MAJOR electrical nightmare.. please HELP
12-13-2008, 09:05 AM
#1
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MAJOR electrical nightmare.. please HELP
Hello all, I am having the strangest problem that i have ever seen in my maxima and probably in any car that i have owned. My max is a 1997 with only 70K miles on it. I bought it last year with 48K and put on over 20K in the last year without a single problem. Driving to work the other day i hear a 'click' in the dash and my gauges went dead. Not all of them, and thats the strange part. The fuel gauge works but tach, speedo, temp are dead. The radio works but the climate control doesnt. The wipers work but the blinkers do not. The door locks work but the windows do not. The hazards work but the rear defroster does not. I am completely puzzled. To add insult to injury, after i let the car sit for a few hours everything went back to normal. Then on my home (same day) it all died again exactly what i just described and since then it has yet to work. I checked every fuse and changed or switched all the relays under the hood. Dealership is going to charge me hundreds just to look at it and try to find something. Has anyone ever had something like this happen? I am very handy in the garage and would have no problem taking the dash or anything else apart to replace or check something. I dont even know where to start...
Anyone with suggestions or heard of this happening? THANKS!!!
Anyone with suggestions or heard of this happening? THANKS!!!
12-13-2008, 09:06 AM
#2
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Electrical dash problems... HELP
Hello all, I am having the strangest problem that i have ever seen in my maxima and probably in any car that i have owned. My max is a 1997 with only 70K miles on it. I bought it last year with 48K and put on over 20K in the last year without a single problem. Driving to work the other day i hear a 'click' in the dash and my gauges went dead. Not all of them, and thats the strange part. The fuel gauge works but tach, speedo, temp are dead. The radio works but the climate control doesnt. The wipers work but the blinkers do not. The door locks work but the windows do not. The hazards work but the rear defroster does not. I am completely puzzled. To add insult to injury, after i let the car sit for a few hours everything went back to normal. Then on my home (same day) it all died again exactly what i just described and since then it has yet to work. I checked every fuse and changed or switched all the relays under the hood. Dealership is going to charge me hundreds just to look at it and try to find something. Has anyone ever had something like this happen? I am very handy in the garage and would have no problem taking the dash or anything else apart to replace or check something. I dont even know where to start...
Anyone with suggestions or heard of this happening? THANKS!!!
Anyone with suggestions or heard of this happening? THANKS!!!
12-13-2008, 09:09 AM
#3
the click sounds like what a circuit breaker might do if it trips. i know every max comes with at least one under the dash, two if you have power seats. maybe your circuit breaker is going bad?, if not something else along the system is causing the problem, if that is it.
12-13-2008, 09:22 AM
#5
its not right behind the gauges... you can reach the breakers if you just lay under the steering wheel and reach back up behind the steering column.
give me a sec., i'll try to get a picture of it.
give me a sec., i'll try to get a picture of it.
12-13-2008, 09:40 AM
#6
alright so this is where you'll need to lay on your back the best you can. you're going to be reaching up between the side of the car and where the clutch pedal is.
this is what they look like, the black topped cylindrical things with gray tips where they connect , there are two, the one closest to the floor is for the power seats so they shouldn't affect the dash. if it is the breaker, it would be the other one above it.
this is another view, it's what you'll see when you poke your head under the dash, give or take a few wires...
this is what they look like, the black topped cylindrical things with gray tips where they connect , there are two, the one closest to the floor is for the power seats so they shouldn't affect the dash. if it is the breaker, it would be the other one above it.
this is another view, it's what you'll see when you poke your head under the dash, give or take a few wires...
12-13-2008, 09:46 AM
#7
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wow thanks for the pics. i think it makes sense too that its a breaker especially by the clicking noise but the one thing i dont understand is how can a breaker click and break then reset itself? it went dead then came back then went dead again...
Ill go pull those now and check them out, this would be great and easy is it was one of them but how would i know? what would i be looking for on the breaker? The seat still works.. maybe ill try and swap then and see if the dash works and the seat stops.
THANK YOU
Ill go pull those now and check them out, this would be great and easy is it was one of them but how would i know? what would i be looking for on the breaker? The seat still works.. maybe ill try and swap then and see if the dash works and the seat stops.
THANK YOU
12-13-2008, 09:53 AM
#8
well i'm pretty sure the breakers are supposed to reset themselves. however i dont know if you can just swap the power seats breaker with the one above it because they MAY be different, but not sure. you could just try pulling both and reading what they say at the top. otherwise, i don't think they show any signs of being bad or good.
GOOD LUCK!
GOOD LUCK!
12-13-2008, 10:12 AM
#9
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good news bad news: Good news is that both of the round breakers are good and by removing them and switch the power seats worked and stopped. BAD news is that it isn't the problem...
Are there any other relay/breakers anywhere else under the dash on the driver side? I looked around but couldnt see any.
Thanks
Are there any other relay/breakers anywhere else under the dash on the driver side? I looked around but couldnt see any.
Thanks
12-13-2008, 10:18 AM
#10
the only other things i think it could be that i mentioned was that something is setting off the breaker, that clicking sound you hear. it might be getting too much power through it, so there might be something else along the circuit not working properly/doing its job.
there probably are more breakers somewhere, but those are the only two i know of. you could try calling up nissan and describing your problem or even asking if there are any other relevant breakers.
there probably are more breakers somewhere, but those are the only two i know of. you could try calling up nissan and describing your problem or even asking if there are any other relevant breakers.
12-13-2008, 10:30 AM
#11
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I stopped in and asked them, the answer i got was they have never heard of this happening and it would take a day to try and 'look' for the problem @ $96 per hour...
I only heard the clicking twice, both when i was driving. If they do reset then after i swapped them out just now it should have clicked when i put the key on. Frustrating to say the least; I really cant imagine giving the dealer the car for a day and $800 and have then say they dont know what it is at the end. Thanks for the help
I only heard the clicking twice, both when i was driving. If they do reset then after i swapped them out just now it should have clicked when i put the key on. Frustrating to say the least; I really cant imagine giving the dealer the car for a day and $800 and have then say they dont know what it is at the end. Thanks for the help
12-13-2008, 10:54 AM
#12
This has happened to me before. I had just got home from a late night partying like a rock star, and well I sorta had my radio turned up, and I was closing all 4 windows at the same time and the sun roof all at the same time, and everything just stopped working. Same problems to what your having, however I just turned the car off and then on and everything worked fine for me. Good luck with it.
12-13-2008, 11:31 AM
#13
breakers in cars are not like breakers in houses. The breakers in cars automatically reset when they cool down and trip when they get too hot. If the breaker is going bad it will turn on and off for no reason and for undetermined amounts of time if they ever come back on that is. try changing the breaker go the the junkyard and get a few for like 5 bucks.
12-13-2008, 11:43 AM
#14
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thanks for the info on the car breakers. since i have two breakers; one for the seats and one for the dash, i swapped them. when i started the car the seats moved but no dash. If one was bad wouldn't that not let the seats move? Dont get me wrong its easy enough to buy a couple and change them, i will definitely try that, but i dont think it could be the breakers based on that.
12-13-2008, 02:06 PM
#15
There are two circuit breakers, #1 only protects the power seats nothing else. So #1 is not the problem. Breaker #2 protects many things power windows, doorlocks, sunroof, theft system, step lamp, illumination. Chances are you have a short in one of these circuits that is tripping the breaker. The only real way to find the short is to disconnect the faulty circuit when the problem occurs. You could have a faulty motor or a bare wire somewhere touching the chassis once in a while. This causes the breaker to trip. Check any place where someone may have been messing with the wiring.
12-13-2008, 02:18 PM
#17
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Have you had any work done on the interior or engine bay recently? Sounds like a short somewhere. My first thought was a faulty relay which it still could be even though they all might work at this moment.
BTW, you might want this in the 4th Gen forum instead....
BTW, you might want this in the 4th Gen forum instead....
12-14-2008, 08:49 AM
#20
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Thanks for the tips. I can tell you the car has not been worked on or touched, i was away on business for the past week and it was the second day back. One thing to add that i noticed, right before the whole dash went dead the 'Engine Service Soon' light came on. Maybe its just coincidence but i figured i would mention it.
As of right now the all the things i mentioned that were not working are dead. Since a day ago none of them has worked. I have tried to giggle the ignition as well. At this point i still dont know what to check or try. One observation though; it seems that just enough things aren't working to be a hindrance but not stop the car from operating. Some of the things still working are right next to things that arent, how can that be? Is there some kind of plug that half the dash plugs into? i just cant imagine how such a wide cluster of things doesnt work yet when you narrow it down two things right next to each other (ie windows and door locks) dont.
As of right now the all the things i mentioned that were not working are dead. Since a day ago none of them has worked. I have tried to giggle the ignition as well. At this point i still dont know what to check or try. One observation though; it seems that just enough things aren't working to be a hindrance but not stop the car from operating. Some of the things still working are right next to things that arent, how can that be? Is there some kind of plug that half the dash plugs into? i just cant imagine how such a wide cluster of things doesnt work yet when you narrow it down two things right next to each other (ie windows and door locks) dont.
12-14-2008, 07:46 PM
#21
This is what is happening, your ignition relay is kicking out or not turning on, it is also located under the dash. Find a copy of the FSM page EL-299 shows it's location. The ignition relay should always turn on when the key is turned from assy to on. You should feel & hear it clicking on/off when you move the key from assy position to on. There are a few relays down there that click when you turn the key, I believe the ignition relay is just one of them.
The ignition relay controls all those things that require that your key be in the on position for them to work. This includes sunroof, windows, turn signals, defroster, heated seat, and others. The wiper only needs assy position and is energized by the assy relay, thats why it works.
You can try changing out the ignition relay if another of the same kind is around but more than likely it's your ignition switch causing the problem. When you move the ignition switch to on it energizes the ignition relay and that relay provides power to many circuits that require that the switch be in the on position.
It is possible that there is a bad connection or the relay is bad but the most likely cause is that the ignition switch is bad. I have never changed one but my understanding is that they are relatively cheap and easy to change. Again you can try jiggling the key but even if you get no results I would still suggest you change the ignition switch. If you make no progress with that (very unlikely) make a more detailed list of exactly what is not functioning.
You do not have a major electrical problem, it's as simple as that.
The ignition relay controls all those things that require that your key be in the on position for them to work. This includes sunroof, windows, turn signals, defroster, heated seat, and others. The wiper only needs assy position and is energized by the assy relay, thats why it works.
You can try changing out the ignition relay if another of the same kind is around but more than likely it's your ignition switch causing the problem. When you move the ignition switch to on it energizes the ignition relay and that relay provides power to many circuits that require that the switch be in the on position.
It is possible that there is a bad connection or the relay is bad but the most likely cause is that the ignition switch is bad. I have never changed one but my understanding is that they are relatively cheap and easy to change. Again you can try jiggling the key but even if you get no results I would still suggest you change the ignition switch. If you make no progress with that (very unlikely) make a more detailed list of exactly what is not functioning.
You do not have a major electrical problem, it's as simple as that.
Last edited by Nopike; 12-14-2008 at 08:31 PM.
12-15-2008, 12:56 PM
#24
I'm not sure if someone else already mentioned this...I didnt read all the posts, but the best place to start is ALL your fuses...both under the dash, and under the hood. Check them ALL...not just ones related to your problems.
12-16-2008, 05:49 AM
#25
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THANK YOU for all the insite, can anyone lead me to a web version of the FSM page EL-299 manual? I did a quick Google on it but i was unable to find a live link to anything. I am assuming that it is some sort of manual correct? Can i buy this from the dealer or a local napa/pep boys... or is a special order item? I would love to change the ignition switch out and see if thats the problem but it sounds like i will need that reference guide to do it.
12-16-2008, 06:47 AM
#26
http://forums.maxima.org/general-max...niti-fsms.html
If that does not do it just search FSM on the org.
If that does not do it just search FSM on the org.
12-16-2008, 07:26 AM
#27
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Excellent thanks. I picked up another thread that was all about changing the ignition switch and i read through it, doesn't look bad. I'm going to try and swap it out tonight and go with that first, if that fails I will attempt to find the relay. Thanks for all the help, let you know after i switch it!
12-16-2008, 07:33 AM
#28
You should locate the relay first and just remove it and inspect it than plug it back in, although unlikely, it is possible there is is a bad/loose connection there. I'm not absolutely certain it is the ignition switch, but it is worth trying.
12-16-2008, 07:40 AM
#29
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Is the relay near the switch or a totally different location? The switch is under the the column covers, 6 screws..etc. I flipped through that manual but it was just a pass/fail list, i did not specifically where the location was to remove/check the relay. Any idea?
12-16-2008, 08:36 AM
#32
12-16-2008, 08:42 AM
#33
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Hi I started having this problem 2 days ago too. I live in Denver thought maybe it was from it being so cold. I have a 95 and when mine clicks off I know I lose the climate control, radio, all the dash needles dont move, hazards. When it clicks back on the ABS light on the left side of the dash blinks. I changed my ignition switch less than a year ago as it was bad.
12-17-2008, 06:33 AM
#35
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WELLL, everything is now fixed and with even less work then I originally thought. I actually never made it to even looking/finding the Ignition Switch, but that is what prompted me to find my problem. I took the steering column and bottom of the dash apart and when i started to look for the ignition switch, i saw that to the left side of the fuse box there were 3 more relays. I couldnt see them with the bottom dash cover on otherwise this would have been the first thing i checked. As soon as i saw these i began switching them around and all the dash lit up. By process of elimination i figured out it was the middle one and went to the store for $12.95 and bought a new one. Fixed. I took a couple pictures to show everyone, and also took a pic of the steering column so incase someone was looking for the ignition relay. I am still not sure where it is but for future reference maybe someone can cirlcle it and repost it so everyone will know.
Thanks to alll for the suggestions from everyone. I hope im not jinxing my self too soon before i drive the car but as of now i am fixed and running smooth.
Thanks to alll for the suggestions from everyone. I hope im not jinxing my self too soon before i drive the car but as of now i am fixed and running smooth.
12-17-2008, 06:49 AM
#36
You should be OK.
Last edited by Nopike; 12-17-2008 at 04:41 PM.
02-02-2009, 02:30 PM
#37
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WELLL, everything is now fixed and with even less work then I originally thought. I actually never made it to even looking/finding the Ignition Switch, but that is what prompted me to find my problem. I took the steering column and bottom of the dash apart and when i started to look for the ignition switch, i saw that to the left side of the fuse box there were 3 more relays. I couldnt see them with the bottom dash cover on otherwise this would have been the first thing i checked. As soon as i saw these i began switching them around and all the dash lit up. By process of elimination i figured out it was the middle one and went to the store for $12.95 and bought a new one. Fixed. I took a couple pictures to show everyone, and also took a pic of the steering column so incase someone was looking for the ignition relay. I am still not sure where it is but for future reference maybe someone can cirlcle it and repost it so everyone will know.
Thanks to alll for the suggestions from everyone. I hope im not jinxing my self too soon before i drive the car but as of now i am fixed and running smooth.
Thanks to alll for the suggestions from everyone. I hope im not jinxing my self too soon before i drive the car but as of now i am fixed and running smooth.
I'm so glad you solved your problem, because I am having the same exact problem. I will look for the relays. Do you have a picture? and where did you buy the new relays? Autozone, Dealer, etc?
02-02-2009, 02:39 PM
#38
