Hello,

I have a 2001 Nissan Maxima GLE that seems to be having some weird electrical issues. Tuesday last week, I was driving on the highway when all of a sudden my TCS off, ABS, and SLIP lights all illuminated at the same time. I looked up how to read the ABS codes and did that by grounding pin 9 on my OBDII connector. The SLIP light blinked three long blinks, then a short blink, and then blinked 2 long blinks and another short one. Does that mean code 31 and 21?

Anyway, I figured I'd just let it go for a little bit to see if it went away, but 2 days later my windows wouldn't go down and my key chime doesn't work (the one that goes off when you turn it to ON), the door chime still works.

I checked my fuses and none of them are blown but that's about all I could think of at the moment. The car still runs fine I just can't use cruise control or put my windows down. I have a multimeter but I'm not really sure how to test things.

Is there anyone that can point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance!

 

Yes, try this:

• Measure your battery voltage: It should be ~12.5V when the car is not running, and ~14.5V when running and charging. Also, try to measure this voltage when the problem occurs i.e., your (TCS, ABAS, SLIP lights on). In either case, let us know what you get.
• The symptoms you describe suggest a problem with your alternator, or with the connections between the alternator and the battery. If your battery voltage is less than 13.5-14V with the engine running, the charging circuit has a problem.
• Buy yourself an OBDII reader such as https://www.amazon.com/Autel-MaxiSca...&keywords=obd2 (only $15) and find out what codes you have.

 

I went out and measured my voltage while my car wasn't running and the battery voltage was sitting around ~12.8v. While the car was running it read around ~14v flat. I checked to see if there were any OBDII codes but the only one there was a knock sensor, which has been there since I got the car. Is the voltage okay? I even measured when the bass was dropping in my music and it still sat around 14v.

 

Yes, the voltages look OK, although 14.5v would be nicer. Just to be safe, check the connection from alternator to battery positive for looseness, rust, etc.

So, with the voltages checked, what exactly is wrong with the car? Do the windows operate properly?
If the problem is strictly intermittent (as it seems to be), then you can only troubleshoot it when it's present ......

 

The problem isn't intermittent unfortunately. The windows stopped working completely soon after the ABS, TCS OFF, and SLIP lights came on (which became illuminated as I was driving one day and they haven't gone away, they are always lit now). I've also tried rolling down the windows from each door, to no avail. The fuses aren't blown for the ABS system or power windows, which is what confuses me. Everything else works fine (AC, headlights/taillights, interior lighting, etc).

 

Is your CEL light on?
At any rate, it seems you have two problems.

The first one is your ABS/TCS OFF/SLIP light ON issue. This is a relatively common problem, known to be caused by one/more of the following:

1. Alternator bad, or going bad.
2. Bad ABS sensor(s), or connection to the same.
3. Bad coil(s). In this case, your CEL light should be also on and one of the P030x codes should be present.
4. Perhaps other ...

Since you think you were getting codes '31' and '21' (your post #1), check your ABS sensors. And check the rear driver-side first.

I suspect that your window operation is an independent problem but I could be wrong (the potential common thread is ground continuity/alternator/charging). Time to get the EL section of the FSM; for your symptoms, the troubleshooting section on page EL-225 lists the following potential causes:

1. 10A fuse, 40A fusible link
2. E90 circuit breaker
3. Power window relay
4. E90 circuit breaker circuit
5. Power window relay circuit
6. Ground circuit - check your ground continuity first!
7. Power window main switch

Good luck and let us know what the outcome is.