Nissan Elgrand E52 Lowdown

Welcome to week one of my CVT service, if you haven't read the intro then I would recommend you take a look at that first. After reading a lot of Facebook and forum posts I am starting a 3 week process to fully service Elsie's CVT gearbox.  The E52 community recommend draining and refilling a number of times to flush all of the old fluid from the box, so this week it is only about a drain and refill.  Having never done it before I am hoping it will be an easy thing to do... The first issue for any of you who like me have the Rider model is that its quite difficult to jack up the car at the front, due to the front bumper lip being very low to the ground.  There is a plastic cover under the front of the car that is held in place by a number of press studs, so I removed the studs and the cover so that I could find a jacking point.  WARNING the studs break and so you might want to purchase some on eBay / Ali Express before starting this job. I previously purchased a low ...

When my E52 arrived at Southampton docks a year ago I was very enthusiastic about making sure the car was serviced and checked over so that it would last forever.  Once I began looking at the car it seemed that I had been extremely lucky and had bought one that had recently been serviced.  (I bought it from a Japanese dealer who wasn't even advertising the car outside of Japan, and not from an auction so found one that was well maintained)  My mechanic who checked the car over described it as 'mint' and when we checked the oil, it was the cleanest I had ever seen in a used car. Anyway, fast forward now and its 12 months later and now I am keen to show my car some attention.  The big headline item as I'm sure you all know, is the CVT gearbox.  Let me just summarize what I have picked up so far from the various Facebook groups and forums: People often claim the CVT gearbox is bad or prone to failure (especially E51 owners!).  I haven't seen one post anywhere ...

 My Elgrand arrived with an interesting yellow colour bulb in the front fog lights, which neither look good or are useful on a dark or foggy night.  If you want to replace them you need H8 bulbs which you can buy from eBay or a parts shop. You have to remove two screws and a bolt in the wheel arch and then you can lever the wheel arch cover far enough out to get at the fog light fittings. You simply twist the black fitting where the wire goes into.  Either clockwise/anticlockwise to remove or fit back in place.  Then you can remove the bulb and replace with a brighter and better colour option.

For any of you UK residents you will be well aware that the UK MOT test for an imported Elgrand means that we have to fit a rear fog light.  Initially I got a dual bulb put into one of the rear lights, but I have now found the ultimate fog light option!  Wait just a minute though....you can only fit it if you are the proud owner of a Autech Rider model. Sorry Highway Star drivers 😞 On the rear bumper skirt of the Rider it has two circular reflectors, which can be removed and some red LED lights fitted instead.  This is my car at night with the new fog lights in place. Removing the reflectors is easy, just reach behind the bumper and unscrew the nut from the thread.  They should just push out once released.  You need to drill a small hole in the bumper to feed the wire through which you can see below, and will then need to find a rubber bung behind the light block (with the reverse/indicator/stop) to feed it through to the inside of the car. I also sourced a fog...

I have been driving my E52 a year now and thought that I really should get around to doing some service items on it. First up, the air filter which I have found out is the same as the one used in the earlier E51 model.  After searching online I decided that I would try the K&N air filter which in theory lasts the life of the car.  It is washable so should never need replacing again.  It does also claim to improve performance but that feels like it might be one those typical claims, and not sure you need a few extra horses on a V6 van.  K&N 3320312 is the filter you need which is this: On the E52 you can simply unclip the air filter housing which is located at the back of the engine bay.  One clip each side and the cover lifts up enough to remove and replace the filter. I have driven the car about 200 miles since fitting the filter and it doesn't seem to negatively affect the acceleration.  I am not sure I can feel an improvement, but you never know....

Hopefully this helps some of you E52 owners out there or potential owners.  I have found and translated the Elgrand brochure specifications that were published from Nissan. 2 Wheel Drive Drivetrain 2WD Engine VQ35DE QR25DE Model 350 Highway Star Premium 350 Highway Star 250 Highway Star 250XG Seats 7 Seater 8 Seater 7 Seater 8 Seater Model Code DBA-PE52 DBA-TE52 CVT with Manual 6 Mode X X X X X X External Dimensions Length (mm) 4915 4915 Width (mm) 1850 1850 Height (mm) 1815 1805 Internal Dimensions Length (mm) 3020 Width (mm) 1580 Height (mm) 1275 (1270 if sunroofs fitted) Wheelbase 3000 Minimum ground clearance (mm) 150 140 Vehicle Weight (kg) 2020 2000 2000 1920 1920 1900 Total Weight (kg) 2405 2385 2440 2305 2360 2340 Minimum turning radius (m) 5.7 5.4 Fuel efficiency 10.15 Test (kml) 9.4 9.8 11.6 10.15 Test (mpg) 26.555 27.685 32.77 JC08 (kml) 9.2 9.2 10.8 ...

One drawback for the new E52 Elgrand models is that they are not ideally suited for camping or camper van conversion.  The older E50/E51 cars have more flexibility in seat arrangements or seat removal which can provide a good big space to create sleeping space, or to fit units in.  Or do they!! I wanted to see how much space you could create in an E52.  By removing all 5 headrests from the rear two rows of seats you can actually make a relatively flat area.  Some E51 owners do the same in their cars and they place foam/board over the top and then a thin mattress on top of that. I am 6 foot 2 inches tall and I was able to lay stretched out in the 'flat' area in the back on my E52.  My E52 is a Rider and so it has different seats to the Highway Star model, and I think the HWS might actually be easier/flatter if you do the same. If you are camping and want to make the E52 into a bed, then it seems to me that it is possible after all.  Leave any headrests you d...

Unfortunately, there is a common issue with the power steering pump on the earlier E52 models.  It seems that the pump can leak power steering fluid due to issues with the sealing of the pump itself. In Japan some people have replaced the pump with a newer type model, but also a few outlets in Japan supply replacement o-rings to repair the pump yourself. Although this issue doesn't affect my Elgrand, it seems to be common enough to write about and hopefully help our my fellow E52 drivers. The older and newer style pumps are pictured below and I believe that the new one should not have the leak issue If you do have the leak and can source the o-rings (we have some on eBay here ) then there is a handy video on youtube showing a Japanese mechanic taking a pump apart to replace them. When you remove the pump from your car often the body of the pump which is the yellow plastic and silver aluminium parts, are oily from the leaking EPSF.  You will need to remove the four bolts and th...

Any keen would-be buyer of an Elgrand E52 needs to consider if they can face some of the challenges that arise when you need to find parking. Although the size of the E52 is only slightly wider than a big estate car, driving around a tight car park can be very challenging.  Going back and forth just to get round a corner to then go very slowly down a ramp can result in some annoyed drivers behind you. The Autech Rider model also has a low front bumper spoiler and a reasonably low side skirt which also means it can be difficult to clear a curb edge.  Most UK car parks have high curbs on the entrance barriers and ramp corners so you will need to go slowly and carefully. When it comes to parking spaces my Elsie is always too long for the space, sometimes a lot (20-30cm) and sometimes only a little (maybe 10cm).  Typically my car will fit into any normal parking space width but it can be tight in those smaller car parks.  On the upside if its a tight space you can always...

It is trendy for Elgrand E52 drivers in Japan to remove their rear windscreen wiper, similar to drivers here who de-badge their cars.  Not something I noticed when I bought my Elgrand but after a few months of driving I am ready to restore the rear wiper back into position.  The big issue for UK drivers is that the weather here causes the screen to get very dirty and coupled with the very dark tint it becomes almost impossible to see out of.  As you can see in the picture my one had a round metal blanking cover which has seen better days as its not even very black in colour now. Unfortunately for me the actual rear wiper unit with the motor was removed from the car so it took a few months for me to get the parts together.  I secured a second hand wiper unit, brand new Nissan bolts and windscreen 'bung', and then a replacement wiper blade from Aliexpress. Steps to fit are as follows: 1. Remove the two pop out rivets from either side of the lock, and using plastic tool...