ItsTheBone

I've been working through this problem trying to trace the problem and search the boards for someone with the same problem. Finally someone posted the results of their search for a heater fix! This just cracks me up. I've been searching these forums for hours now looking for blower fixes and I read this and just rolled over laughing. I read it again and it just got better. I keep imagining someone randomly connecting wires and a random part starts up. Thanks for the laugh. I agree completely although I'm doing quite a bit of electrical diagnosis on this pathy so it's great experience. I have been thinking the resistor was the issue, but I'm hesitant to go buy one. The one I have now has correct resistances at each terminal so I don't know how to tell if its a bad resistor still or not. Also the blower is clean with a clean compartment where the resistor sits. I also hooked a power cable directly to the blower and it works so a bad blower is ruled out.

I checked the resistor with my multimeter and its seems fine. The correct resistance comes up between terminals and there's no open circuits that shouldn't be. Could it still be bad? I'm wondering if its the switch in the dash or one of the many other relays. Any suggestions?

Well the thermostat works fine, but the setting for off-low-hi doesn't work. I made a bypass switch to turn the blower on-off with, but I'm going to be selling this pathy (its gonna be tough letting my last pathy go) so i want things to be in working order. I'm thinking it might be a resistor or the switch in the dash. I'll have to dig in and see what I find.

So I got some time tonight to work on the truck. I went down to Schuck's and found the cheapest accessory relay with 30-85-86-87 terminals which was $9 and for a '90 Chrysler/Dodge. I used 10 gauge wire for power, ground and extensions for the black/pink wire. It took about 30 minutes to cut the wires to length, connect them and drill a hole in the sidewall for the relay to be mounted (i suggest getting a mountable relay.) Turned the key and VROOOM! First start was strong and quick! Tried it 10 more times and it started just as fast and quickly! The dreaded click is cured!! (a year later and many hours of trying to find a short/open circuit of some sort) It got dark quick tonight so the next time I get to work on it I'll snap some photos. I've also got to clean up the loose wires and tape it all up. Thanks again for the link GrimGreg! Now if you happened to have a link that would fix my heater blower....the blower works but the panel won't activate it! my next project awaits.....

Definately worth a shot. That looks like a great fix to exactly the same problem I'm having. I suspected it was lack of power to the starter, but I wasn't sure how to find the location of the problem.

That could be the inhibitor switch: "also called neutral safety switch at the transmission." -rasmataz I traced the inhibitor switch wires right back to that part in your pic. Well there's that part and a few others very similar in that location with a couple wires going into them. Why do you want to remove it?

So reading up on the inhibitor switch leads me to believe this isn't the issue. If it wasn't working I don't think I'd be getting a click in the first place. I traced the yellow wire to the fuse link where it connects to another set of thicker wires going down to the passenger side of the transmission. The yellow wire had little resistance and a good connection between the relay and the fuse link. The fuse link also provided little resistance between the yellow and the connecting wire. Am I correct in this assumption that it wouldn't be the inhibitor switch? If so this brings me back to square one trying to diagnose the problem of a bad ground, inh relay or ign switch. I've replaced the inh relay already. I haven't done so with the ignition switch yet. It's a more expensive part so I'd like to be sure before buying it. There's no ground wire on the ignition switch. Does it ground through contact with the steering column?

Ok so I've been working through this click/start issue for a while now and learning electrical as I go. Today to narrow down the problems and further trace my electrical issues I jumped the ground directly to the block then the frame to rule out a bad ground. Still got 8 clicks per 1 start. Then I jumped the blck/pink wire from the inh relay to the starter and connected it to the positive battery. Starter cranks the engine right up without any fuss. This is telling me its somewhere either in the inhibitor relay/switch or ignition switch. To check the relay I started by testing the ground. I connected the ground on the relay directly to the frame and then the block and still 8 clicks / start. From there I checked the blk/pnk wire from the relay to the starter. checked voltage drops and even jumped it from one side directly to the starter without any change in clicks/starts. The voltage ranged between 7.5 v on clicks and 8.9 volts on starts. Same with the black/ylw cable between the ign switch and the relay. So all this jumping and testing has me thinking its not the ign switch nor the inh relay. The only thing left in line with the ign switch and the starter is the inh switch and I have no clue where that is located. There is a yellow wire from the inh relay to the switch I could follow, but it's wrapped and there are yellow wires everywhere in the dash. and just to provide extra info, the battery and starter are new and work. Starter works when jumped and battery puts out between 12.5 and 13 volts. Anyone worked with the inhibitor switch before? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Wiper motor eh. I haven't used it that much! Yes, I've checked the battery and even replaced it since it was dead and under warranty. I'd rather not have to start bangin on a new starter like my old one. Would rather take it back to test it. The click does come from the starter tho. Sounds like its pushing the spindle out, but can't get going past that. I'm following a wire diagram and finding no luck in locating the color of wires its indicating for different parts. I'm wondering if the click is a result of fried wiring somewhere like my wiper motor. Crash course in auto electrical!

Preface: 1994 Pathy, just got finished with timing belt and cam seal as well as installing a new starter. Truck won't start and can't get past the starter click. So as I'm trying to hunt down the reason for my starter click (installed new starter and still get just a click) I find this burnt wiring harness and I'm curious as to what part its connected to! The part in question has the wires going into it. The harness is burnt and melted. What could have done that? I've been following "A Starter Story" by k9sar and other posts. I have a feeling its going to take a bypass between the ignition switch and the starter. Just have to get to that point first! Any help is greatly appreciated!

That doesn't seem to work. I've tried to do that, but the torque presses the screwdriver into the back cover and and bends it. Also isn't that putting all the torque directly onto your belt? I've heard of taking the oil pan off to put a wood handle in there to jam it up, but the oil pan is behind all he suspension! Can you stop the crank thru the starter?

Ok, I'm back to work on my Pathfinder after a bit of a break and have gotten timing belt on and most everything replaced. My dilema is getting the crank shaft bolt torqued to the 120-132 ft lb spec. I can probably get near 50 before the cams and crank rotate. Any advice on getting the correct amount of torque?

I bought the seals and tried removing it with a metal pick with no success. The plastic is just breaking apart as I try and get it out. The walls on the seal are too thin to drive a screw into and break when I use the pick. This is getting pretty frustrating for me and I've taken a few days off from working on it. I've sort of hit a wall. It seems as if I will have to remove the cover and the cam in order to get this seal off. I've been told some seals lock in and I think this is one of them. I'm out of ideas and considering a tow to my mechanic. Sigh.

I have a 94 SE V6 4x4 and I am in the process of replacing my water hose hidden behind the rear tb cover. So far I have gotten past the cam sprockets after marking them up at TDC and transferring the marks to the new timing belt. I am going to replace the hose, cam oil seals, timing belt and thermostat while I'm in this far. I do have some concern though and I am in need of advice on how I should proceed. While I did mark the belt at TDC at the cam sprockets, I didn't at the crank sprocket. Further more I rotated the crank shaft without the cams following in the process of trying to losen the cam bolts. Yeah, don't ask why, but unfortunately I did it and need to find how to remedy this problem before I go any further. It wasn't a full revolution, just a few degrees, but the combination of the teeth not being marked at TDC and the shaft not being at TDC position puts me at a stand still. I'm going to proceed to replace the seals and hose while I'm at this ponit, the point of no return, but need help in what I should do next to get the crank properly aligned with my cams. Again, it's not far off at all. The crank key is at 11 oclock, but I'm not going to leave this to chance. I appreciate any and all help.

MikeV, I've been thinknig new as well. Now I have to make the decision whether to get the starter from Nissan or Schuck's/Napa. I hear the starters from Schuck's/Napa possibly require shims as they are not built for any specific vehicle.