i did the clearence light mod......and last night i noticed some smoke coming from the passenger side clearence light, I imedialty turned everything off....and disconnected the harness from the clearence light...replaced the tail light fuse and tried it again...it blew the fuse...in order to get any tails i have to increase the fuse size....to like a 25amp....but if i do that the clearence light harness starts to smoke again.....how do i go about fixing this problem..how come noone else's has done this....and how do i fix the fried wire's???? thanks

 

It is distressing to read the great number of forum posts about problems which arise from making mods. I wish Maxima owners would refrain from making these self-inflicted wounds.

A fuse is a protective device. It protects the load and all the wiring in the protected circuit. It is a bad idea to change the fuse rating because that sacrifices the protection. The consequence is "roasted" wires and bulb sockets. Not a pretty picture.

Go back to the factory stock bulbs and wiring. See if that works. If it doesn't you have to perform a damage assessment. If the bulb sockets are melted you must replace them. Let's hope the damage is confined to the sockets.

If the wires leading from the fuse box to the socket have charred insulation you must replace them.
If the wires leading from the socket to a body ground have charred insulation you must replace them.

Replacing a bad bulb socket is fairly easy. Replacing burned wires takes patience and dexterity. You will need good soldering skills or call on a friend who has electronics experience.

 

ok the wires coming from the clearence light that dissappear into some giant group of wires are charred.....i know i have to replace them...how much of a pain in the @$$ is this going to be, how long should it take me....also what if seein how i have to replace the wires...i use a bigger gauge wire....would that make it so i could leave the mod.....cuz i figured if i replace them w/bigger gauge wire they would be able to handle more current...and they wouldn't get so hot that they would melt/charr.....thanks in advance...

 

This is bad news. The charred wires indicate a serious problem. There is no quick fix. This is going to take some time and money to repair.

It is difficult to predict the effort involved because we still don't have a complete damage assessment. We don't know if the cooked insulation goes back to a splice or all the way back to the fuse box. I hope I can help but before going further you must explain which light you call a clearance light. The factory service manual does not recognize that name. It identifies lights with these names ...
- headlamp
- combination lamp
- side marker lamp
- turn signal lamp
- fog

Please identify the light which isn't working, and whether the failure occurred only on the passenger side.

 

im guessing its the combo light....the one next to the headlamp........i havent figured out how far back the wires are charred yet...havent had time......but what about replacing it w/bigger guage wire......what do you think bout that???let me know if you need anymore info....

 

Yes, the light next to the headlamp is the Combination Light. You didn't answer the question about which side (driver, passenger, or both) has charred wires.

Yes, replacing ALL the wire in the affected branch circuit with a thicker gauge wire will be a good fix. However, you probably don't realize how many wires this is. That's why I've asked you some specific questions. Perhaps I can suggest a less far-reaching repair plan when you answer those questions.

 

its the passenger side only that has the charred wires....i there's only 2 wires coming from the harness that disappear into where the splice off.....do you think there are more charred ones? cant imagine why there would be.....let me know if you need more info....sorry if im a pain in the @ss...im no mechanic...:P

 

In order to make a more complete damage assessment you should start at the damaged bulb socket.

Examine the wire which goes from the socket to a body ground. This wire probably is (or was) black. If it is charred you will have to follow it all the way to the body connection and replace it.

Examine the wire which goes from the socket to the power supply at the fuse block. This wire probably is (or was) red with a blue stripe. In order to do this you will have to carefully unwrap the harness bundle. A sharp utility knife may help with the unwrapping process but take care to avoid damaging the insulation of the wires inside the black plastic harness wrapper.

If you are lucky you will discover that the charred wire goes only as far as a splice under Relay Box #1 (the black plastic relay box on the passenger side of the engine compartment). In that case you have to replace the wire from the splice to the bulb socket.

If you are unlucky you will discover that the charred wire goes all the way back to the fuse block in the passenger cabin. In that case you have to replace the entire run.

The advice given here is generally consistent with that expressed by Maximus75 in another recent thread.

 

ok, today i took a look at my situation.....I lucked out....the power wire(red/blue) was only charred a little bit....actually it stopped before it even got to the relay box....the ground well not so lucky its totally charred...but it's an easy fix....but (there's always a but) when i was checking out the socket to see what the hell it was shorting out for i noticed something...that little black piece in the socket that you solder the wire too..well...i switched the wires properly but when i did it i acidentally turned the black piece upside down.....could this be the reason it got all messed up.....its the only thing i noticed that was different about the other side...and one more thing i just decided that i need to order a new socket for that side....and the power ground harness cuz the wires were fried up to close to the harness to splice into it..so i need a new one of that too....where do i get one.....there are no local nissan dealers...cuz the one that we did have here in town got busted for a bunch of stuff so the irs...and a bunch of other agencies shut him down...can you help me with were to get these parts??thank you so much

 

You really are lucky. This repair won't be as hard as it seemed at first.

I really have no idea.

These dealers sell genuine Nissan parts by mail-order at a discount.

Brown and Brown Nissan, Tempe AZ
Parts department: 800-237-0003
http://www.brownandbrowntempe.com/parts_form.cgi

Courtesy Nissan, Richardson TX
Parts department: 800-527-1909
http://www.courtesyparts.com/

Garrands Nissan , Plattsburgh NY
(advertises genuine Nissan Parts at 25% off list price.)
Quote line: 800-339-2922
info@garrands-nissan.com

West Broad Nissan, Richmond VA
http://www.westbroadnissan.com/nissanparts.htm

Vester Nissan, Clinton NC
1-800-572-2005


When you contact any of these dealers be sure to mention you got their name from the Maxima forum.

 

why is it that i should mention that i got their name of of maxima.org......i will but just curious on why...do i get a discount or something????ya, i know i am really lucky...like the first time in my life......and again thank you soooooo much for your help, i appreciate it!

 

1) Some of these dealers offer an "Internet Discount". The amount varies by dealer. The discount may apply to all merchandise or only to certain items (such as accessories). Favorite saying: Don't Ask, Don't Get.

2) If those dealers realize that an increasing amount of business is coming their way because of the Internet, it encourages them to improve their Web sites.

3) It is recommended by the MaxFAQ page http://web2.airmail.net/scutchen/max_faq/