[mwnaylor]

So I realized the other day my truck is past inspection. When I went to Nissan to have them inspect it, the technician informed me that in North Carolina if the SES light is on they won't inspect it because it will not pass. I asked him if I could clear the code and come back and he kindly told me I can't do that (which I have reset the light by unhooking the negative terminal before and he told me that doesn't work and he didn't know why it reset on my truck.... brilliant...).

I spoke with a different mechanic today and was told to try filling the tank all the way up, unhooking the negative terminal on the battery, driving it a good distance (not sure how far to drive to clear codes), then getting it inspected at his place.

So my question is, has anyone tried clearing the code with success and had their vehicle inspected? Also how far do you have to drive with no SES light to clear the active codes?

I'm still trying to work on the Nissan dealership I bought the truck from to do something about the stupid fuel level sensor (insert foul language here) that went out at 46k miles... Thanks in advance guys.

 

[FitzIngarage]

The repair may be covered by a recent recall, in which case the fix won't cost you a dime. If your Dealer didn't check your VIN to see if it's on the recall list, they're derelicts.

 

[HKYStormFront]

yea there is a recall on the FSU, find out if your truck is covered. the mechanic is correct in saying you can't just clear the codes and inspect it (that would defeat the purpose of checking wouldn't it?). it has to be driven until a list of certain conditions are met. all vehicles with OBD systems run tests constantly to keep them running at optimum performance. it has to run all except one, iirc, and give them the "OK" to pass an inspection. go ahead and inspect it and get a failure sheet if you are really worried about it (pay for it then) which gives you 30 days (again iirc) to get it fixed and they will complete the inspection (free). we had to do this several times for a couple vehicles waiting on parts needed for inspections when i worked at the dealership. (note: i still have my NC State Inspection License)

 

[mwnaylor]

Thanks HKYStormFront, I'll check again with the dealer, the day they checked the VIN, Nissan's dealer net was going up and down like crazy, so it may have not pulled information accurately. Too bad there's not a way to look it up online myself with the VIN directly from Nissan to see if its on the recall.

 

[mwnaylor]

Well, I called and ran the VIN number on my truck, no recall for me. I did take the time to send Nissan an email with my VIN and a description of the problem to see if they will at least cover the sensor. In the mean time I guess I'll see if I can at least get it inspected so I can renew my registration (since NC now has all of it tied together)...

 

[HKYStormFront]

yea i know that's a pain in the @$$ but at least there's no stickers anymore :willy_nilly: just so you know, mine went out at 38k miles and the dealership wouldn't fix it. i bought the piece from courtesyparts.com for like $40 and fixed it myself (at the dealership i worked at), seriously took 20 mins and i'd never done one before, it almost couldn't be easier...

 

[mwnaylor]

the price on those things has over doubled! last time I looked it was about 90.... how much trouble did you have dropping the tank?

dang I just checked, Fuel Sender Kit with Seal Ring :: Nissan Parts, NISMO and Nissan Accessories - Courtesyparts.com and it says no longer available!!! what the crap!

I did some digging around and found a PDF for what models are affected by this:
http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/baddad1/2009-09-07_160329_NTB07-069b.pdf

in case anyone is interested

 

[HKYStormFront]

yea well they are having to ship a ton of them all of a sudden, there's going to be a shortage. it literally takes no time, just make sure the tank is as close to empty as you dare and unhook all the lines going into the top as you lower it down (best to do with a jack or someone helping). i had virtually no fuel left when i did mine and the whole tank might have weighed 5 lbs. it was very light but it could get really heavy in a hurry depending on how much fuel you have at the time. two bolts hold the straps for the tank on, take those off then lower the tank (again, remove all the rubber hoses going into the top of the pump and tank as you do), carefully pop the lock ring on the pump loose, pull up the pump, unclip the old sending unit and clip the new one in it's place, reverse to install. it's that easy. i forgot to unhook my battery to do this and didn't have any issues but it's probably a good idea to do so anyway

 

[mwnaylor]

thanks again man, I just found that service bulletin online so I'm gonna heckle the local dealer and see if I can at least get the part covered by Nissan, my dad and I can do the labor. If we can rebuild an International 574 tractor, I'm sure dropping a tank can't be too bad.

 

[TwoBills]

You might try running the gas tank down to 4 gallons or so, resetting the light, and running the truck 50 miles or so. If the light doesn't come on run it thru inspection. This worked for me on an emissions inspection a couple of years ago. GL

 

[VoodooSaint]

You've got the infamous gas sensor issue, which i've been told by a Nissan tech is due to the unanticipated acidity of gas which has eaten through parts of the sensor...

The recall is apparently still in the works... But hasn't been enacted yet, I've booked 2 appointments at my local dealership but they still don't know what parts are included in the recall

 

[Spiffy1]

SES Clearing

If the SES is on and it's not effecting performance or anything with the truck go and buy an OBDII diagnostic tool at Advance Auto Parts or Wal-Mart for 50-80 dollars. In my state you cannot get a vehicle inspected with the SES light on. If you have access to this tool pull over a couple minutes before the mechanics and plug it in. Let it do the search and when the code pops up just erase it. The SES light will go off and stay off for at least 2 hours depending on what code it is. When they plug their computer into you're vehicle it will come out with a clean bill of health. I think the SES is an illogical feature on a vehicle since it comes on for the most senseless reasons (gas cap not on tight, routine maintenance at certain mileages). I've had the SES light on for 40K miles and there is nothing wrong with my truck...runs like a champ. Good luck...

 

[HKYStormFront]

^^ dude did you read my post at all? that won't work

 

[Spiffy1]

Apparently not

Apparently I didn't, my apologies. I was just suggesting an easy fix to get the truck inspected with the SES light on, sorry for giving horrible advice. Carry on, didn't mean to post irrational input.

 

[HKYStormFront]

i wasn't trying to be a d!ck man, just making sure it was clear to anyone else reading this thread that that won't work (in NC, it differs from state to state)

 

[TwoBills]

If the SES is on and it's not effecting performance or anything with the truck go and buy an OBDII diagnostic tool at Advance Auto Parts or Wal-Mart for 50-80 dollars. In my state you cannot get a vehicle inspected with the SES light on. If you have access to this tool pull over a couple minutes before the mechanics and plug it in. Let it do the search and when the code pops up just erase it. The SES light will go off and stay off for at least 2 hours depending on what code it is. When they plug their computer into you're vehicle it will come out with a clean bill of health. I think the SES is an illogical feature on a vehicle since it comes on for the most senseless reasons (gas cap not on tight, routine maintenance at certain mileages). I've had the SES light on for 40K miles and there is nothing wrong with my truck...runs like a champ. Good luck...

If you do this the inspector's computer will read "not ready" and he can't inspect it. Gotta run 50 miles or so w/the light out.

 

[mwnaylor]

I tried resetting the light this weekend with a full tank of gas. The gauge worked for 5 minutes, then pegged out on E with the light on, and then after the gas light being on for another 5 minutes the SES light came on... And on the ODBII plugin idea, I have a factory computer on the truck still, otherwise believe me, that hoe would be reprogrammed to ignore the P0463 (fuel level sensor) errors completely!

 

[Nismoing]

Just got the P0463 code

So I just came down with a case of the P0463 and called the dealership. They said that the I was good to go for the recall and scheduled me in. Not sure why some folks don't qualify for the recall.

 

[HKYStormFront]

because nissan has specified only a certain range of VIN's...

 

[devious1]

If you do this the inspector's computer will read "not ready" and he can't inspect it. Gotta run 50 miles or so w/the light out.

Yeah it pisses me off that they have gone so computerized with the inspections. I tried the battery trick and mine read "Not Ready" so I had to fix the problem and drive it 100 miles. The procedure to make it read "Ready" in a shorter amount of time and distance is in the owners manual. Believe me I tried and tried to trick my truck into thinking it was fixed and was never successful.