Category: ATTESSA

So, how much do you really know about ATTESA? Its kind of an odd name. Its Nissan’s name for their all wheel drive system, first showing up around 1987. Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain or ATTESA. You will also see it called ATTESA ETS, and a version called ATTESA ETS-Pro. ETS for electronic torque split.  ETS Pro is the more advanced system, seen on the R33, and R34 Vspec.

Buy USA Legal R32 Skylines at Importavehicle.com!
Buy-R.com for Nissan Skyline GT-R and GT-R parts.

Some people, many people think that the R32,R33, R34 GT-R have a switch that allows the car to be rear wheel drive only, as part of the all wheel drive system.  Other people say, how can you dyno it rear wheel drive?, or how is that all wheel drive GT-R doing burnouts?.  So here are some truths.

1) No R32,R33, or R34 GT-R came from the factory with a switch to turn off all wheel drive. It is possible to pull a fuse, disconnect a wire, or trick the system into going rear wheel drive only, its not a factory on/off switch. There are aftermarket controllers, or some people wire in their own switch, but its not from the Nissan factory. Not talking about GTS4, or R35 GT-R, just R32,R33,R34 GT-R.

2)It is not difficult to remove drive to the front wheels by either pulling the ATTESA fuse (R32) or pulling the front propshaft (R32,R33,R34).  Even though you can just pull the fuse on an R32, if you are going for extended dyno runs, where the front wheels are static, with the rear wheels moving up to 150 mph, we HIGHLY recommend pulling the front propshaft. Its 6 bolts to remove, and your  transfercase clutches will survive much longer. If you pull the fuse on an R33 or R34, the system defaults, and puts about 10% load to the clutchpack with backup power. This slight lockup causes a huge amount of heat if you run the car on the dyno. You will destroy your ATTESA clutchpack if you do this.

ATTESA System Overview Technical Document

Some pictures of the ATTESA system transfercase internals.

Infiniti FX35 clutch pack on the left. R34 clutch pack on the right

Transfercase chain, clutchpack, and front drive gear from an R34 transfercase

The R34 transfercase chain, and gear is a little smaller than the R32/R33. Check out this VIDEO for some comparisons.

Part Numbers for the ATTESA system

R32 GT-R

Accumulator – ATTESA ETS nitrogen 41630-20U00 (Fits R32, through R34)

How to remove and replace the ATTESA ETS nitrogen accumulator

ATTESA System summary R32 GT-R. R33 and R34 are similar

Common Problems


There are several areas you can have problems with the ATTESA system.  Please don’t confuse ATTESA- the all wheel drive system, with the HICAS- all wheel steering. Seen many new owners ask about removing ATTESA, when they actually meant HICAS.  The ATTESA system is also tied into the ABS system, so an ABS fault will trigger an ATTESA light under most conditions.

If you get an ATTESA warning light on the instrument cluster here are a few things to check first.

1) Check the fluid level on the ATTESA header tank in the trunk. Its located on the right side rear, Its a small tank, that has a level sensor.

2) Check your tire condition and height. The wrong sized wheels and tires, or worn tires, can and will throw an ATTESA code. More information – Can I run different sized wheels and tires on my Skyline GT-R. 

3) A few ways to check the code. The ATTESA ECU is in the trunk, and it has a window in it. In the window is an LED light. The LED light will blink to the fault/code. The codes for each car are a little different. The codes between the normal cars, and the Vspec or ATTESA ETS Pro cars are a little different. Pay attention, because paying attention doesn’t cost anything.

ATTESA ECU in the trunk of an R32. LED window visible on right rear corner

R32 GT-R ATTESA Codes

Using proper technique to check ATTESA codes on ECU. Note angle of left leg for proper points

1 Right front wheel speed sensor or circuit
2 Left front wheel speed sensor or circuit
3 Right rear wheel speed sensor or circuit
4 Left rear wheel speed sensor or circuit

5 ABS right front wheel actuator solenoid or circuit
6 ABS front front wheel actuator solenoid or circuit
7 ABS rear wheel actuator solenoid or circuit
8 ABS actuator motor, motor relay or circuit
9 ABS actuator relay or circuit

10 ETS control unit power supply or circuit
11 Fore-and-aft G sensor 1 or circuit
12 Fore-and-aft G sensor 2 or circuit
13 Fore-and-aft G sensor 1, fore-and-aft G sensor 2
14 G sensor power supply 1 or circuit
15 G sensor power supply 2 or circuit
16 Lateral G sensor or circuit

17 Air bleed connector or circuit
18 ETS pressure switch or circuit
           Troubleshooting Code 18 R32 GT-R
19 ETS motor, motor relay or circuit
20 ETS solenoid or circuit
21 Throttle sensor or circuit
22 ETS oil level switch or circuit
24 ETS control unit, ground or circuit

ATTESA Electrical Diagram ; R32 GT-R

Self Diagnosis Procedure R33(GTR and Vspec) and R34(GT-R) not Vspec


1)Drive vehicle at 30 km/hr for at least 1 minute. Bring vehicle to a full stop. Do not turn off engine. Look at LED at top of control unit (red lamp). Note the number of times it blinks ON and OFF.

If two or more systems are malfunctioning, all warning lamps will blink ON and OFF

2) After completing required maintenance procedures, be sure to erase results of self diagnosis testing from memory

3) Once again drive vehicle at 30 km/hr for at least 1 minute. Check that the 4wd warning lamp and ABS warning lamp are off.

R34 GT-R Normal Non-Vspec ATTESA Component Locations

R34 ATTESA System self Diagnostic Procedures

ATTESA System Component Location R34 GT-R Vspec

So, how much do you really know about ATTESA? Its kind of an odd name. Its Nissan’s name for their all wheel drive system, first showing up around 1987. Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain or ATTESA. You will also see it called ATTESA ETS, and a version called ATTESA ETS-Pro. ETS for electronic torque split.  ETS Pro is the more advanced system, seen on the R33, and R34 Vspec.

Buy USA Legal R32 Skylines at Importavehicle.com!
Buy-R.com for Nissan Skyline GT-R and GT-R parts.

Some people, many people think that the R32,R33, R34 GT-R have a switch that allows the car to be rear wheel drive only, as part of the all wheel drive system.  Other people say, how can you dyno it rear wheel drive?, or how is that all wheel drive GT-R doing burnouts?.  So here are some truths.

1) No R32,R33, or R34 GT-R came from the factory with a switch to turn off all wheel drive. It is possible to pull a fuse, disconnect a wire, or trick the system into going rear wheel drive only, its not a factory on/off switch. There are aftermarket controllers, or some people wire in their own switch, but its not from the Nissan factory. Not talking about GTS4, or R35 GT-R, just R32,R33,R34 GT-R.

2)It is not difficult to remove drive to the front wheels by either pulling the ATTESA fuse (R32) or pulling the front propshaft (R32,R33,R34).  Even though you can just pull the fuse on an R32, if you are going for extended dyno runs, where the front wheels are static, with the rear wheels moving up to 150 mph, we HIGHLY recommend pulling the front propshaft. Its 6 bolts to remove, and your  transfercase clutches will survive much longer. If you pull the fuse on an R33 or R34, the system defaults, and puts about 10% load to the clutchpack with backup power. This slight lockup causes a huge amount of heat if you run the car on the dyno. You will destroy your ATTESA clutchpack if you do this.

ATTESA System Overview Technical Document

Some pictures of the ATTESA system transfercase internals.

Infiniti FX35 clutch pack on the left. R34 clutch pack on the right

Transfercase chain, clutchpack, and front drive gear from an R34 transfercase

The R34 transfercase chain, and gear is a little smaller than the R32/R33. Check out this VIDEO for some comparisons.

Part Numbers for the ATTESA system

R32 GT-R

Accumulator – ATTESA ETS nitrogen 41630-20U00 (Fits R32, through R34)

How to remove and replace the ATTESA ETS nitrogen accumulator

ATTESA System summary R32 GT-R. R33 and R34 are similar

Common Problems


There are several areas you can have problems with the ATTESA system.  Please don’t confuse ATTESA- the all wheel drive system, with the HICAS- all wheel steering. Seen many new owners ask about removing ATTESA, when they actually meant HICAS.  The ATTESA system is also tied into the ABS system, so an ABS fault will trigger an ATTESA light under most conditions.

If you get an ATTESA warning light on the instrument cluster here are a few things to check first.

1) Check the fluid level on the ATTESA header tank in the trunk. Its located on the right side rear, Its a small tank, that has a level sensor.

2) Check your tire condition and height. The wrong sized wheels and tires, or worn tires, can and will throw an ATTESA code. More information – Can I run different sized wheels and tires on my Skyline GT-R. 

3) A few ways to check the code. The ATTESA ECU is in the trunk, and it has a window in it. In the window is an LED light. The LED light will blink to the fault/code. The codes for each car are a little different. The codes between the normal cars, and the Vspec or ATTESA ETS Pro cars are a little different. Pay attention, because paying attention doesn’t cost anything.

ATTESA ECU in the trunk of an R32. LED window visible on right rear corner

R32 GT-R ATTESA Codes

Using proper technique to check ATTESA codes on ECU. Note angle of left leg for proper points

1 Right front wheel speed sensor or circuit
2 Left front wheel speed sensor or circuit
3 Right rear wheel speed sensor or circuit
4 Left rear wheel speed sensor or circuit

5 ABS right front wheel actuator solenoid or circuit
6 ABS front front wheel actuator solenoid or circuit
7 ABS rear wheel actuator solenoid or circuit
8 ABS actuator motor, motor relay or circuit
9 ABS actuator relay or circuit

10 ETS control unit power supply or circuit
11 Fore-and-aft G sensor 1 or circuit
12 Fore-and-aft G sensor 2 or circuit
13 Fore-and-aft G sensor 1, fore-and-aft G sensor 2
14 G sensor power supply 1 or circuit
15 G sensor power supply 2 or circuit
16 Lateral G sensor or circuit

17 Air bleed connector or circuit
18 ETS pressure switch or circuit
           Troubleshooting Code 18 R32 GT-R
19 ETS motor, motor relay or circuit
20 ETS solenoid or circuit
21 Throttle sensor or circuit
22 ETS oil level switch or circuit
24 ETS control unit, ground or circuit

ATTESA Electrical Diagram ; R32 GT-R

Self Diagnosis Procedure R33(GTR and Vspec) and R34(GT-R) not Vspec


1)Drive vehicle at 30 km/hr for at least 1 minute. Bring vehicle to a full stop. Do not turn off engine. Look at LED at top of control unit (red lamp). Note the number of times it blinks ON and OFF.

If two or more systems are malfunctioning, all warning lamps will blink ON and OFF

2) After completing required maintenance procedures, be sure to erase results of self diagnosis testing from memory

3) Once again drive vehicle at 30 km/hr for at least 1 minute. Check that the 4wd warning lamp and ABS warning lamp are off.

R34 GT-R Normal Non-Vspec ATTESA Component Locations

R34 ATTESA System self Diagnostic Procedures

ATTESA System Component Location R34 GT-R Vspec

So, how much do you really know about ATTESA? Its kind of an odd name. Its Nissan’s name for their all wheel drive system, first showing up around 1987. Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain or ATTESA. You will also see it called ATTESA ETS, and a version called ATTESA ETS-Pro. ETS for electronic torque split.  ETS Pro is the more advanced system, seen on the R33, and R34 Vspec.

Buy USA Legal R32 Skylines at Importavehicle.com!
Buy-R.com for Nissan Skyline GT-R and GT-R parts.

Some people, many people think that the R32,R33, R34 GT-R have a switch that allows the car to be rear wheel drive only, as part of the all wheel drive system.  Other people say, how can you dyno it rear wheel drive?, or how is that all wheel drive GT-R doing burnouts?.  So here are some truths.

1) No R32,R33, or R34 GT-R came from the factory with a switch to turn off all wheel drive. It is possible to pull a fuse, disconnect a wire, or trick the system into going rear wheel drive only, its not a factory on/off switch. There are aftermarket controllers, or some people wire in their own switch, but its not from the Nissan factory. Not talking about GTS4, or R35 GT-R, just R32,R33,R34 GT-R.

2)It is not difficult to remove drive to the front wheels by either pulling the ATTESA fuse (R32) or pulling the front propshaft (R32,R33,R34).  Even though you can just pull the fuse on an R32, if you are going for extended dyno runs, where the front wheels are static, with the rear wheels moving up to 150 mph, we HIGHLY recommend pulling the front propshaft. Its 6 bolts to remove, and your  transfercase clutches will survive much longer. If you pull the fuse on an R33 or R34, the system defaults, and puts about 10% load to the clutchpack with backup power. This slight lockup causes a huge amount of heat if you run the car on the dyno. You will destroy your ATTESA clutchpack if you do this.

ATTESA System Overview Technical Document

Some pictures of the ATTESA system transfercase internals.

Infiniti FX35 clutch pack on the left. R34 clutch pack on the right

Transfercase chain, clutchpack, and front drive gear from an R34 transfercase

The R34 transfercase chain, and gear is a little smaller than the R32/R33. Check out this VIDEO for some comparisons.

Part Numbers for the ATTESA system

R32 GT-R

Accumulator – ATTESA ETS nitrogen 41630-20U00 (Fits R32, through R34)

How to remove and replace the ATTESA ETS nitrogen accumulator

ATTESA System summary R32 GT-R. R33 and R34 are similar

Common Problems


There are several areas you can have problems with the ATTESA system.  Please don’t confuse ATTESA- the all wheel drive system, with the HICAS- all wheel steering. Seen many new owners ask about removing ATTESA, when they actually meant HICAS.  The ATTESA system is also tied into the ABS system, so an ABS fault will trigger an ATTESA light under most conditions.

If you get an ATTESA warning light on the instrument cluster here are a few things to check first.

1) Check the fluid level on the ATTESA header tank in the trunk. Its located on the right side rear, Its a small tank, that has a level sensor.

2) Check your tire condition and height. The wrong sized wheels and tires, or worn tires, can and will throw an ATTESA code. More information – Can I run different sized wheels and tires on my Skyline GT-R. 

3) A few ways to check the code. The ATTESA ECU is in the trunk, and it has a window in it. In the window is an LED light. The LED light will blink to the fault/code. The codes for each car are a little different. The codes between the normal cars, and the Vspec or ATTESA ETS Pro cars are a little different. Pay attention, because paying attention doesn’t cost anything.

ATTESA ECU in the trunk of an R32. LED window visible on right rear corner

R32 GT-R ATTESA Codes

Using proper technique to check ATTESA codes on ECU. Note angle of left leg for proper points

1 Right front wheel speed sensor or circuit
2 Left front wheel speed sensor or circuit
3 Right rear wheel speed sensor or circuit
4 Left rear wheel speed sensor or circuit

5 ABS right front wheel actuator solenoid or circuit
6 ABS front front wheel actuator solenoid or circuit
7 ABS rear wheel actuator solenoid or circuit
8 ABS actuator motor, motor relay or circuit
9 ABS actuator relay or circuit

10 ETS control unit power supply or circuit
11 Fore-and-aft G sensor 1 or circuit
12 Fore-and-aft G sensor 2 or circuit
13 Fore-and-aft G sensor 1, fore-and-aft G sensor 2
14 G sensor power supply 1 or circuit
15 G sensor power supply 2 or circuit
16 Lateral G sensor or circuit

17 Air bleed connector or circuit
18 ETS pressure switch or circuit
           Troubleshooting Code 18 R32 GT-R
19 ETS motor, motor relay or circuit
20 ETS solenoid or circuit
21 Throttle sensor or circuit
22 ETS oil level switch or circuit
24 ETS control unit, ground or circuit

ATTESA Electrical Diagram ; R32 GT-R

Self Diagnosis Procedure R33(GTR and Vspec) and R34(GT-R) not Vspec


1)Drive vehicle at 30 km/hr for at least 1 minute. Bring vehicle to a full stop. Do not turn off engine. Look at LED at top of control unit (red lamp). Note the number of times it blinks ON and OFF.

If two or more systems are malfunctioning, all warning lamps will blink ON and OFF

2) After completing required maintenance procedures, be sure to erase results of self diagnosis testing from memory

3) Once again drive vehicle at 30 km/hr for at least 1 minute. Check that the 4wd warning lamp and ABS warning lamp are off.

R34 GT-R Normal Non-Vspec ATTESA Component Locations

R34 ATTESA System self Diagnostic Procedures

ATTESA System Component Location R34 GT-R Vspec