Intermitent electrical issues.

[Maxima-Will]

Ok, our "new to us" 87 Max GXE Sedan has a couple of intermitent problems.

1) The digital speedometer occasionally drops to 0 and the odometer and trip meters stop incrementing. The display is still on, but reads zero as if the car is parked. It may be working when the car is parked and when we take off later it reads zero... or it may work for a long time and then stop while we are moving. No real pattern.

2) Passenger side automatic seatbelt sometimes does not move. It may stay at either end of it's travel, but it has never stopped in mid-travel. As in, we park and open the passenger door to get out and it stays in the rearmost position, or we get in and start the car and it does not move to the rear.

3) The drivers door window. Works fine and as fast as the rest of the windows... most of the time. Sometimes it will not go down. I can hear a relay in the door but no window movement. Again, no pattern.

Not all symptoms occur at the same time. The window may not work even though everything else works and visa-versa.

Ideas? Suggestions? I was thinking maybe one of the main harness connectors but I don't know where to begin.

[Niku-Sama]

as for number 2 try opening the car from the out side handle and see if it moves....mine some times doesent on the passenger too and a friend tryied opening the door from the out side and it works every time

[blackmaxima88]

as for the digital dash, I dunno what to tell ya.

the power window problem could be either a bad motor, or a bad connection at the ground or wiring harness. the fun part is taking off the door panel and probing wires and everything. here's where you need wiring diagrams. if you get battery voltage at the harness for the motor, the motor is defective. but since it's intermittent, I'd start blaming a bad connection somewhere.

now the neat part. these cars have a computer-controlled power seat belt system with a diagnostic mode. betcha didn't know that. I came across it one time while looking through the factory service manual. anyway, it's not too hard to do, and it isolates the problem in the system. if you want directions to access the diagnostic mode, let me know. (no, it doesn't involve removing the passengers seat.)

Dan

[keith_u]

Ok I got a possibility for all your problems.

1.the speed sensor has gone bad.Mine did the same thing till I replaced it.At last check they are a dealer only part.

2.On the door there are 2 buttons the bottom one is for the lights and the top one is for the activation of the seat belt.It could be sticking or going bad too.

3.There is a little white box inside the door that controls the auto down feature.When it goes bad it will work off and on till it doesn't work no more.I belive this too is a dealer only piece.

I know the causes of these things cause I have had the same things go wrong and it sounds just like what you said.

You can find most of these parts a a junk yard but there you take the chance of them being no good or not lasting long.

Hope this helps

[max95q]

There's always a junk yard to get some of these things as well. They maybe in a junk yard but sometimes youll be surprised at what just may have been replaced in the cars.

[Maxima-Will]

Thank you for the ideas everyone. I guess this weekend I will be playing with electrical sutff... I'll update when I figger them out. Good thing I have a friend that owns salvage yard.

[(_8*(l)Homer]

Hey,

The digital dash has a diagnostics mode it is in the factory service manual.

You must remove the gauge cluster, and on the back there is a double block micro switch in blue. Switch 1 should be off and 2 be on. There is a table that tell what the codes mean on the net somewhere, or maybe someone has a scan of it.

-Joe

[Maxima-Will]

Thanks Joe, I have access to the factory manual and will look into it.