Electric fuel/trunk release - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

AKADriver · 02-23-2023, 10:59 AM

Anyone ever set up an electric fuel door release or trunk/hatch release? Just randomly thinking about it because I fixed my cable last year, but if it ever fails again - and it's depending on the integrity of some brittle 30 year old plastic, so it might - I don't have a backup plan as of yet.

I did look into maybe retrofitting a manual cable set from a B16 Sentra that has two separate pull cables instead of the single push-pull cable. It has a release lever that looks like it would fit in the stock location, and it has its fuel door on the right also, so the cables should reach no problem.

But since I deleted my automatic seat belts it looks like the wiring from that would also be perfect (a bit oversized) for power releases without adding any weight/complexity to the car.

78850-CA000 and its supersessions is listed for basically every 2000s and 2010s Nissan SUV and large car and looks like a likely fit for the gas door. It's discontinued from Nissan, but lots of aftermarket copies and plentiful in junkyards.

Anyone ever add a power release to their trunk/hatch? I'm guessing a generic aftermarket cable-pull solenoid would work fine there, but maybe next time I go to the junkyard I'll also scour through some Nissan/Infinitis and Subarus for an OEM part that might work.

e1_griego · 02-23-2023, 11:26 AM

Following this -- love what you're thinking about.

I have a couple of cables stockpiled for this reason haha.

StorminMatt · 03-20-2025, 02:01 PM

I?m having to deal with this problem myself. And I ended up buying the B16 Sentra stuff. All I have to say is that the lever assembly from the Sentra is by no means a good fit in an S13. That assembly is positively HUGE, and doesn?t fit well under the carpeting. You will likely have to do some cutting of the carpeting, which is something you may or may not want to do. So yes, this setup would work. But it is by no means something that will just drop in with little hassle.

Another option worth considering is an Altima. I forget the exact year range, but I think it?s around 2008-2010. These Altimas use a very small lever like the S13. So fitment is less of an issue. However, you end up with a mechanism that opens the fuel door only. This is not too big of a problem since you can just use your key for the tailgate.

As for going electric, this could be another option. For the controls, you could go with any one of a myriad of different makes and models. And Nissan makes actuators for both the fuel and tailgate for a few models. You may need to end up modifying the fuel door actuator to fit the hole and make a bracket for the tailgate actuator. But there is no reason why this shouldn?t work.

projectsupra · 03-28-2025, 06:44 AM

I converted to an electric hatch release and fuel door lock from a Q50 a while back. I'll eventually add the pics and update to my build thread so you can see exactly what was involved.
Basically I just had to bend the gas door spring tab so that it holds the gas door closed, since the nissan/infiniti actuator is only activated when the car locks.
For the hatch I just made a little custom bracket so the Q50 trunk release bolts in place of the original, no other modification necessary.

02-23-2023, 10:59 AM	#1
AKADriver Post Whore! Join Date: May 2002 Location: Springfield, VA Age: 43 Posts: 3,517 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	Electric fuel/trunk release Anyone ever set up an electric fuel door release or trunk/hatch release? Just randomly thinking about it because I fixed my cable last year, but if it ever fails again - and it's depending on the integrity of some brittle 30 year old plastic, so it might - I don't have a backup plan as of yet. I did look into maybe retrofitting a manual cable set from a B16 Sentra that has two separate pull cables instead of the single push-pull cable. It has a release lever that looks like it would fit in the stock location, and it has its fuel door on the right also, so the cables should reach no problem. But since I deleted my automatic seat belts it looks like the wiring from that would also be perfect (a bit oversized) for power releases without adding any weight/complexity to the car. 78850-CA000 and its supersessions is listed for basically every 2000s and 2010s Nissan SUV and large car and looks like a likely fit for the gas door. It's discontinued from Nissan, but lots of aftermarket copies and plentiful in junkyards. Anyone ever add a power release to their trunk/hatch? I'm guessing a generic aftermarket cable-pull solenoid would work fine there, but maybe next time I go to the junkyard I'll also scour through some Nissan/Infinitis and Subarus for an OEM part that might work.

02-23-2023, 11:26 AM	#2
e1_griego Post Whore! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Independence, Ore. Age: 40 Posts: 2,722 Trader Rating: (24) Feedback Score: 24 reviews	Following this -- love what you're thinking about. I have a couple of cables stockpiled for this reason haha.

03-20-2025, 02:01 PM	#3
StorminMatt Join Date: May 2020 Location: Sacramento Posts: 23 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	I?m having to deal with this problem myself. And I ended up buying the B16 Sentra stuff. All I have to say is that the lever assembly from the Sentra is by no means a good fit in an S13. That assembly is positively HUGE, and doesn?t fit well under the carpeting. You will likely have to do some cutting of the carpeting, which is something you may or may not want to do. So yes, this setup would work. But it is by no means something that will just drop in with little hassle. Another option worth considering is an Altima. I forget the exact year range, but I think it?s around 2008-2010. These Altimas use a very small lever like the S13. So fitment is less of an issue. However, you end up with a mechanism that opens the fuel door only. This is not too big of a problem since you can just use your key for the tailgate. As for going electric, this could be another option. For the controls, you could go with any one of a myriad of different makes and models. And Nissan makes actuators for both the fuel and tailgate for a few models. You may need to end up modifying the fuel door actuator to fit the hole and make a bracket for the tailgate actuator. But there is no reason why this shouldn?t work.

03-28-2025, 06:44 AM	#4
projectsupra Zilvia Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Jupiter, FL Age: 41 Posts: 172 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	I converted to an electric hatch release and fuel door lock from a Q50 a while back. I'll eventually add the pics and update to my build thread so you can see exactly what was involved. Basically I just had to bend the gas door spring tab so that it holds the gas door closed, since the nissan/infiniti actuator is only activated when the car locks. For the hatch I just made a little custom bracket so the Q50 trunk release bolts in place of the original, no other modification necessary.