28 February 2015

2015 BMW X1 sDrive28i Engine Bay

Took a engine bay picture of a BMW X1 sDrive28i after a test drive. Very peppy SAV and drives just like a car.



27 February 2015

DIY: Fuel Pressure Regulator on Infiniti QX4 and Nissan Pathfinder (R50)

How to change the fuel pressure regulator on a 2001-2003 Infiniti QX4 and Nissan Pathfinder (R50). May apply to earlier models.

I purchased  Standard Motor Products PR59 Pressure Regulator to replace the old OEM regulator.

Step 1: Remove the fuel pump fuse. Pull out the coin tray to access the fuses. The fuse is the second column from the driver door, and the fourth one down.

Step 2: Remove engine cover. Three 10mm bolts. Location is highlighted by red arrows. 

 
Step 3: Locate the old fuel pressure regulator. The FPR is located in the bottom left corner underneath the engine cover. The old FPR is removed in the picture below.

Old and new fuel pressure regulator side by side picture. The new one is a silver color.
Step 4:  Remove old fuel pressure regulator.

Loosen the hose clamp with a Phillips screwdriver and remove hose attached to the long tube of the FPR. The hose may be difficult to remove so a moderate amount of pull is necessary to get it off.

The hose that is bent to 90 degrees and attached to the short tube is removed by simply pulling it off.

The fuel pressure regulator is held into place by two Phillips screws. The screws I had were extremely soft and I could feel that they were going to be stripped if I tried loosening them by hand. I used a electric driver and put it on the lowest speed to remove the screws. Please be careful in removing the screws and do your best to not strip them.

Picture for reference. Note that this is the new Fuel Pressure Regulator that is installed.

Once the screws are out, pull the fuel pressure regulator out. I had some difficulty removing the old FPR and required a lot of force to pull it out. Also, there will be fuel gushing out. To minimize this, some people have recommended starting the car a few times after the fuel fuse has been pulled to suck as much fuel out of the lines.

Step 5: Install new fuel pressure regulator.

Make sure new FPR has a rubber seal. See picture below for location of seal.


Put new FPR where the old FPR went, install the two Phillips screw making sure not to strip them. Attach the two hoses and tighten the clamp with a Phillips screw driver on the long hose.

This is what it should look like in the picture below.


Step 6:  Install engine cover with the three 10mm bolts.


Step 7: Re-insert fuel fuse and start car.

Notes: Fuel may gush out when pulling the hoses or the FPR out. I put red shop rags around the area to soak up any fuel.

There is another fuel pressure regulator right next to the one I changed. I would like to change it however I do not know how to remove the hose clamp as it is not attached with a Phillips screw.

Again, take precaution removing the Phillips screws. They were extremely soft on my car.

I attached a link to the FPR I bought on Amazon. It is not OEM but looks identical and has been working fine ever since. It comes with a 60 month/50,000 mile warranty in case there are any issues. It is in the $50.00 range whereas the dealership wanted $78.00.

Please leave a comment below if the procedure is the same for earlier Pathfinder and QX4s.

Why change a FPR and symptoms of a bad FPR:
Car does not run smooth.
Car is running rich and strong smell of gas coming out of exhaust.
Blackened spark plugs.
Poor gas mileage.

In my case, my QX4 would stutter on start up and was running very rich. There was an overpowering gas smell when starting and the gas mileage was terrible. 
 



Note: The nuts and bolts may be very difficult to remove after years of grime and rust. Do not risk stripping or damaging the hardware. I highly suggest using penetrating oil to help in removal. Kroil and PB Blaster are good penetrating oils.

24 February 2015

DIY: Xenon Headlight Bulb on Infiniti QX4

How to change Xenon headlights on an Infiniti QX4 (2001-2003)

Tools required:
10mm socket and ratchet
Pliers to remove the air hose connected to the back of air box (maybe). 

Parts: 
Two D2R 85126 Xenon bulbs. I bought two Philips D2R Xenon HID Headlight Bulb (Pack of 1)

Steps:
Remove battery for access passenger side low-beam bulb and personal safety. 10mm nuts secure the battery and the positive and negative cables.



Remove air filter box on driver side.

The air filter box is secured with two 10mm nuts with washers and two 10mm bolts. Red arrows point to their location.

Remove the two hoses that go on top of the air box. One of the hoses attached to the back of the air box and may be difficult to remove. I used needle nose pliers and carefully wiggled it back and forth until the hose came off.




Remove mass air flow sensor tube from the back of the air flow box.
-Remove four 10mm bolts that hold MAF tube to the back of air box. The bolts have two small washers on them.
-You may or may not want to remove the wiring that plugs into the mass air flow sensor. Up to you, just be careful not to damage any of the wires.



-Use a Phillips screwdriver to loosen the clamp that attaches the throttle body boot to the top of the mass air flow sensor.

There is a large wiring bundle that is in the way of my air box so I removed the mass air flow sensor tube first and then removed the air box. Do whichever way is easiest for you.

You now have proper access to the headlamps.

Remove the caps that protect the headlamps by twisting clockwise. Below is a picture of what the caps look like. Note: If the caps were difficult to remove, use some 3M Clear Silicone Paste - 8 oz.





The wires attached to the xenon bulb and the clips that hold it in place are now exposed.

Gently remove the plug by twisting it counter-clockwise and pulling it out of the way. The wire plug is highlighted with a star outline below.





There is a clip that holds the xenon bulb in place. Depress each side and move the clip out of the way.  The arrows point to the clips in the picture below.





Carefully remove the old Xenon bulb by pulling it straight out. The picture below shows what the light bulb housing looks like after the bulb has been removed.





Here is a side by side comparison of the old and new xenon light bulbs. The old one is on the left and you can tell it is going bad because the circular ball in the middle is very cloudy. The new xenon bulb is clear.




Insert the new Xenon bulb back into the housing. DO NOT touch the bulb with your bare hands. The oils will create a hot spot on the bulb and may explode when you turn on your lights. Please wear gloves if you absolutely have to touch the bulbs.

There is a half circle and rectangular detent on the bulb that needs to be on top to be correctly inserted into the housing. You must match this up to the housing so the bulb will fit properly. Look at the picture below for the detents.





-Reinstall the clips and plug the wires into the back of the bulb.
-Turn the plug clockwise and make sure it is secure.
-Install the cap that cover by placing it over the bulb housing and turn clockwise. There is an arrow that indicates which side is up.

Reinstall the battery and turn the lights on to see if they work.

Reinstall the air filter box and mass air flow sensor tube. I installed the air filter box first and then the air filter tube. It is easier this way on my car but do whatever is easiest for you.

Make sure:
Clamp is tightened on the side facing the engine of the MAF tube.
Four bolts and eight washers are installed on the side facing the air box of the MAF tube.
Reinstall wire plug to MAF if you removed it.
Install air box with the two 10mm nuts and washers and two 10mm bolts.
The air hose that goes on the back of the filter box is reinstalled. I put some silicone grease to make removal and installation easier in the future. Super Lube Synthetic Grease works well.

You may or may not want to put some dielectric grease on the light bulb plugs. It's up to you; the bulb will work either way. I use Permatex Dielectric Tune-Up Grease to prevent corrosion and easy removal next time I change the bulb. 

Enjoy your new lights. Please do not touch the bulbs with bare hands and disconnect the battery before doing any work.

Why should you change the Xenon bulbs yourself? 
It is super easy and much cheaper than the dealership. The dealer wanted $250+ to change the each bulb. Amazon is selling the bulbs for $34+ each!



If your ballasts are bad, this replacement and installation guide will be helpful.