Hey guys,
After 2 weeks with my Max I'm having a slight problem with it. During a holiday trip about 4 days ago, my Pass. side head light burnt out. I did notice that it would flicker a bit now and then but eventually stay out. (sounded like wiring to me) After coming back from the trip yesterday I noticed both headlights were out. I took a look at it last night and both bulbs (cool blues???) are fine. The connector to the driver side bulb is mint after examining but the passenger side is obviously melted somewhat causing the iffy contact with the that bulb. I could wiggle the bad connector and the pass. bulb would come on but the drivers side stays off.

Called the dealer to get a quote on the connector and was told $650 for the whole harness so obviously not an option. junkyard being the next option. Then I talked to a mechanic who said the ground is dirty and the connector got hot and melted while searching for a ground(or something like that) he said an hour of labor and parts for 84 bucks to clean up the grounds and replace the connector would fix me up. I live in Minnesota and have been driving through snow and salt(just about) for the last 2 weeks so could this be true??? - he diagnosed my prob. before I finished explaining... left me with the impression that this happens a lot??? Sorry about the long post but not being an electrical engineer - I'd appreciate any comments... Thanks

Brad

 

you don't need the whole harness. You can probably find a portion of the harness from a junker and cut/splice it in (depending on where it's fried).

 

i had a similar problem...i has some hiper bulbs...and one night i noticed that the drivers side bulb went out...i looked under hood at the wire harness...and notice that the connecter was hot and the plastic melted and lost contact...and the other side was fine..so i went to the dearler...and they sold me another wire harness for 15 or 20 bucks...maybe you might need to clearify what you need to them

 

if i get an APC 9004 Wiring Harness my harnesses on my maxima will not melt if i get Hiper 9004s 85w/100w bulbs correct?

 

When a current passes through resistance it produces heat. That's what makes your kitchen toaster work. The amount of heat generated is P = I**2 x R where P is power in Watts, I is current in Amperes, and R is resistance in Ohms.

The socket melted because it got too hot, and it got too hot because loose or dirty contacts exhibit electrical resistance. A good contact has zero resistance. The only repair needed is a new socket. If the body ground which serves the headlamps was loose or dirty the heat would have been generated right there, and not melted the socket.

If you have enough electronics "savvy" to solder wires and wrap black plastic electrical tape, you can do this repair yourself.

Some aftermarket bulbs draw more current than the stock units. You may be better off with ordinary white bulbs.

 

Thanks for the info... I could fix the bad connector myself and save some cash but I am concerned why the "unmelted" headlamp still does not work. I wouldn't think the lights would be wired in series, but can anyone confirm that the condition of the passenger connector could not be involved here??

 

dunno if it's too late to answer but this is what happened to me too. maxima's headlight socket suck ***. they melt easily. if u wiggle the socket the light will come on but will cut off eventually. the 600 u got quoted for is for the whole headlight harness. that is not what u need if u want to replace the socket. u should ask for the socket. it should only cost somewhere around 25. the new socket comes with about 6 inch of wires with it. all u have to do is take off the electrical tape on the existing socket to the point where it was spliced in. then take the old one off and replace with the new one. if ur old socket has not been melted that bad and seems like the contact is good. all u have to do is clean the corroded contact and tighten it up then u good to go.

 

check fuse

 

The headlights are wired in parallel. If you think about it, wiring headlights in series would be foolish. As soon as one headlight filament burned out you would be in the dark because the bad bulb makes an open circuit.

I don't know why the "unmelted" headlamp doesn't work. Check, in this order...
- the bulb
- the fuses
- the switch

Each headlight has its own fuse. These are fuses #53 and #54, both 15 amp fuses, located in the narrow link- and fuse-box adjacent to the battery.

 

I was going to check the fuse the last night too but I couldn't figure out how to get the fuse open to check it(my first Nissan). I pulled the yellow square 4 prong-plug for the headlights out but I couldn't get further than that - I was afraid of breaking the unit. Is there a trick to getting those open???

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by max2b?

Quote:

I was going to check the fuse the last night too but I couldn't figure out how to get the fuse open to check it(my first Nissan). I pulled the yellow square 4 prong-plug for the headlights out but I couldn't get further than that - I was afraid of breaking the unit. Is there a trick to getting those open???

Whoa! There is some confusion here. Where did you find this 4-prong plug?

The headlight fuses are small blue 2-prong plastic blade-type fuses. You may judge their condition by visual inspection or an ohmmeter.

 

Go to your local auto parts store (ie, Pep Boys, Discount Auto Parts) and pick up a universal 9004 socket. Total cost=$1.98

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Daniel B. Martin

Quote:

Originally posted by max2b?

Quote:

I was going to check the fuse the last night too but I couldn't figure out how to get the fuse open to check it(my first Nissan). I pulled the yellow square 4 prong-plug for the headlights out but I couldn't get further than that - I was afraid of breaking the unit. Is there a trick to getting those open???

Whoa! There is some confusion here. Where did you find this 4-prong plug?

The headlight fuses are small blue 2-prong plastic blade-type fuses. You may judge their condition by visual inspection or an ohmmeter.

My bad, I was assuming the plug on the pass. side of the car marked "lamp" housed the headlamp fuses. I just checked the 2 - 15A fuses (the correct ones this time) and they are fine.