Harbinger Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) So a few weeks ago, I got in the truck and the battery light was on. My blower motor also suddenly would not work on any speed. A week later, my rear defrost dies, and my speedo, odometer, & trip odometer stopped working. I haven't driven the truck enough to tell if the fuel/temp gauges are affected or not. I've replaced the blower motor with a j/y one. No worky. I have power on the + terminal of the blower motor plug, but don't have continuity from the - terminal and ground. Then again, my multimeter doesn't always register continuity when the electrodes are touching each other... Looking at the FSM, all of these things share the same grounds, namely the two in the cab, one in each foot well. I have removed, cleaned, and replaced both of them. The wiring looked fine. I also removed the passenger side one in the engine compartment that is used by the blower motor relay for a cleaning. I looked for the ground near the ecu, but wasn't able to find it? Over the past few weeks it would not start after a few days of sitting. Always read over 14v when running, but the battery would rest around 12.1V. A fresh charge always started her up. Today I replaced the battery with a j/y one (So far is holding a charge better than my previous battery.), and swapped the alternator for a remaned one from a 93 Maxima SOHC. Now shows 14.4ish when running, and resting voltage is around 12.4. I also ran a new 4ga power cable from the alt positive to the battery positive. I still have a battery light on. Does anyone have any ideas? Is there a common point where all these problems intersect that I am missing? All of the fuses for the affected systems look to be in working order... Edited January 12, 2015 by Harbinger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
level9 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) Do you still read 14.4v with the car running and headlights, audio, etc. equipment turned on? A couple of grounds to check.. The main ground that runs from the battery to the passenger side fender to the block. I've found the fender ground connection to become corroded over time. Unbolt the ground from the fender, de-rust, scuff paint, bolt it back on and cover with Liquid Electrical Tape. The alternator ground: I believe it grounds at the upper radiator core support (black wire, driver side, near the hood prop). Edited January 12, 2015 by level9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 The battery read 14.6V when idling this morning, with the high beams on and the stereo turned up. I don't have any other working equipment to turn on right now. Ok, I wire wheeled the bolts for the battery fender ground, and the alt ground. Also sanded down the contact points & wire ends to bare metal and re-attached. Removed what rust I could from the bolt holes. (Will have to get some liquid electrical tape today.). No changes in the cab. Still have a battery light and a bunch of systems that aren't responding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Sorry man, I have no idea. I would pick one system and start tracing it backwards to see where it was losing voltage. Other than that, I'm clueless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Grrr, wish we could still edit posts.Took a look at my fuses again. The 10Amp one marked "Meter" was blown. I replaced it, and it blew again when I started the truck. Left it empty for now. Looks like I get to start chasing a short, somewhere... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) Looking at the FSM, that 10amp fuse ties into a bunch of systems. <br /> <br /> "Meter and gauge, warning lamp, interlock emergency relay, ascd, ecm, back up lamp, seat belt timer, ac, rear window defogger, at control system, daytime running lamps, at shift lock, and the power antennae. "<br /> <br /> So the short could be in one of my affected systems. Will try and get the truck into a warm shop sometime this week and start digging.<br /> Edited January 12, 2015 by Harbinger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) Success! I did some goggling referring to the meter fuse. http://www.justanswer.com/nissan/3da6q-does-meter-fuse-keep-blowing-1995-nissan-path.html They reference that it is usually related to the speedo wire rubbing through it's insulation and shorting out. So I went and bought some new 10a fuses (Popped my last one this morning) and in the parking lot, I disconnected the 4 wire plug that runs to the speedo sensor and the transfer case switches, and then replaced the fuse. All of the affected systems (Rear defrost, blower motor, and the cluster) are now working, and no battery/charge light to be seen, with the exception of the speedo being disconnected. I'll inspect the affected speedo wiring later and see what needs replaced. I'm glad it was simple. At the end of the day, at least I got a new maxima alt and a fresher battery out of the ordeal. Edited January 12, 2015 by Harbinger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 I crawled under the truck yesterday, and found the offending short. A solder connection on the middle transfer case switch broke, and was shorting out as it bounced around.I disconnected the transfer case switches, and either need to find a soldering iron or buy a new switch. At least my speedo works again! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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