Please HELP! Electrical/ground issue effecting almost everything!

[dirtroadpathy1987]

Im going to just start in the beginning bc maybe something small to me is the main clue to you guru's. Bought my pathy 95 california(Im guessing because of the egr-bpt) xe 4wd in 04'. As soon as I got it, I replaced the radio, bypassed amps, and put new 5x7s in. I also put blue gauge covers in my dash (Young and Dumb, I know). since Then I have had more electrical failures and now im going back through and undoing/fixing the things I did back then. I havnt found anything dumb though and I have checked against the 95 fsm and haynes to be thorough. Im just going to list the things that went out and ill try to do it in order but that was a while back. Tach gauge jumps everywhere when key in ON and truck not cranked, washer pump went out-first the front then the back, left side bright wont work but bulb has been replaced and it isnt blowing it, Door lock used to be sparadic then acted right again, alarm went bonkers if i unlocked and got in the truck, blower motor went out, ABS light would come on and then go off, shift lock went intermittent and then began working again, psngr window goes up slow but has since day 1, The key shocked me once or twice when I turned it, nothing is illuminated in ac control area, and when I press the drivers window up or down I can see a spark in the vertical foot area panel that is in front of the passenger door. Things I did to fix probs-- removed washer tank assy, removed alarm system and wiring, replaced blower motor, and removed those gauges years ago but all probs still persist. I think I can hear the circuit breaker flipping as soon as key is ON and the abs like will go off when the click is heard. I think this is everything and I know its alot, sorry for that. Im pulling my hair out though being that my budget is so small that I cant replace much at all but I try to look/test/fix everything possible. I think the problem could be ground issue being that the black with white line wire harness prong is discolored on the keyswitch harness but im really not too sure. I have a multimeter, I just feel like im pissing my time away and have no clue really where to look. Any advice on things to check or good testing techniques would be soo appreciated. thanks for your time! and please dont say to trash the truck, I am a fixit guy and need her to work right again. Ill answer most any questions so hit me with them if you have them. Thanks again

[Slartibartfast]

Lots of questions here, I'll see if I can get a few of them right.

 

The jumpy tach isn't uncommon. Usually it's just loosened up from the circuit board it's mounted to, and it makes an intermittent connection (with resulting craziness). Some people have cleaned and tightened it and had it work again, others end up replacing the cluster.

 

My front pump has gone out twice. Both times I've revived it. Pull it out, pull it apart (unbend the little tabs holding the motor down) carefully so you don't bugger the motor brushes, then clean out the bearings at either end of the motor. They just get fluid in them and lock up. Wouldn't hurt to polish the commutator while you're in there. Put some good thick grease or oil on the bushings when you put it back together and it should start working again. (You should be able to test it with a battery or something outside of the car, but be careful, it'll still spray washer fluid at you, and that stuff tastes awful.)

 

Headlight issues are common due to the design of the control lever. Each headlight filament has its own contact inside, and each contact is expected to handle the full power draw of the bulb. If you pull the lever apart, you can clean the little contacts and re-bend them if necessary. Some of us relay the headlights so that these contacts work longer. There's also the possibility that one of the little headlight wire is bad, but try cleaning the switch first.

 

I'm still fighting with my door locks. You can remove the door lock timer (behind the trim in the driver's side cargo area IIRC) and re-do the solder joints, which supposedly crack and act up in cold weather. I did mine but it didn't solve anything, so I'll try doing the joints on the door lock motors etc next. I suspect that blowing graphite into my driver's side lock (which was jammed with dirt) is behind some of the craziness, so don't do that. My advice is to focus on other stuff for now and get a spare key!

 

The climate control illumination and the blower motor are most likely linked. I assume you've checked your fuses (I think there's one especially for this) so check the FSM to see where power supply and ground for all of that is located. Then look up the 'how to prevent fire/clean blower resistors' thread and clean out back there just in case.

 

The windows often need a little extra lube in the tracks. I think silicone spray is recommended for this. I keep meaning to do it on mine, but haven't gotten around to it.

 

There is no circuit breaker (just fuses) so what you're hearing is a relay. I have no idea about the ABS but it can't hurt to check the brake fluid level.

 

Couldn't hurt to clean that ignition wire prong either.

 

Good luck!

[Kyle94]

alot of the first issues are actually really common, failing/stuck washer pumps, headlight switch, door locks, wonky alarm etc. you just got them all! lol

[dirtroadpathy1987]

yall are awesome! I guess I was just thinking it was all linked lol. I am still not so sure about the tach though just because of it jumping around before the truck is running. It doesnt move with the key on ACC but begins having seizures when the key is on the ON position. After the post, I played with my multimeter (set on DC) and with one prong on the negative terminal on the battery, almost everything has voltage on my engine... even the air intake manifold. Not a terminal, but the freaking metal itself.... Makes me wonder if the wires on the dizzy are jumping to the dizzy itself... thats just a thought though, not sure. I think I can hear a high pitch electrical whine coming from that area too. All this is with the motor off but the key on ON. the whine is almost like that squeal that you sometimes hear coming from older tvs and such. Im wondering if the abs is a clogged line being that It hasnt needed fluid in years and its quite dark in the reservoir but full. I can also see the MC bulging a bit when i press the pedal to the floor. I have a vac leak somewhere but if I sqeeze the line bt check valve and manifold, breaks are stiff. check valve is good too bc hose between chk valve and mc stays pressurized. Would a blocked brake line cause the parking brake to be almost free play? Cables arent loose or broken. I can hear the shoes moving when I pull the cable too so Im thinking blockage or adjustment of shoes. if I do have some + wire touching a ground though, is there a good way or multimeter setting to better locate the problem? I have alot of questions, I know, because no professional mechanic Ive found puts the care and thought into working on my PF like I expect, so Ive become my own. Now my budget just sucks so its truly shadetree type stuff. I enjoy the heck out of it when I can fix anything thats complicated though. Thanks for your replies though, the Nissan place doesnt enjoy answering questions about a 95 lol.

[dirtroadpathy1987]

Also, does anyone have a picture of the back of your fully working gauge cluster? I remember when I took mine out I thought that some of the small screws werent there or where they were supposed to be. also the bottom harness plug on the back of mine didnt have a black box or harness to go into it that I hear so much about. I know it had to happen before 04' though bc I wouldnt have done anything like just unplug and toss.... unless it was a crazy, corroded alarm system

[Slartibartfast]

My understanding is that the engine's supposed to have all kinds of grounding straps on it. If you're getting considerable voltage from the engine to the battery ground, check your ground straps first. If the engine and the battery post are electrically connected, there shouldn't be much if any voltage difference between them. Sounds to me like the electricity is having to find another way around (or travel through a corroded ground strap or corrosion around your battery post or something), which accounts for the difference.

 

If your plug wires are shot, they might be arcing to the engine. If the key zapped you while the engine was running, this might be why. I would expect it to go straight to ground, but if ground is compromised, it might somehow make its way to the ignition column. (This is just speculation.)

 

The '95 FSM only shows the parking brake arrangement for axles with disk brakes. On these axles, the parking brake has its own drum brake system mounted behind the rotors on either side. Mine was a little loose, so I adjusted the cable a bit. I haven't pulled the rotors to check the drums, which I suspect are worn. Anyway, my point is, they don't share any lines or cables, and the master cylinder should have no bearing whatsoever on e-brake operation. If yours has drum brakes, I think the e-brake uses the main drums (as per the '89 FSM), but the lines should still have their own cables. I doubt that a blocked brake line on either setup would cause the parking brake to malfunction, but then, adjusting my e-brake cable is the most intensive brake work I've ever done.

 

I looked up the troubleshooting for the ABS in the service manual, and the light is supposed to come on when you turn the ignition switch on. It should turn off a few seconds later. If this is what yours is doing, there's no problem. (This is from page BR-34 of the '95 FSM.)

 

Also, just saying, my 95 has the EGR-BPT and it's never been registered in California. It may have been origin-dependent on some years but I think it was standard on the 95. (Mine also had two catalytic converters, so go figure.)