 26, 2008)

who knows charlie, maybe he was _sold_ it on the bases it might make a difference to power (not by Ben I should add).

There have been problems with all types/brands of programming especially on the very early cars. Thats why we used our own cars for development. This car also has something else added that would effect programming. So I don't think it is the Cobbs fault directly.


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## Zed Ed (Oct 24, 2007)

OP seems to have gone awol


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

T80 GTR said:


> Update!!!
> Midedlehurst collected my GTR R35 last week and after testing all wiring and ECU's they found the problem was the engine ECU.
> The problem occured due to having the car flashed and re-maped by ecutek software, which may contain crupt files in result needing a new engine ECU.
> Ever since i had the flash and re-map ive had numerous amount of electrical faults with the car.
> ...



mr t thompson pm'd me on 12th Jan asking about an AccessPORT, but he didn't buy from us.

Ive never seen this reg R35, only OP knows what he has.

I will say that there are known cases of early JDM 35's with ecm faults. One such case in SG when a R35 cut out while driving with dash board lit up, i heard Nissan Japan took this car back on grounds the owner could have had a serious accident.

It is unlikley a flash will damage an ecu, car will either work or not start if flash does not complete as we learnt in early days.


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## charles charlie (May 3, 2008)

There certainly is more here than meets the eye as far as how open the OP was being with his car and situation.

Saw his Black GTR parked up outside MH on Saturday and I thought I recognised the reg number. Last saw it on eBay with a BIN of almost £3k......


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## Litchfield (Feb 26, 2008)

I have not been able to get hold of the customer to confirm what has actually happened. 

Speaking to Middlehurst, who have been very helpful as always, it would appear that the CAN Delimit box has somehow been reconnected or a new one installed. Before I sold the car in 2008 (it’s on its 4th or 5th owner) we had previously disconnected this and reflashed with a standard JDM ECU ROM with the speed limit lifted.

I think trying to program the car at a later date with the Cobb has caused a corrupted CAN signal which in turn has caused the ECU error. I can only assume that the longer programming time of the Cobb units vs Ecutek (10-15 seconds) leaves it more open to an unusual external product as it didn’t cause a problem when I programmed it back in November. 

I remembered Ecutek saying that communicating with JDM cars with CAN boxes could be a problem and they would advice disconnecting CAN interface boxes to be safe. We’ve have had strange communication issues using our ConsultIII on JDM cars with boxes connected.

There should be not be any compatibility issues with Ecutek/Cobb if either one needs to write over the other particularly if the Cobb is put back to stock ROM.

ECUTEK hope to be able to flash this ECU back to standard using the bench programmer but I’ll wait for the customer to confirm what he would like us to do.

Iain


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## David.Yu (Jun 28, 2001)

Great cooperation between different vendors here. Hopefully the ECU can be reset rather than needing replacement.

Moral of the story appears to be, don't try to add one remap onto another without consulting the experts first...


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## GTR_Steve (Sep 4, 2008)

Quite comforting to see this cooperation after reading so many warranty horror stories. I'm sure Nissan would not replace the unit under warranty but Middlehurst have excelled in helping Iain get to the bottom of the problem... choose your HPC carefully, can't beat Middlehurst from my limited experience!


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## thistle (Oct 27, 2007)

Nice fault hunting Iain. I never even realised people were using external boxes for speed delimit, it seems natural to do it in software.

Does Ecutek flash in 10-15 seconds?


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## Litchfield (Feb 26, 2008)

Bought my last GTR from Middlehurst and they have been excellent.

John speedo boxes were back in the dark ages of 2008


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## sin (Dec 3, 2007)

Iain, hats off to you for getting to the root of the problem with out going on the defensive. Threads like this can do companies like yourselves lots of harm with out all the facts in place. 

Great attitude, great professionalism and great customer service, what more do GT-R owners want.

The only downside is your so far away.

P.S. Hope the OP's car gets sorted soon.


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## thistle (Oct 27, 2007)

I'm waist deep in CAN at present, I'm glad we've moved on from the dark ages of putting 3rd party electronics permanently on that bus, considering the Toyota like possibilities.


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## Litchfield (Feb 26, 2008)

Cheers Sin much appreciated,

John, you techy geeks love it  I wonder how much money Subaru UK would have saved if they didn't use a speedo delimited box and a standard jdm STI map in the P1


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## rblvjenkins (Mar 8, 2008)

This thread just goes to re-confirm why I'm so glad we have such exemplary enthusiasts like Iain Litchfield, Andy Middlehurst and Ben Linney with companies that can and do give so much to us R35 owners.

Thanks so much to the three of you, and please be sure that when any of us true enthusiasts reads anything that even suggests you're doing anything other than being utterly professional, the onus of proof is certainly not on you guys!!!


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## E5.UNICORN (Jul 17, 2009)

charles charlie said:


> .....and why he was cobbing an ecutek tuned gtr?


Tunes and then cobed, WTF. LOL


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## sin (Dec 3, 2007)

E5.UNICORN said:


> Tunes and then cobed, WTF. LOL


Some people are just greedy


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## Wildrover (Dec 16, 2008)

Looks like a witch hunt thread, very disappointing.

I'm keeping my STANDARD and then these problems will never exist. Throw away Cobb and Ecutek - 485bhp (500bhp) is enough for me.

NB: I agree the tuner companies are doing their best to sort it - but leave alone and then you won't have to worry about problems........


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## E5.UNICORN (Jul 17, 2009)

Wildrover said:


> Looks like a witch hunt thread, very disappointing.
> 
> I'm keeping my STANDARD and then these problems will never exist. Throw away Cobb and Ecutek - 485bhp (500bhp) is enough for me.
> 
> NB: I agree the tuner companies are doing their best to sort it - but leave alone and then you won't have to worry about problems........


 _+1:thumbsup: ofr now anyways.


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