All posts by Frank from Motorvate.ca

K&N Filter Update… Two Years and 50,000 KM Later: Motorvate’s DIY Garage Ep.34

On this episode we show how well the K&N panel air filters are doing after 2 years and 50,000 KM or 31,000 miles.

Over the last 2 years we have had engine oil analyzed 3 times all just to see if the K&N panel air filters are doing a good job of keeping dirt out of an engine.

A used oil analysis is the most cost effective and accurate way
to determine how well:

YOUR air filter is filtering,
in YOUR car,
in the conditions
YOU drive in.

For about $40, you can find out how much dirt is in your engine oil.
All right then, let’s get to the results!





How it Works – Drive by Wire Motorvate’s DIY Garage Ep.31

How does drive by wire work? Why is drive by wire throttle laggy and slow? Well… 

On this episode of Motorvate’s DIY garage, we are going to show you how drive by wire works, by make our own drive by wire system using an Arduino Uno clone, an old volume control (variable resistor) and a electronic throttle body from an Infiniti G37 (same as just about every Nissan or Infiniti) 

The traditional way to open and close the throttle was with a steel cable.

Today, just about every car uses electric motors, electronics and wires to control the

throttle.  This is known as a “drive by wire” system or electronic throttle control (ETC)

As a bonus, this episode also proves that a drive by wire system can have VERY quick throttle response.

Link to the Arduino Uno used in this episode:
https://amzn.to/2oxgMtd

** Note **
We are a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.

How it Works – Electronic Throttle: Motorvate’s DIY Garage Ep.30

How does an electronic throttle work? Whats inside an electronic throttle? Well…

On this episode of Motorvate’s DIY garage, we are going to show you how an an electronic throttle works and the inside operation.

The one in the video is from an Infiniti G37, but the throttle body is also used on Nissan 370z, Skyline, Fuga  and a few other Infiniti models like EX37, FX37, Q40, Q50, Q70, QX50 and QX70. 

Basically any Nissan or Infiniti with a 3.7 litre v6! 

(For the motor geek: the throttle body is the same on the VQ37VHR and the VQ35HR. These engines were used for the last two years of the Nissan 350Z and Infiniti G35)

The video also explains why there are no power gains when the coolant lines are removed from the throttle body, aka “throttle body bypass” or “throttle body coolant bypass”.

As a bonus, the video also explains what the electronic throttle is doing when the “Throttle Valve Closed Position Learning” is being performed by the ECU. 

Use any OBD app/scanner to see how dirty your throttle body is EP.29

Use any OBD app and scanner to see how dirty your throttle body is without opening the hood or getting your hands dirty.

This episode is the result of almost 3 years of data collection using OBD Fusion’s diagnostic report. This report allowed me to see the slow changes that occurred over years.

Links:
• OBD Fusion: https://www.obdsoftware.net/software/obdfusion
• My other channel, OBD4Everyone, where I show use how to use the OBD apps :
https://www.youtube.com/obd4everyone

Quick & Easy Idle Air Volume Learning: Motorvate’s DIY Garage Ep.28

In this episode of Motorvate’s DIY garage, we are going to show you an easy way to perform the “idle air volume learning” procedure in about 10 seconds, using a free app.

Link to Episode 27: After Throttle Body Cleaning: https://youtu.be/HIiaF0VaTlQ

Link to my other channel:
https://www.youtube.com/obd4everyone

Link to NDS III Lite app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/de…

 

After Throttle Body Cleaning: Motorvate’s DIY Garage Ep.27

In this episode of Motorvate’s DIY Garage, we show the 3 simple things you need to do after cleaning the throttle body on any late model Nissan or Infiniti with “drive by wire” or an electronic throttle.

After cleaning the throttle body, the engine idle may be higher than it should be. This is because the clean throttle body will flow more air and that results in a higher idle.

The fix is simple: Just follow the 3 steps and save yourself a trip to the dealer and save yourself some money.

Episode 25: Easy Under Hood Cleaning

In this episode of Motorvate’s DIY Garage, we show a very quick and easy way to clean under the hood…. This is also known as an “Engine Shampoo” which is really a silly name.

In the past we have used other “engine degreasers”. They work well, but really smell bad for about a few weeks. Simple Green doesn’t smell at all and does a great job removing all the dirt under the hood.

Presented by spurgear.ca