so what's the code?

no excuse nowadays - get a $6 Bluetooth OBDII dongle and use a smartphone app to read/clear codes.

 

Thanks for the tip regarding the bluetooth OBDII dongle. I bought one and connected it up within 10 minutes of receiving it. The error code was defined as a 'high air intake sensor' signal or something like that. I cleared the code and it hasn't come back. Must have been a temporary fault from when I pulled the connectors to the air intakes.

Nice gismo to have for $18 bucks (including shipping). I didn't use the software that came with the device since it caused a few alarms on my PC and Android device. I downloaded a free version of Torque Lite from Google Play.

Dan

 

Which bluetooth dongle did you get?

 

I bought the Hikeren device. Here's a link to it on Amazon; (these links may not persist so I've included a photo of the device, as well.




I liked the feature of including an On/Off button so you can leave it installed and just turn it on when needed.

A note regarding connecting to it via Bluetooth. Once the OBD device is installed and turned on, use your phone (I used a Samsung Galaxy S5) to scan and connect to the device in the usual manner for Bluetooth pairing. However, the device does not remain connected like most Bluetooth devices such as headsets and speakers. Starting the Torque Lite (or Torque Pro) app will activate the Bluetooth connection and will disconnect when you terminate the app. There are settings in the app that control the Bluetooth behavior. I wasted a couple of minutes trying to get a continuous bluetooth connection by pairing and repairing. Just pair the device once and then start the Torque app.

Dan

PS The price was $18.66 including shipping.

 

that is the exact same device i have. LOL
i have another one, but its too long and i didn't want to whack it with my knee when i used it in my other car. the ON/OFF button is a nice bonus, too.

try the Torque Pro app - worth every penny, and does a LOT more than the Lite version.

 

Guess its time to get one, Im looking at the link and it says it comes with Torque Pro on a cd?

 

i wouldnt load any software from a Chinese CD ....

 

Agreed. I scanned the cd on my PC with an antivirus scanner and it came up with a few adware related items. However, when I emailed and downloaded the .apk file to my Android phone for the Torque app, my phone's antivirus squawked. At that point I decided it would be best to get the app from Google Play; I think Google check the app software they post for such things.

 

Just a heads up for those of you with Amazon Prime and interested in said device... It's on sale for $12.79 currently.

 

Ill just download it from the play store whenever I get mine, thanks for the heads up.

 

I thought I'd try out Thedbarz's original single lights LED installation, as it doesn't require much mechanical work and looks neat and clean on the 09 bumper grills. (No picture because they look exactly the same as his once installed.) I got the same individual LED's from "Light in the Box" and put four on each side. (They're only about $2.50 ea. and are available from other sellers also; mine seemed to be well sealed and water-proof.) I had some difficulty threading the lights into holes in the grill as he did, without the leads coming off--they seem to be quite thin and delicate--so used the nuts on the back to secure them but just finger tight. I purchased 10, ruined one, and then two of the installed ones failed after a few hours. I had checked each before installation and did a good job with the wiring so was confident it was a parts failure. Seller quickly agreed to send two replacements wo/ returning the bad ones.


Regarding the DRL controller problem he experienced, and the suggested fix by Wirth315 by disconnecting the IPDM module, I wasn't comfortable doing that and instead connected the DRL module ground / negative lead directly to the battery. I read a lot of discussions elsewhere regarding this issue and think that will solve the problem. It seems if you use a chassis ground (contrary to the module's directions) it puts the controller into the car's control management circuitry because of the way the battery's grounded. If you connect the DRL module / lights circuit directly to the battery then it is parallel to the car's electrical system and not monitored. Anyway, I've been using the module with no problems for over a month.


I got the module on eBay from a US shipper (downlightdirect) for about $13. I noticed the exact same module is sold under a number of brand names, but it's the one that has the schematic on the case, and in addition to the red / black leads for the two banks of LED's, also a white wire for optional connection to the headlights to dim the LED's when they are on, and blue and yellow wires for the L and R turn signal lights, if you want the LED's to flash with the turn signal lights.


I was able to position the module under the fender lip about half way between the battery and the windshield washer container, and then the wires just reached the battery in one direction and then down to the passenger side LEDS and across the front of the car behind the bumper assembly to the driver side LED's. The wires are sleeved / shielded but still you should keep them away from radiator / oil cooler aluminum plumbing that gets hot when driving.) I did have to add a section to the yellow or blue wire (can't remember which color on that side) meant for the turn signal connection on the driver's side.


At first I just hooked up the LED banks on each side and checked out the basic system. My biggest fear was the module wouldn't shut off the LED's after the engine is turned off, but it has done so flawlessly so far. They stay on for only about 10 secs. Also there's no indication this module works by sensing vibrations -- it senses changes in the car's electrical current to turn on and off. The only problem was two of the individual LED's failed after a few miles, but I had installed them in a way that makes replacing them fairly easy, although I do have to lower the front of the engine splash guard to get at the wires.


After a few days I connected the yellow and blue wires to the turn signals on each side. I could do that from the engine compartment because I had earlier converted the turn signal bulbs to LED's from Diode Dynamics. That project had required removing the wheel well splash guards to tap the wires for the necessary load resistors to prevent hyper-blinking. Because I had installed the resistors above in the engine bay, I was able to tap the resistor leads from above and not get into removing the wheel splash guards again. Finally I attached the white wire to the city or parking light circuit. I chose to tap the parking light circuit on the passenger side because it's possible -- though not easy -- to tap the "hot" wire for that light from above, by moving aside the air filter container and then the top half of the windshield washer reservoir, and also removing the light from it's socket (as if you were going to replace the bulb). That gave me just enough wire (mine was green-yellow) to work with. I used one of the red plastic-covered wire-tap fasteners that came with the DD resistors, only because there wasn't enough room to cut, clean insulation, and splice the wires properly. But the connector worked (so far). The alternative to all this tight work from above would be to remove the passenger side wheel well splash guard and access the parking light wire from below. The instructions say to connect the white wire to the low beam headlights, but that would have to be done from below the car with wheel splash guard removed, plus you'd have to figure out which wire to tap. I think it's safer and easier to tap the parking / city light wire instead, which works equally well. The module just needs to get a 12 volt signal in order to dim the LED's.


So far so good. I figure if I continue to have trouble w/ the individual LED's, the module and wiring is in place, so I'll probably replace them with a decent looking LED strip of sealed four lights on each side. Then I can look just like all those E class Mercedes I notice now.

 

For Runzgood... Glad your DRL controller / LED lights are working properly... but my guess is your IPDM hasn't kicked in fully yet. The volts at the battery will drop to 12.6-12.9 when the IPDM fully kicks in... and this is now enough to trigger MOST DRL volt sensing controllers to turn off. Your DRL controller must be less sensitive than most, being it stays on at lower threshold voltage than most. The IPDM bypass, was taught to me by a Infiniti Master Mechanic who has disabled them on Customers vehicles when they came in repeatedly under warranty for dead battery issues. Many elderly folks let their car sit for days, then make short trips, let car sit for days. End result was low voltage battery as the IPDM 12.9 volts isn't enough juice to boost the battery and constant steady 14.1 volts keeps the battery up. Keep us posted on your DRL status. If yours continues to work flawlessly, It may be a better DRL controller to use for others who do this mod. I'm coming up on a year with NO ISSUES, Burned out LED bulbs etc... Knock on wood.

 

When I was researching DRL controllers I read all the posts elsewhere about the IPDM issue and people who don't drive the car often enough or far enough for the alternator to sufficiently charge the battery (at least maybe the earlier models -- 2008-10). A lot of the explanations didn't seem very plausible to me, that Infiniti would design a voltage regulation system that couldn't handle that situation without either a lot of dead batteries, or needing to disconnect the IPDM. So I decided to add a voltmeter and monitor the system for a while. This resulted in a neat little modification where I found a small digital voltmeter that fits snugly into the removable ash try receptacle. Then I modified a male cigarette lighter plug to get power to the voltmeter, which is next to it. (I plan on posting the modification w/ pics soon; of course you can buy a digital voltmeter unit that plugs directly into the cigarette lighter socket, but I didn't like their looks.)


What I've learned from watching the voltmeter is, at least for my '09 Journey Coupe, in the Accessory ignition position, it reads 12.3 - 12.3 volts, which of course is the battery only, as the car isn't running and the alternator isn't functioning. If I begin adding loads -- radio, navigation system, headlights, etc., the reading begins to slip down a few tenths, and would eventually drop below 12 volts as the battery discharges.


When I start the car, the voltage immediately jumps to 14.5 or so. Then fairly quickly it settles to 13.2 - 13.3, usually before I back out of the garage. Sometimes before I drive a block. It's not all of a sudden, like a switch or relay, it just begins to fall a tenth at a time until it gets to 13.2 volts. It remains there all while I'm driving, regardless of loads, etc., so that's the regulated alternator output, operating all electrical systems of the car and also charging the battery.


Therefore I don't seem to have the situation you found where the voltage drops to below 13 volts, which apparently is insufficient to keep the DRL module on. Do you happen to know if the IPDM issue, and needing to disconnect it continued on to later model years, or did Infiniti maybe make changes to the system?


BTW, I finally received the replacement LED's and put them in so now we'll see how long all 8 last. They're advertised as being waterproof, but so far they haven't been exposed to any rain, etc. But the DRL module continues to function as advertised. The LED's turn off about 10 secs. after the car and all lights are turned off. (I haven't tried it yet with the headlights in the "Auto" position.)


I did notice one change in how the lights work w/ the LED's: Before if I parked the car but left only the parking / city lights on, they would shut off automatically after about 3 mins. Now, and I think because I connected the white DRL "dimmer" wire to the parking lights instead of the low beams, if I turn the car off and then turn the parking lights on, the LED's also come on and they all stay on -- no auto shut-off.

 

I have an Escort Passport Radar Detector that shows volts. In my 2011 G37x Coupe, it would always show 14.3 volts at start up, then drop to 12.9-13.1 volts and my DRL's would shut off from the DRL controller showing the voltage drop, or reaching the off threshold etc... About every 3rd start, it would stay in 14.3 volts for the duration of my drive 10-30 minutes.


With the IPDM (unplugged) it's 14.3 volts all the time... Just like all my other cars.


IPDM Stands for: Intelligent Power Distribution Module... as my Nissan's have the same setup as Infiniti's.


The IPDM is designed to save gas.


As for the lights... My first batch I bought was Dec. 2014 From Cenn2010 on ebay. I bought 10 and used 8 on my G37x. They are well sealed where the wires go into the lights.


I bought a 2nd batch of 10 for a new project... From same seller on Ebay in July 2015. They are a different light. Smaller nut, way less quality of seal where the wires go into the light. After installing a couple... one was finicky. Had to unsolder the wires and replace the light. Pain in the butt as I already loomed / taped everything. I replaced the light being very careful not to put tension on the wires/light junction. It's been working fine for 4 mos... but again, the 2nd batch of 3 watt LED lights from Cenn2010 is NOT the same light or quality of my original batch of 10. The new lights need an extra dab of silicone to seal / stabilize the wiring / light junction.


Over all, I like these LED's and the OEM appearance they have over the solid light bar LED's that look like a generic bolt on light bar. :-)

 

Just a quick update to my 11-15-15 post re: DRL controller and individual LED's for an '09 Coupe. After about 10 weeks the controller has operated flawlessly and the individual LED's also holding up well, even w/ some long trips in bad weather. This is with connecting the controller directly to the battery, both positive and negative terminals. The LED's turn off about 15 secs after the car is turned off. Also, the LED's are connected to the city / parking lights to dim when the headlights are on, but if I leave city / parking lights on and leave the car, eventually both go off after 1 - 2 mins. So I feel comfortable with this controller both keeping the LED's on while driving, and turning them off after turning the engine off in all modes, i.e., headlights on manual, or auto on / off, or if city / parking lights are left on. It's all good.