93 Maxima Automatic...

I read somewhere that the light sensor is tied in with the security sensor. Right now the security light simply flashes constantly which should mean it thinks something is open.

If the light sensor bit is true...we checked each door's light sensor (by pressing the large black button in the door frame) and they were all fine.

We tested the hood sensor (same type of button) using a multi-meter and it metered out fine (we removed it from the body tested it, then replaced it).

That leaves the trunk... well neither of us willing to actually go INTO the trunk and close it to see if the light went off

So...we stuck our digit camera on record and closed it in there. After a moment the trunk light shut off, so that sensor is working also.

I read elsewhere on the board someone had a problem with their trunk latch, replaced it and that fixed it, do they mean the latch on the frame of the car or the lid? We tried to peek in there to see what we could see and we saw nothing useful.

As a side note (it;s a long shot), the dome light isn't currently working. It has power but the bulb must be blown or something. Since it's tied in to work whether or not the doors are open could that be related?

We just bought it used today and so don't really have any other history on it. Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Is it a big deal to replace the latch ourselves - or are we better off with a dealer? I just want to use the dealership as little as possible because it costs (as you all know). Thanks!

Carson.

 

As for getting power to the dome light, you always have power there, the ground is the only thing that gets switched to activate the light when a door is open. I assume the dome light switch is in the middle "door" position, right?
You should check the switches at the security module under the dash (to the left of the steering column) instead of taking them out like you did for the hood. There could be a problem with the wiring to the hood switch so that even if the switch itself is working, the module might not see the right signal from it.
Replace the dome light bulb first. Then shut all the doors and make sure it turns off and then your door switches are probably working (again, could be wiring issue from door to alarm).
I dont have any experience with the trunk sensor though.

I'd suggest getting a factory service manual (ebay) and trying to fix it yourself.

 

I don't think your dome light has any bearing on your problem. My dome light did not work (bulb was OK) and I did not have the security light on. I fixed my dome light by fixing a bad ground - specifically I simply un screwed the light from the roof and put it back up. Just watch out for 2 spacers that will fall off.

 

I dont its because of the dome light, but if he gets that working, it might be easier to diagnose that way. (too see that all door sensors are at least working for that system).

 

how is the hood sitting on the car?
I had a problem with the hood sensor tripping under heavy winds while my car was parked. I had installed a strut brace that was pushing the hood up just enough that it would cause the sensor to trip then the hood moved in the wind.

in your case I'm not sure if that will help or not. I'd also take a look at the factory service manual and it will give you very specific instructions on how to test all of the parts and possibly a test mode for the security system that will tell you which sensor is bad.

 

Wow thanks everyone so much for your help

We are going to get our hands on the repair manual (on reserve at the library today) and see what we can piece together. The dome light is fixed now, so perhaps that will help.

We'll double check the hood sensor, but it was parked in the garage at the time so I don't think catching in the wind would be a problem in our case