Haven't installed it in my car, but helped a friend install one from a 2004 pathfinder in his coupe. The dipstick is actually made for this transmission housing and seems to be spot on. We had to trim the length at the top end a little bit and placed it right next to where the heater core hose bleeder is (replaced the old plastic coupler). And yeah I know it doesn't solve the issue, but 1/10000 cases, when the timing is just right, might save the day. I suppose temperatures would also spike up if the coolant started mixing in and lubrication was compromised. So having a display showing your transmission temp could help as well. Frank's GT-R gauges are a godsend for that. I guess preemptive measures would be the right way to go like with everything else, but at this point I'm in the cross your fingers and hope for the best camp because as I mentioned, I have a hard time justifying spending any more money on this car. Yet I hover over the order now button on BC Racing coilovers on a monthly basis lol.

 

I would love to try Frank's gauges, but it doesn't appear that they will go into production. It was a great idea.

I feel you with the money spending and finger hovering over buy now buttons. I am looking to purchase and add a Nismo H-pipe and Midpipe next; @RobC7 introduced this cool *** OEM+ upgrade.

Also, maybe I'll figure the external trannie cooler bypass option out and stop worrying about the transmission on a car I drive 5-6K a year; @BULL and @ILM-NC G37S may have some ideas here....

I looked into the dipstick once and I can't recall why I lost interest? Seems like an easy upgrade on the surface, but there was an "ah-ha" moment that discouraged me.


May

 

It was definitely a pain in the *** and a half to install and the process is one of the reasons I never did it myself. We were also installing his high flow cats at the same time. I believe those are in the way too. His coupe is rwd, so no transfer case in the way either. I'm only assuming its still showing accurate levels, haven't heard any complaints lol. At the time of install seemed to be right in between the 2 dots. Hard to remember details from 6 years ago .

Found the threat that inspired us to try it: https://www.myg37.com/forums/d-i-y-i...-your-7at.html Except we found a different dipstick that still worked.

 

This is more of an update from the recent last few weeks.

I was driving around and shut off my car, went into a business, and when I came out the car would crank and fail to start. Sputtered like it wasn't getting fuel. At this time the southern humidity and heat was up there still and I didn't feel like doing much diagnosing out there in a parking lot. I tried turning on the fuel pump via ECUTEK app and it didn't work. Had the car towed home.

I found the fog lamp fuse and put it into the fuel pump slot and the car started fine. I went and got new fuses and replaced the fog fuse. Problem solved, right?

Next day I'm again out somewhere, after car was consistently starting and stopping.. and suddenly it failed the same way again. Another tow home, 2nd day in a row.

I tried to turn on the ignition without starting the vehicle, so I can put it into neutral and roll it into my garage. I habitually held down the brake pedal and the car started. Hmm. It stayed on and ran fine. I shut it off and tried to turn it on again a few minutes later and it wouldn't turn on. I couldn't any longer start the fuel pump. I checked power with a multimeter at the harness while sending command from ECUTEK app to turn on the pump and it sent 12 volts as expected. I thought maybe the pump is overheating.

I checked the fuel tank on both sides and it seemed totally clean and normal from what is visible.

I took out the fuel pump and it had a bunch of gunk on it and the filter, as well as some stuff in the assembly. More confirmation? Maybe...







The condition of the wiring on the pump was fine. By the way I'd like to take a moment to say that AEM had outstanding support. I forgot what questions I had for them but I didn't expect them to be so dedicated in trying to talk this one out and figure out what is happening. I expected more of a simple answer to my simple questions that can only really be answered by them since they made the pump -- and then I'd be on my own from there. That was far from the case.

I was able to consistently power my fuel pump using this drill battery...



Maybe the pump was fine, and it really was just overheating? Well, I had already ordered a new one from AEM by this point because I wanted to get my order in before they closed for the day.

I asked the guy at VQFUELUPGRADES why he used that white, square filter instead of the one that comes with the AEM pump. He told me the AEM one doesn't fit in the basket. My tuner said it fits fine. I went and grabbed the new AEM filter I already had and placed it in the basket, with the plastic on, with no issue whatsoever. Not sure what he was talking about.



I cleaned out the pump assembly and the black thing/venturi port with a ZT 0562CF and hot water. I put in the new pump and filter. By the way, this metal clip is annoyingly difficult to attach:




Car started fine first try. Let it run a few minutes. It did sound like it was going to die, and it revved my engine about 1000 RPM and kept it on, then went back to normal. Started it again a few minutes later and it was fine. Then, it suddenly sputtered out and died. Hm, weird.

I charged the battery as it was a bit low.. likely at least in part due to the multiple attempts to start the engine. My fren came over and took me to Advance Auto as well, so I can buy one of those battery post and terminal cleaners.



Car seemed to be running fine day to day for a few days. Then, it wouldn't start. Again, the pump won't turn on. I disconnected the harness, tested voltage while sending "ON" command to pump via ECUTEK. It was fine. I plugged it into the tophat and the car started immediately. Pump went on just fine!

So I decided to manipulate the harness wiring and I was able to get the pump to SHUT OFF. I was able to manipulate the harness while the car was on until I no longer saw the bubbles in the fuel pump assembly and no longer heard the pump, and eventually the car starts dying. If I manipulate the wiring again to turn the pump on I can save the car from dying. It was the wiring all along! I cut the old connector off and bought a new one and soldered it on.



Car is consistently starting now. I went somewhere days later after it was all working fine and had to turn off the engine, and when I tried to start the car, it seemed like the electronics went on briefly and shut off. No crank attempt at all. Could not get the ignition or any electronics to do ANYTHING now. I went and messed with the power cable because I remember having to use vise grips to attach the terminal. That stupid terminal has always been a pain, and it just gets worse and worse to the point you have to do such weird things to get it on.. and apparently it wasn't enough. At this point all my stuff had reset as if the battery was disconnected. So I also replaced the positive terminal on my battery. Strange thing this time is that I had some trouble resetting the automatic windows. They would just fail to go down or up.. getting stuck all the way down or up, or part way open. I would have to switch to another of the 4 windows and do the procedure and then when I returned to a window I was working on, it started working again. Very weird.

 

Yesterday I had my Stillen to cat connection re-tightened due to a loud booming sound and a rattle that popped up in the cat region.

Completely solved the problem, but it also had a much more pronounced effect on the car. I know the Gs are known for being temperamental with any exhaust leaks and limp modes, but I didn’t realize how much the ecu would not only pull power, but even the transmission was shifting slowly making the whole car feel off. Once tightened, everything went back to normal - seemed like an extra 100 horsepower and the shifts are now back to normal, nice and crisp. And, the exhaust now sounds awesome - at first I was a bit unimpressed by the Stillen and it had a lot of drone, but now it sounds exactly as nice as I would have expected and the drone is drastically reduced,

During my build, we purposefully left the exhaust not fully tightened down while I was getting my wheels powder coated at another shop and I did in fact go into a major limp mode once on the way back from the wheel shop to the mechanics shop. This limp mode was almost a complete pull of power, essentially undriveable. I’m wondering if with so much going on during the build that they never fully tightened down this one connection because the car never felt or sounded as good as it does now.

So, in the end, problem solved, however, I feel like we’ve been driving a partially compromised car for the last months. Oh well, all’s well that ends well and she sounds great and rips now!

 

You are running the Stillen catback with the factory cats, or HFCs? Tough to find anyone running that exhaust without modifications to the cats.

 

Still running stock cats. I would have liked to have done the cats when I did the exhaust, but I had to draw the line somewhere and I got worried that if the O2 sensors got messed up during the process that this could cost me a pretty additional penny when I had more pressing other issues,

TBH, I almost wished my recent problem was a hole in the cat, etc so I could have an excuse to replace them 😁. I did replace my cats in my old G35 coupe and they made a big difference. But, this is officially my sons car, so it’s good enough for now,

My next mod is a new windshield. My current windshield has a lot of little chips in it normal for the age, but the previous owner somehow also got scratches on the windshield from the wipers (WTH??)and it is a pain to see in the sun. I thought this was going to be more expensive than it was - it only runs $253 installed through Safelite. Couldn’t pass up that deal and will make a big difference..

 

High Flow Cats are probably the #1 power adder on these cars naturally aspirated. The factory cats actually work well and have lasted for some time now.

New glass and headlights make the car look new. I clean and polish mine 1-2 times a year as it keeps it looking decent, but it does have all the tiny little chips in it from 12 years of use.

 

I’ve found the Cerakote headlight restoration kit to be the best I’ve used by far.

 

They've been advertising that kit on TV lately. It's only $20. That seems hundreds of dollars less expensive than going to a detail shop.

 

Walmart charges like $25 for headlight restoration.

 

GTK, mummy. Actually, that was a promo. The current cost is $38. None of which matters, it's lunch money, LOL.

Amazing.

 

I love their "Ceramic" spray. I've seen others on Reddit praise their glass wipes.

 

Wasn't a promo. Was that price, or lower, for years. They just jacked the price up recently, for whatever reason.

 

Probably bc it works 😁. You get multiple pre-wipes to remove oxidation, a nice sanding handle with Velcro to attach two different grits of wet sanding paper and the final sealant wipes.

You have to have faith though. When you get done wet sanding the plastic is completely hazy and looks like total crap. Then you run a wipe over them and instantly they become 100% clear. Quite amazing.

Next I’m going to try their trim restorer on my FX50.