When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Key Illumination and Dome Light - Always on, drains battery
Hi all, I just got a 1990 Maxima yesterday and need some help with my first and so far biggest problem.
Previous owner told me battery will be dead every few days if it's not started and ran for a bit...I knew I needed to find the drain but when I parked it last night I think I already found it...the ignition has a light to help you see the key hole..and my light is always on...so I checked the dome light..same thing unless you turn it all the way off.
My first thought was to unplug the door button...did that and no change..still on.
Does anyone have any ideas on what else to check / test?
I am wondering if the key pad on the door will / should activate these two lights or not. That information would be a great help for starters...I don't want to tear into the door panel for nothing...lol
Thank you.
p.s I have a wiring diagram of the lights but have no clue how to read it..lol
I have added it to this post (I hope..lol)
Been doing some reading on this forum..have a couple things to add.
1. My auto door lock switch located on the inside of drivers door..does nothing as well.
2. Just found some cut wires under the passenger seat...from first look I am thinking Amplifier...but perhaps this group of wires is for something else?
Also..question, would this car have a factory alarm? and how about keyless entry with FOBs..not just the key pad?
As for the door locks. First place and cheapest thing to do is pull the power door lock module located under the steering column. You should hear it making a clicking noise as your pushing the door lock button on the master switch which will help you locate it. Then if your soldering skills aren't half bad just re solder any bad points on board inside the door lock module and as for your keyless entry the 3rd generation didn't come with a key fob. Just the keyless entry on the door or your key. And as for your 2 cut wires it's anyone's guess what they could be with no pics or a better description..
ac max 92, thank you for the help. I do not hear any clicks at all when I press the door lock button though...is this module you are referring to easy to spot?
Also..just been reading through the manual and I see this car MIGHT have an interior light delay system. If this is the case..I am wondering if perhaps some sort of timer module could have failed and that is what is causing the two lights to stay on?...just a thought.
I have so far unplugged the door button...and every wire clip on the drivers door behind the panel...lights still stay on.
I will get a photo of those cut wires under passenger seat soon.
Now that I put that fuse back in there is an orange "Security" light flashing on the dash.
No idea what this means...just hoping there's not some alarm getting ready to sound...lol
Another note to add...The door Ajar light never comes on even if all doors, trunk and hood are open.
So here is the full list of related problems so far...
1. Dome light does not go out when on normal setting 2. Ignition / key illumination light never goes out 3. Door ajar light never comes on 4. Security light on dash is constantly flashing even when locked and car is off 5. Electronic door lock switch on drivers door does not do anything
Notes:
- Once the fuse labeled Electron Batt gets pulled the key illumination light goes out.
- The first time I pulled this fuse and put it back in is when I got the flashing security light on dash.
The power door lock timer is located under the drivers side dash. There should be a pic in the fsm but you should be able to hear it click each time you press the door lock button. If not you might want to see if you can find one at a scrap yard. As for your interior lights is the door catching/pushing the button in all the way on the door frame? I'm not sure what else would be causing the interior lights to stay illuminated or why it would still be getting constant power but hopefully someone can chime in to help you with this electrical gremlin if it's a circuit issue.
After reading through the FSM on the Time Control Unit I am seeing a couple more items that lead me to believe my problem is indeed the time control unit.
I forgot or didn't even think of these being part of the problem or symptoms...but my wiper delay does not work..neither does my rear window defogger. Both of those are listed under the troubleshooting for the TCU in the FSM.
Unplugged the time control unit and the key / ignition light went off..the dome light went off...but so did all the dash lights...lol If I can find one of these somewhere it's worth a shot I guess.
Those wires under the seat don't look like Nissan factory wiring. In fact, the thick black wire in the first photo looks like ac electric cord.
Open the timer module and look inside. if it looks clean and isn't corroded, it probably needs some re-soldering. Most timer units had cold solder joints.
For the ignition key light ring and dome light, check the door switches. you might have a bad one.
Those wires under the seat don't look like Nissan factory wiring. In fact, the thick black wire in the first photo looks like ac electric cord.
Open the timer module and look inside. if it looks clean and isn't corroded, it probably needs some re-soldering. Most timer units had cold solder joints.
For the ignition key light ring and dome light, check the door switches. you might have a bad one.
Cut wires...
Last night I found the end of those wires..they are in the trunk so I am sure it was part of the previous stereo install.
Timer control...
I have the timer control in hand..will open it soon but not sure I am skilled enough to see if anything is wrong etc.
Door switches...
I have tried disconnecting all the door switched (minus the trunk) and light still stays on...what I am not sure about is if unplugging them will cause them them to turn the light off..or keep it on all the time. It depends on whether its causing a ground to complete the circuit or taking a ground away I guess.
If I can figure out how these are supposed to work..then if needed I could jump the switches with wires somehow to bypass them entirely.
As I expected and which has been the case so many times from microwaves, computers, TV's, stereos, Vehicles and more..I see all the solder joints...I know something is wrong..but have no idea how to test it or tell what needs fixing...sigh..lol
I have tried to "re flow" a couple boards via the oven method in the past but never had any luck although many others have.
I am attaching pictures of this Timer Control Unit in case others need to see what they are up against.
There are a couple of them used on Ebay for around $20 but it's a total gamble if I buy one since they may have the same issues and if so that can lead to me searching for problems elsewhere when the problem still lies within this control unit...if that makes sense..lol
I think I just need to find a friend with a fully fully functional Maxima around the same year...buy him lunch and bring my Phillips screwdriver...lol
I will keep plugging away at this though..and will probably buy one of these off Ebay since it's my only option..just hope it doesn't doesn't turn out like my last Ebay purchases did. One was a gauge set for my Altima..it was bad as well...and then a motherboard for a laptop...again it was bad...both times cost me money and a good deal of frustrations..
I finally figure out a way to save just one page of the FSM.
Here is the page that shows what all is controlled by the Timer Control Unit.
I do believe most if not every one of these items is not working on this car.
I also see how to test the pins...BUT I am not sure if I need some sort of extra connector that plugs in and gives me access to the pins while connected.
I don't understand how else I would test it.
Does anyone know what the SMJ is all about? I know it stands for Super Multiple Junction but is this just a term for a type of connector or is this something else?
I see there is a "How to Install" section in the FSM...but just not sure what this is and can't tell from the photos...and not having much luck searching online.
Your postings are "too much". Kinda all over the place. Let us see if we can deal with them one at a time.
1) dome light:
Are the courtesy lights on the doors staying on with dome light? If they are not, then the problem is not with the switches. Is there a reason you cannot turn the the dome light off from the selector switch on the light itself. It has three positions, on, off and door - not necessarily in that order.
2) illumination key ring:
It stays on for some time when the door is opened and/or closed.
3) security light:
Flashes intermittently and for about 30 sec before arming when you lock the car up.
4) rear defroster:
If the car was ever tinted the defroster may have been disconnected so it would melt the tint if it was ever activated.
Hope this gets closer to understanding the 3rd gen max.
Looking at the photos of the timer, I cannot see any cold solder connections. Maybe the timer unit is bad.
The SMJ is a bigggg connector that connects the under hood wire harnesses to the interior wire harnesses. So there is an opening in the firewall for this connector. If you are sitting in the car, the drivers seat, the SMJ is is on the left, above the spot when you probably rest your left foot, referred to as the dead pedal.
Your postings are "too much". Kinda all over the place. Let us see if we can deal with them one at a time.
Tiniform,
I know I tend to add a little more information than some people do but I try to add whatever "may" be relevant to the problem at hand is all.
I have re-read all my posts and I am not sure what else I could have / should have left out since all these non working items are ran off the same control board and that seems to make me think this is the single cause.
I also do add things for the sake of others who may find this post helpful down the road but in this case I don't feel I have added much extra at all.
I am not offended that you said that at all but would like clarification on what you mean so I can write better posts or questions going forward.
Here are the answers to your questions though..
1) dome light:
Yes I can turn it all the way off. The car is brand new to me but I am not seeing any other lights come on when door is open..not sure which ones should, that info would help me if you know. The door switch seems to work as the key chime stops when I close it. The dome light is an item controlled by the timer control unit.
2) illumination key ring
This is what I "feel" is causing the battery to drain every few days / week since it NEVER GOES out...again controlled by timer control unit.
3) security light:
This light only came on when I pulled out and returned the fuse labeled ELECTRON BAT..now it NEVER goes out...again probably part of the timer since it is supposed to go off after X number of seconds. I have not yet seen that listed as a wired connection though but the door switch definitely is tied to timer and if it's not sending proper signal to security system due to faulty timer this would cause security system to never actually arm itself and light to remain flashing (my theory anyway).
4) rear defroster:
This could be a number of items...still haven't look at it yet but do know this is tied to the Timer Control Unit..as is the other issue I listed which was the Intermittent Wipers...wipers work..but the speed control (timer) does not.
So every issue I have found or at least that I have listed are all tied to the timer control unit. Not saying that is what is causing all the issues yet...just saying it's quite a coincidence if nothing else.
DennisMik
I have downloaded the wiring diagrams and have been going over them, that's how I knew all the items were attached to the Timer Control Unit
I also first saw the SMJ on the foldout...I was just making sure this wasn't some sort of "extra" connector that I could buy and use to help me test the wiring.
I am still confused on how to test wire voltage when the harness is still plugged in...I really don't like punching tiny holes in the wires to get my voltmeter to read if there is current or not..but maybe that's what I have to do. The FSM does show some connection icon though so wanted to be sure that wasn't something I needed for testing purposes.
Thank you both for your time and input..I am currently plugging away at trying to learn how to read wiring diagrams better.
I was going to suggest the TCU last night, but didn't post. Good news is, you learned something on your own. Replace it and I'm sure it'll do the trick unless there is another underlying issue such as a wiring fault. Sounds like you've eliminated the door switches as the culprit. BTW there is no door lock timer on 89-91's, so don't worry about that patchwork module.
Wasn't trying to offend you or anything but often times one can get 'tunnel vision" on one thing, in this case the timer module.
Now I must admit, my response is based on my previous 92 max and now my 94 which are exactly the same, equipment wise. There seems to be differences on the models pre-dating mine has pointed out by Hectic. Each of my doors on my max has a light below the arm rest which illuminates when any door is opened. If your car has these lights and they go out when the door(s) is/are closed then you can rule out the door switches.
You refer a lot to the timer unit, is there a junkyard close by you can crab one?
Believe me, these cars are disappearing fast and I am willing to help in keeping them around in any way I can.
If nothing else, you are gaining a ton of knowledge from trying to figure it out.
Oh, the security system includes the trunk and the hood switches also
Thanks guys...I am once again spending a great deal of time trying to figure out how to test a circuit board for a short (this time it's this TCU)..I have gotten as far as putting my test leads on the diodes and they are all indeed appearing shorted (according to a how to video anyway).
This is at least the 10th time I have had to go spend a bunch of time and money on some hard to locate part only because I do not have the know how to troubleshoot circuit boards and find the 30 cent bad culprit...lol...even asked the local TV / Radio shop to teach me (for pay) but no luck.
We live in a small town two hours away from the city but once I head over there I will be hitting up all the wrecking yards for this part...we have two small yards here I already visited.
Oh and I do enjoy learning Tiniform...I guess you could say it's almost a hobby of mine..frustrating at times though...lol And I know it just doesn't make sense financially from a time perspective to try and troubleshoot things like this..but too me it's more the point of it and wanting to figure it out or fix it on my own..weird as that may be..lol. But I almost always seem to have to give up when it comes to circuit boards..unless there is something totally obvious like a bad cap or burn spot.
if the diode is still soldered into the printed circuit board, it may be good but the meter will show it as shorted. This is because of the electrical circuit it is part of. There may be parallel paths for the current that comes from your meter. To be 100% sure, you have to remove one end of the diode and measure it that way.
To measure voltage in a wire, there are only 2 ways that I am aware of. One is to find a connector where you can touch the meter probe on the contact pin or you poke through the insulation. If I have to poke through the insulation, I use a straight pin to make as small a hole as I can.
if the diode is still soldered into the printed circuit board, it may be good but the meter will show it as shorted. This is because of the electrical circuit it is part of. There may be parallel paths for the current that comes from your meter. To be 100% sure, you have to remove one end of the diode and measure it that way.
To measure voltage in a wire, there are only 2 ways that I am aware of. One is to find a connector where you can touch the meter probe on the contact pin or you poke through the insulation. If I have to poke through the insulation, I use a straight pin to make as small a hole as I can.
I was afraid of that...goes for both of your comments..lol
Thank you though...I was leaning towards what you said, before you said it..so now I know
Just updating this for my sanity and to keep track of what I have tried and what I have found does not work with this car.
Problems I have found so far (may or may not be related to each other): 1. Security light on dash constantly flashes unless car is started
2. Dome light and courtesy lights on doors do not go out as they should. (can manually turn off dome)
3. Rear defogger does not work
4. Intermittent wipers do not function neither does wiper / washer combo but both work when used separately
5. Door lock button on drivers door does nothing
6. Touch pad system does not seem to want to work as I have read it should (followed procedure on how to reset it, only got loud constant beep)
7. Ignition light (so you can see where to put key in) does not always go out
8. Digital clock on dash has no power
9. Battery drains when car is not ran for a few days to a week (could be caused by lights not going off as mentioned above)
Notable things or findings. - After market stereo has been installed
- Looks like someone has messed with ignition (key cylinder)
- Many of the items on the problem list above are controlled by the Timer Control Unit
Things I have tested so far: - All door switches checked for continuity
- Bought another used Timer Control Unit from Ebay, no change
Thinking out loud: It seems like the car thinks the door is open when it's not causing the security system to never arm itself and the dome light to never go out.
BUT that doesn't explain why the other items related to the Timer Control Unit are not working. I have a lot of test procedures to go through via the FSM I guess...after I learn how to do these tests that is...lol
Is there any change in lighting while unscrewing, or when disconnecting the driver's side door switch? There should be. Check to see if pin 18 (light green) at the TCU connector is seeing ground with all of the doors closed and switches installed. It should not be grounded if the driver side door is not open. The door switches are normally closed type, so checking continuity doesn't rule out a faulty switch, as it may simply be stuck closed.
Is there any change in lighting while unscrewing, or when disconnecting the driver's side door switch? There should be. Check to see if pin 18 (light green) at the TCU connector is seeing ground with all of the doors closed and switches installed. It should not be grounded if the driver side door is not open. The door switches are normally closed type, so checking continuity doesn't rule out a faulty switch, as it may simply be stuck closed.
No change at all when I do anything with the switches.
I will go check this ground now.
Question..
The way I tested the door switches was by unplugging each of them and holding my tester to the leads and to the car then had my wife push on the switch...each time she pushed them it changed the continuity (cant recall which way but all were the same).
Would that rule out a stuck switch? I was unable to figure out how to test the trunk switch though.
And will this Pin 18 ground test rule out all the switches or not?
Hectic,
OK..Now I am obviously not looking at things right or something.
Just went out to check that Pin 18 for ground..didn't find any ground regardless of door switch position so grabbed my print outs from the FSM manual to do a couple other tests on those pins.
Hopefully you can help me out with this new development...and see if I am thinking / doing this right.
The attached picture shows which pins to test but I am not sure if I am supposed to test the pins on the harness while it is unplugged or push a needle into the wire while its plugged in and then test it.
That would be the first thing I need to know for sure.
Here is what is really confusing me though.
Many tests are telling me to test pin 15...well on the harness side there are no wires in the number 14 or 15 spots..they are both empty. No cut wires or loose wires anywhere in sight either...so now once again I am stumped
Even If I was to do the plugged in test by pushing a pin into the wire..wouldn't there still need to be a wire on the harness side? Every part of my brain tells me yes...lol
Just reading other threads while waiting for help here...wanted to paste some ideas or comments here that may be useful to me or others viewing this thread.
These are all in reply to other members who had many if not ALL of the same symptoms as my car but their cars were later models. No idea if any of it is relevant to my car or situation yet.
----------------------------------
"If your trunk room lamp doesn't work either then Battery Saver inside SECU doesn't turn on therefore all those troubles. Trunk lamp is just one of its loads which is simple to check. "
----------------------------------
"I had the same problem over the summer. It was also draining my battery if the car sat for any amount of time.
----------------------------------
It was the Smart Entrance Control Unit. It is a white box with 2 plugs IIRC. I have an exam today so I don't have time to search for the pics right now."
----------------------------------
"Oh and yes am the same too SECU will noy turn off my keyhole light therefore drainig my BATT nissan says its 90 dollars just to diagnose. oh well."
----------------------------------
"I had the same power lock, dome lights, keyless entry etc...problems several months back. I checked ALL the fuses and all of them ohmed good. Checked the relays and they were good too. Checked the voltages on the pinouts at the SECU and diagnosed it down to a bad SECU. "
----------------------------------
"I have this same problem, except mine was caused from messing with radios but i have the same symptoms."
----------------------------------
"I have the same issue with my 2000 Maxima SE. I was messing with the fog lights and I guess I caused a short. Now my power locks, interior lights, rear defroster, key less entry doesn't work. I replaced the SECU and nothing. "
----------------------------------
"nopike, you are exactly right. Current draw of 0.1 amps is enough to give a no start situation. Espically after sitting for a few days.
Here's is what I would check. The security system first. It needs to recognize that the car is in sleep mode. When I had my drain issue, the trunk sensor was faulty and therefore the car could not enter the sleep mode. In my case, the factory alarm kept thinking that the trunk was open when I know that was clearly not the case. So, check your door switches, hood and trunk swithces. Chances are one of them is bad. "
----------------------------------
"Ok, I have been experiencing the same problem with my 97 maxima. I replaced the battery and it was still putting out less then 12.00 volts. I put in a alternator from advance auto and it did the same thing, the battery was getting drained. I tried the remove the battery cable while it was running trick, and the car shut off indicating a bad alternator. I then started looking at the large battery fuse (160amp i think) located in the fusebox to the right of the battery if you are standing infront of the car and looking at the car. While the car was running and i had my voltmeter on the battery, I tried to wiggle that large battery fuse in the middle of that fuse box. I think it is like 160 amps or something. When I wiggled it or pressed it to one side or the other, the multimeter jumped up to 14.00 volts+. So I removed the two 10mm bolts holding the fuse box to the drivers side inner fender area and pulled it upward away from the inner fender (this was done with the battery out of the car). There is a screw on one side of this fuse and a 10mm bolt on the otherside. You might want to check to make sure these bolts are tight and/or that fuse it is not blown. There is also a 7.5amp fuse in that same fuse box for the alternator named alt. Check this as well and see if it is ok. I hope this helps, and this is the problem as it was the probelm with mine."
----------------------------------
"So I had these same issues but had trouble finding a SECU at a local junkyard. I'm glad I didn't because...
THERE MIGHT BE AN EASIER WAY!!
****Try disconnecting the two plugs going into the SECU, waiting 5 seconds and then reconnecting them. After about a year of no interior lights, power door locks, and rear defrost.... they all work!! The first time I plugged them back in the horn started honking like the car alarm going off and again when I opened the trunk. So the second time I made sure the keys were in the ignition and turned to accessory, unplugged the plugs and reconnected them starting with the white plug first. After this I had no more alarms. Also, FYI I took off the kick panel under the steering wheel by removing two screws to make unplugging the unit easier."
Pin 18 should only be grounded only with the door open. If you see ground at pin 18 when the drivers door is open, then that circuit is fine. The driver side switch is dual pole (two switches in one). The ground for the courtesy lights comes via the chassis, and only when the switch is screwed in securely. Ground for the time control unit comes from the light green wire, via the black wire at the switch. Test for ground at pin 18 with the driver door open. If there is still no ground, there's an issue. If it does see ground, then again, that is normal. As far as the courtesy lights go, unscrew the driver door switch, close all other doors and test the orange and black wire for ground. I can guarantee you it will be grounded. It is not supposed to be, as the switch is removed from the chassis. You will have to track down the cause of that wire being grounded. Hopefully it will simply be a faulty door switch stuck closed. All four door switches provide ground on the courtesy light circuit. Only the driver switch provides ground to the time control unit.
I spent a good deal of time yesterday figuring out how to read the FSM and realized I was looking at the wire harness photos backwards so those missing wires are not missing afterall...dumb me..lol
I am now able to run some tests which I will be doing in the next day or two.
BUT couple of things I noticed so far are.
1. The OHM test for the trunk lamp switch checks out fine but I am not getting a light on when the trunk is open..with a tested working bulb.
2. The drivers door key cylinder is very loose and feels like something is wrong inside compared to the passenger door. If I wiggle the key around a bit I can get the security light to stop blinking but only when key is still in cylinder. I can't seem to make it shut the dome light off though.
Guess that's all for now.. I am going to need to figure out how all this "should" work if it was working.such as:
Does the dome light go off instantly or fade out after a certain number of time.
Does the trunk lamp always come on or just when the headlights are on? (I think the glove box light only comes on when headlights come on but not sure).
Dome light stays on, then fades when the door is closed, assuming you have it on auto.
I believe the trunk light is on regardless of headlights. As long as the trunk is open.
03-15-2017, 11:43 AM
