Applications Nissan VQ37VHR
Draft. Trigger offset has not been confirmed on a running Race Core install. Pins marked TBD are unknown — do not guess them. A wrong decoder or firing order can destroy the engine.
Nissan VQ37VHR
370Z, G37, Q50 V6. Dual VVEL/VVT (intake and exhaust, both banks) and DBW. Crank is Nissan 36-2-2-2, not a generic 36-1. Race Core F7 has the I/O; VVEL lift control is not a rusEFI first-class function — most standalone VQ37 builds lock or delete VVEL and keep cam phasers.
Recommended: Race Core F7. Six sequential injectors, six COP, dual ETB (one throttle), four VVT high-sides, two 5 V rails for DBW. Do not attempt this on V4 / Micro Core.
- Cylinders: 6
- Displacement: 3696 cc
- Firing order: 1-2-3-4-5-6
- Orientation: Bank 1 = cylinders 1-3-5 (passenger side on 370Z, right-hand bank looking from the flywheel on a typical longitudinal). Cylinder 1 front of bank 1.
Variants
| Variant | Years | Trigger | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| VQ37VHR 370Z / G37 | 2007–2020 | 36-2-2-2 crank + cam Halls | VVEL + dual VVT. DBW. COP. High-Z injectors. |
| VQ35DE / VQ35HR | 2002–2008 | NISSAN_VQ35 36-2-2-2 family | 350Z / G35. No VVEL. Dual VVT on HR. Easier standalone than VHR. |
Recommended pin assignment (Race Core F7)
| Pin | TunerStudio | Function |
|---|---|---|
| B10 | Digital 1 | Crank Hall 36-2-2-2 (OEM is Hall) |
| B1 | Digital 2 | Intake cam bank 1 |
| B11 | Digital 6 | Intake cam bank 2 (or exhaust — pick and document) |
| A3 | Lowside 1 | Injector cylinder 1 |
| A15 | Lowside 2 | Injector cylinder 2 |
| A4 | Lowside 3 | Injector cylinder 3 |
| A16 | Lowside 4 | Injector cylinder 4 |
| A5 | Lowside 5 | Injector cylinder 5 |
| A6 | Lowside 6 | Injector cylinder 6 |
| A35 | Ign 1 | Cyl 1 logic coil |
| A34 | Ign 2 | Cyl 2 logic coil |
| A22 | Ign 3 | Cyl 3 logic coil |
| A33 | Ign 4 | Cyl 4 logic coil |
| A32 | Ign 5 | Cyl 5 logic coil |
| A31 | Ign 6 | Cyl 6 logic coil |
| C20 | Analog Temp 3 | CLT |
| C30 | Analog Temp 2 | IAT |
| C13 | Analog Volt 1 | MAP 0–5 V |
| C24 | Analog Volt 2 | TPS 1 |
| C25 | Analog Volt 4 | TPS 2 (ETB redundant) |
| C17 | Analog Volt 9 | APP 1 |
| C16 | Analog Volt 7 | APP 2 |
| C34 | Knock 1 | Knock bank 1 |
| C35 | Knock 2 | Knock bank 2 |
| A20 | Lowside 10 | Fuel-pump relay coil |
| A21 | Lowside 12 | Main-relay coil |
| A12 | Lowside 15 | Radiator-fan relay coil |
| B7 / B6 | ETB 1+ / ETB 1− | Electronic throttle motor |
| A2 | Highside 1 | VVT bank 1 / intake |
| A1 | Highside 2 | VVT bank 2 / exhaust |
| A13 | Highside 3 | VVT 3 |
| A14 | Highside 4 | VVT 4 / boost solenoid |
| B17 / B16 | CAN 1 H / L | Dash / wideband |
| B22 / B21 | CAN 2 H / L | Chassis / TCM |
| B18 | Battery Sense | Ignition-switched 12 V (5 A fuse) |
| B23 | +12 V MR | Main-relay 12 V into ECU |
| A17 A18 A24 B14 B19 B20 | Power GND | Engine block → battery − |
| C9 / C21 / C32 | 5 V Sens 1 | MAP, TPS 1, pedal 1 |
| C10 / C22 / C33 | 5 V Sens 2 | TPS 2, pedal 2 |
Trigger
Crank pattern is Nissan 36-2-2-2 (VQ family). TunerStudio wheel type: Nissan VQ35 / 36-2-2-2 — not 36-1. OEM crank is Hall, three-wire: 12 V, ground, signal. Digital 1 (B10), pull-up on. Cam sensors are Hall, one per bank at the rear of the valve cover on VQ37.
Crank
| Pattern | 36-2-2-2. Named decoder. Missing groups are not a single 36-1 gap. |
| Sensor | Hall. 12 V, signal Digital 1, ground to sensor GND or power GND per Nissan (signal ground preferred). |
Cam
| VQ37 | Hall cams. Intake bank 1 → Digital 2, bank 2 → Digital 6 as a starting assignment. Exhaust cams if you keep exhaust VVT. |
| Decoder | VVT Nissan VQ35 family for the cam slots. |
TunerStudio
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Trigger / wheel type | Nissan VQ35 / 36-2-2-2 (not 36-1) |
| Use only rising edge | Hall: as logged. VR: typically yes on MAX992x |
| Invert primary | No — swap VR wires first |
| Firing order | 1-2-3-4-5-6 |
| Pull-up | On for Hall crank and cams. |
Offset: Light on cylinder 1. VQ damper marks are small — a piston stop is a valid first offset if the light is lying.
- VQ30 / early VQ35 variants exist. If the composite log does not match 36-2-2-2, stop and photograph the reluctor.
Injection
High-Z, sequential, ~270–300 cc OEM — the first thing a turbo VQ37 changes. Six drivers.
| Mode | Sequential. Cam required. |
| Fuel | OEM is returnless. Add a return and a regulator for any boosted build. |
Ignition
Factory COP, logic, Ign 1–6. Dwell ~2.5 ms. Do not run the OEM ECU in parallel for spark.
| COP | Ign 1–6 by cylinder number. |
Idle
DBW. No stepper. ETB 1 drives the single throttle. Idle is a DBW position table plus dashpot.
First start
- Load the matching variant configuration in TunerStudio before the harness is live — injectors and coils stay disconnected until the decoder is confirmed.
- Fuel pump fuse out. Coils unplugged or spark outputs disabled. Crank. Open Diagnostics → composite / high-speed logger.
- Confirm crank teeth are even, the missing-tooth (or named pattern) is a single clean gap, and cam is one pulse per two crank revolutions for sequential four-stroke.
- RPM during cranking should sit in the 150–350 rpm band. 0 rpm or 12,000 rpm means the decoder is lost — polarity or wheel type, not offset.
- Lock timing to a fixed 10° (idle control off). Timing light on cylinder 1. Change trigger offset until the damper agrees with 10°.
- Recheck at ~3,000 rpm. If timing walks with RPM, it is VR polarity, a delayed Hall, or the wrong decoder — not offset.
- Enable spark. Confirm a healthy burn (timing light or plug colour) with fuel still disabled.
- Enable fuel. Prime, then crank. Catch the first idle on a rich-safe VE, then lean toward stoich at idle.
- Only then enable closed-loop idle, VVT, boost and traction. A base map is a starting point, not a dyno tune.
A base map is a starting point, not a dyno tune.