Interior Lights Blinking

[prginocx]

'95 5spd 4X4 SE 3.0L engine.

 

Just driving along and all of the sudden the interior dome light starts to flutter off/on. Simultaneously, the warning red symbol on the dash follows it...the interior lights near the driver / passenger feet also keep time.

 

Sometimes the rear dome light follows suit. I was thinking it was related to one of the 5 door switches, but I keep checking them when I'm parked and they work fine. It sure acts like a short in wiring, because it always happens when I hit a bump on the hwy. Or go over a speed bump near a school. Or go 4-wheeling on a gravel road.

 

Where do I start to trouble shoot this problem. It seems if the lights are stuck on, and I park and slam the driver door, they usually all stay off...But that door switch seems to work fine.

 

I did pull the fuse to stop the lights from going on, but I still see the red symbol flickering sometimes after a little bump. If it only happens going over a bump, it is going to be hard to duplicate !

 

HELP !

Edited December 25, 2006 by prginocx

[RedPath88]

I would still say that it is the switch on the rear hatch.. for two reasons.

1: When it happens (ie bumps, rough roads)

2: It's is a known problem with WD21 Pathfinders

 

I don't "think " I have one, but is the red light something like a Door Ajar warning lamp? If that is the case then it would support the rear door switch as being the problem.

 

Someone else will follow, but iirc the fix is to space the latch out with a couple of washers.. but I am not 100% sure of that. Several here have fixed this issue they will be able to give better details on it

[94extreme]

yup, rear hatch latch. just undo the two 12mm (?) bolts and move the latch just a mm or so towards the front of the vehicle. retighten the said bolts and you're done. <5min job.

 

[prginocx]

NPORA Rocks !! Thank you so much. I just moved it forward a little and it works fine now

[k9sar]

Glad we (the collective 'we') were able to help. Feel free to hang around and partake in sone holiday cheer

[Casey.T]

I just have my internal lights turned to the OFF position... Then turn them on when I need them.... 3 second fix

[prginocx]

UPDATE:

I'm on my way to visit relatives and last night in the hotel parking lot some tweakers broke the rear window. I guess they wanted my daughters CD collection which was in plain sight. (OOOOPS !!)

 

What they got was my German Shorthaired Pointer going absolutely BERSERK !! One of the guys was bitten on his left hand, and the other guy had a really bad bloody scrape on the side of his head when the COPS wrestled him down at the curb.

 

Poor pup was scared out of her mind. When she saw me she was soooo scared that I would be mad 'cause she bit someone. Instead she got steak for breakfast !! I will post a dog pic later.

 

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year. NPORA rocks !!

[Casey.T]

for the pooch Simple to replace the rear window, may want to have the Daughter lend a helping hand....

 

 

Tweaker Season is open year round and there is no limit... I however did not know it was legal to hunt them with Dogs and Bait... Bastards got what they deserved... I would suggest you include in the police report their attempt to steal you dog....

[91pathmkr]

THere is a wire connected to the rear hatch locking mechinism, my lights were always on in the auto position due to the contact area getting dirty and not making the connection. clean the area with electrical system cleaner or remove the wire, the front light will still work on auto but you will have to use manual on the hatch light

[forrer13]

This is exactly what I was looking for.

I am experiencing the same problem verbatim.

My question is where is the switch located on the rear hatch? I have looked all around the hatch and the body of the vehicle where the hatch closes and cant find a switch visible anywhere.

Thanks.

[88pathoffroad]

It's inside behind the plastic panel.

[forrer13]

Is it a mechanical switch (Like the doors) or a mercury type switch inside the hatch?

[k9sar]

mechanical

[94extreme]

still waiting for the pup pic.

[Guest SuperSon]

Put a single washer on each side underneath the switch not on top before you bolt it back on.That switch has to be raised up a bit

[forrer13]

i must realy be missing something, because i can not for the life of me find the switch.

Can someone send me a pic, or talk me through finding it?

I know I am not this dumb, help me before i loose my sanity...

[Guest SuperSon]

Edit that. I wasnt able to find the swith but what I did is follow the instruction that I found at a another nissan forum long time ago.

heres a pic of the latch hoop .Those 2 12 MM bolt needs to be spaced with washer from underneath to raise the hoop up.

 

Edited February 27, 2007 by SuperSon

[94extreme]

nah, i just moved mine forward a mm or 2.

[Guest SuperSon]

whatever works

[forrer13]

So the switch is actually in the latch mechanism in the hatch, and by moving the striker part on the body of the truck, it will make a better connection with the switch inside the latch.

I did try to move the striker forward which helped the hatch close a little more snugly but didn't fix my problem.

I will try the washer solution at lunch and report back.

What does the little black plastic piece by the latch on the hatch do? It seems to lock the hatch without the key, is that right?

[forrer13]

Ta Daa, it worked. Spacing the striker up with a washer under each side did the trick, no more flickering door open warning light.

But the weird thing is that the hatch does not turn on the cargo area light, even though the light has a 3 position switch. It does not light with the doors open either, but you can turn it on and off manually.

How does yours work? Do you think I also have a problem with the cargo area light?