O2 Simulator Installation
(USE THIS WRITE-UP AT YOUR OWN RISK, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DEATH/INJURY/DAMAGE SUSTAINED BY YOUR USING THIS)
This should work on all Cali spec Maximas. When dealing with codes P0420 and P0430, whether its voluntary removal of or just bad pre-cats, the O2 sim helps keep your SES/CEL/MIL light off and typically also prevents the ECU from storing any related codes. Rear 02 sensors only monitor if the cats work and do not affect the long or short trim fuel so basically, they do not affect drivability or the air/fuel ratio. Since the ECU is monitoring catalyst efficiency using the rear O2 sensors and the O2 sim simulates the proper voltage for the ECU to think that the cats are working. For more info, see www.o2sim.com.
The wires tapped into are the wires before the connectors for the rear/downstream/secondary O2 sensors. The dark blue connector is for the Bank 1 (rear bank) downstream O2 sensor. The green connector is for the Bank 2 (front bank) downstream O2 sensor. Cut back the black wrap before each connector and you should see 4 wires:
Black: Ground
White: Signal
Red/Yellow: Power
Red/Blue: Heater
On ONE O2 sensor harness:
Using a wire stripper, strip about half an inch to expose the copper wires under the ground and power wires.
Tap the black wire from the O2 sim to the black (ground) wire.
Tap the red wire from the O2 sim to the red/yellow (power) wire.
Cut the white signal wire and connect one of the white wires from the O2 sim to the end that is going back to the ECU.
On the other O2 sensor harness:
Cut the white signal wire and connect the second white wire from the O2 sim to the end that is going back to the ECU.
You can now either solder the joints and wrap them up in heatshrink or electrical tape, or you can clear the codes and start the car to see if the sim is doing its job before soldering. The yellow LED on the sim should be blinking when the car is on/running.