Odd power issue
05-30-2009, 12:48 PM
#1
You embarrass me.
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Odd power issue
Intermittent issue occurred last night:
-Car stays on consistently, drives fine.
-Headlights would flicker on/off for seconds at a time. Same time, gauge cluster illumination disappears, ABS light comes on, and signal lights in cluster become dim, but solid.
I have an issue with the radio fuse / holder in the fuse box near the drivers side fender. Usually a small wiggle or tap gets it back. Could one of the close by fuses have anything to do with this?
Help!
-Car stays on consistently, drives fine.
-Headlights would flicker on/off for seconds at a time. Same time, gauge cluster illumination disappears, ABS light comes on, and signal lights in cluster become dim, but solid.
I have an issue with the radio fuse / holder in the fuse box near the drivers side fender. Usually a small wiggle or tap gets it back. Could one of the close by fuses have anything to do with this?
Help!
06-08-2009, 06:18 PM
#3
You embarrass me.
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Location: Malden, MA
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UPDATE with VIDEO.
I checked my ground connections, no dice. Everything looks solid.
Here is what happened the other night, caught it on video:
This entire occurrence is random and the car drives fine during daytime. Drove it a few times at night, with none of the symptoms below:
- Pulled off the road into Lowes as my headlights / gauges went haywire and started flickering.
- ABS Light: On, solid, a new friend for me.
- Blinkers: Rapid fire, while indicators are dim.
- Turned on the low beams, then turned off... thats when I put on the map lights so you could see the speedo. Apparently I did over 100 at 1k rpms.
- Headlights: Drivers side off completely, passengers side rapid fire, both signals are NOT supposed to be THAT amber.
- Engine speed: Irrelevant, didn't do anything.
I'm thinking Alternator? I had the battery checked at Autozone, perfect voltage and charge. I also had my belts done recently, could something be slipping and causing this?
HALP!
Here is what happened the other night, caught it on video:
This entire occurrence is random and the car drives fine during daytime. Drove it a few times at night, with none of the symptoms below:
- Pulled off the road into Lowes as my headlights / gauges went haywire and started flickering.
- ABS Light: On, solid, a new friend for me.
- Blinkers: Rapid fire, while indicators are dim.
- Turned on the low beams, then turned off... thats when I put on the map lights so you could see the speedo. Apparently I did over 100 at 1k rpms.
- Headlights: Drivers side off completely, passengers side rapid fire, both signals are NOT supposed to be THAT amber.
- Engine speed: Irrelevant, didn't do anything.
I'm thinking Alternator? I had the battery checked at Autozone, perfect voltage and charge. I also had my belts done recently, could something be slipping and causing this?
HALP!
06-09-2009, 11:05 AM
#4
Any parts store should be able to check alternator while is on the car and running to see if its putting out the right voltage. I have used Advanced Auto the have a machine and it tells almost everything and they give you a print out.
06-09-2009, 02:44 PM
#6
Dang Zeead, this is an odd issue.
I wonder if any of these issues is related to yours:
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...elp-issue.html
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...hat-gives.html
Have you changed anything electrically recently? Done any mods that could have caused this??
Hope you find the problem.
Jesse
I wonder if any of these issues is related to yours:
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...elp-issue.html
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...hat-gives.html
Have you changed anything electrically recently? Done any mods that could have caused this??
Hope you find the problem.
Jesse
07-22-2009, 11:26 AM
#7
You embarrass me.
Thread Starter
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Malden, MA
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Bump: This issue went away as the temps went up, but when it rains as it seems, it will come back intermittently. Again, a wiggle of the front fuse box closest to the battery will get it operational again.
Anyone know where to start? Is there a fuse in particular I should be looking at? I've never pulled the fuse box off and couldn't find anything in the FSM.
Anyone know where to start? Is there a fuse in particular I should be looking at? I've never pulled the fuse box off and couldn't find anything in the FSM.
07-22-2009, 11:14 PM
#8
You definitely have a wiring/connection issue if cooler or wet weather make a difference. Can be very time consuming to track down though.
I had a problem with my old Accord. I was getting an odd hesitation/miss when I'd accelerate but nothing consistant. It would come and go. No codes either. Put up with it for more than a year, never could track it down. Finally after a particularly bad hesitation my car pops a fuel related code. Could be fuel flow issue or the O2. Fuel pressure checked out fine. My mechanic was checking to make sure my O2 was properly plugged in and the car nearly stalled. Pulled the wiring again and same thing. Shut my car off and disconnected the wiring from the O2 and looked it over. On the back side of the wiring, the covering had worn off and it was grounding itself on the front motor mount. Replaced that section of wiring, put in a new O2 (the one in the car had 170,000 miles on it) and my car ran perfect after that. All that crap caused by 1/4" of bare wiring grounding itself.
I had a problem with my old Accord. I was getting an odd hesitation/miss when I'd accelerate but nothing consistant. It would come and go. No codes either. Put up with it for more than a year, never could track it down. Finally after a particularly bad hesitation my car pops a fuel related code. Could be fuel flow issue or the O2. Fuel pressure checked out fine. My mechanic was checking to make sure my O2 was properly plugged in and the car nearly stalled. Pulled the wiring again and same thing. Shut my car off and disconnected the wiring from the O2 and looked it over. On the back side of the wiring, the covering had worn off and it was grounding itself on the front motor mount. Replaced that section of wiring, put in a new O2 (the one in the car had 170,000 miles on it) and my car ran perfect after that. All that crap caused by 1/4" of bare wiring grounding itself.
08-03-2009, 06:20 PM
#9
You embarrass me.
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Location: Malden, MA
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You were right Scottwax. It was a loose ground that was leading to the Fuse box, which basically meant a loose ground for almost everything there...
I tighted down the screw which held the wire to the chassis, and solid. I took it for a test spin, turned on as many electrical things as I could. Solid. I'll take a picture of the ground point in question just for future reference if it helps anyone else.
I tighted down the screw which held the wire to the chassis, and solid. I took it for a test spin, turned on as many electrical things as I could. Solid. I'll take a picture of the ground point in question just for future reference if it helps anyone else.
08-03-2009, 06:49 PM
#10
You were right Scottwax. It was a loose ground that was leading to the Fuse box, which basically meant a loose ground for almost everything there...
I tighted down the screw which held the wire to the chassis, and solid. I took it for a test spin, turned on as many electrical things as I could. Solid. I'll take a picture of the ground point in question just for future reference if it helps anyone else.
I tighted down the screw which held the wire to the chassis, and solid. I took it for a test spin, turned on as many electrical things as I could. Solid. I'll take a picture of the ground point in question just for future reference if it helps anyone else.
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