Okay.

So far no luck in finding my electrical short. Disconnecting the battery when it's parked has helped me to keep it from draining though.

Yesterday, the light that tells me a door is open on the dashboard began to flicker on while I was driving. It didn't seem to have anything to do with bumps or jarring the car, it just sort of faded on and off and stayed on faintly for a bit.

I checked all the doors and switches and they all seem fine.

I'm wondering if anyone's seen this, and if it could help me narrow down my slow drain faster..

Thanks for sharing!

 

If you found out something, e-mail or pm me. I have that little problem too at times.....

 

The door switches are mounted on the bottom inside of the door lip. It's just a little button with a rubber boot protecting it, and can be removed with a Phillips screwdriver.

Turning the ignition to "ON" energizes the positive (+) side of the warning light. The door switches are mechanically and electrically connected to the sheet metal, which is grounded to the battery's negative (-) terminal. There is a wire that goes from each door switch up to the warning lamp's negative (-) side.

When the door is closed, the switch breaks the connection between the grounded sheet metal and the wire going to the negative (-) side of the lamp. therefore, the lamp stays off. when any door is opened, the switch completes the circuit and the lamp comes on, because it's getting the positive from the ignition and the negative from the frame, through the switch, to the light.

That's just a basic explanation. I'd remove each door switch from the frame and make sure the connection is tight and clean, and the switch is mechanically functional. I'd also check to make sure the wire insulation isn't cracked or frayed - this could touch any metal part, completing the circuit, and the car could think the door is open. One more thing, the continuity of the switch. An ohmmeter or continuity tester is good. One clip should go to the wire connector, the other to the screw mounting hole. When the switch is released, there should be continuity. When pressed, there should be no continuity.

If it's flickering, this is probably all it is - a bad connection or short to ground somewhere. perhaps a frayed wire or something else touching the sheet metal. This could cause a slow drain with the car off, because when the car is off and a door is opened (or so the car thinks), the interior light will come on and stay on until the door is closed, or the door circuit is interrupted. If it's a front door and you have power seat belts like my SE, the seat belts will automatically retract too.

Hope this helps at least a little bit. Let me know how you make out.

Dan
---------------
1988 Nissan Maxima SE
Still on the road with 176,000 miles, and running strong
SHIFT_immortality
SHIFT_eternity

 

Thanks a ton!

That was a great response blacjkmaxima, andf many thanks for it.

I've already checked the switches. One of them is jammed in the "in" position, but that's okay since it's "off". Both front switches seem to work fine, but the rear-passenger switch seems to be the problem.

The switch itself looks good, but it's wet and there's a small hole in the body at that spot where water can come in (full bodywork + paint coming in the late spring once the roads are cleaner). I'm thinking that since the problem is intermittent, water making a contact for the switch just might be the problem. I'm going to disconnect it and tape over the end of the wire and see if I still have the problem.

BUT,

While I have your attention, you seem to know what you're doing I have a favor to ask.

Can you take a multimeter reading from the negative post of the battery to the ground cable and tell me what you get as a result for Amperage draw with car off.

With the kill-switch for acessories on, I get a reading of 34-36 milliamperes drawn, with the switch off, I still get 21 milliamperes. I've been asking everywhere if this 21 milliampere drain is normal or not and no-one seems to know for sure. Some say it's the car's computer, others say that it's not.

If you could let me know what your car says (actually anyone with an 88 could help me here I guess), then I'll have something to compare.

Also, when I run my voltmeter between the ground post and ground cable with the cable disconnected, I get a reading (which I shouldn't so I'm told) of 12.76v and if I reverse the leads I get -12.76v. This to me indicates that there is a hot "+" wire grounded somewhere, but I'm not certain.

I've pulled all the fuses looking for a change in either of these reading and gotten nowhere, so I'm guessing it's somewhere pre-fusebox. This door light could be the problem, but I didn't notice it at all up untill this last weekend, and don't see how it could cause ther voltage to show up between the negative terminal and the ground connector because there's no hot-wire, only the ground.

I've posted a few questions regarding this apparent parasitic drain problem, but I figure it's worth another shot.

I'm getting tired of disconnecting the ground cable every time I park..

Thanks again!

 

sure I can do that... actually right now the battery is on the charger, the car's been sitting for over a week because I need to replace a section of the exhaust before it's street legal. once that's taken care of, maybe within a few hours, I'll let you know.

Glad I could help.

Dan
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Well I have been having the same problem. I had to get a fusible link at the Nissan dealer today, so I had them order me 4 door switches, 12 for the drivers door and the other 3 are 4 bucks. I am going to put those in and see what happens, for now I have just taken the bulbs out because it has been draining my battery and also it is really annoying having all the interior lights come on every time I hit a bump at night. More to come on how it goes, thanks for the good info.

 

I disconnected those before.....turned out to be my factory alarm switches! after you disconnect those and try to arm you alarm by locking all the doors, the security light still flashes, but it is supposed to stay lit for about 2 to 3 seconds and then go off. You'll find those same switched on the hood and the trunk......

 

I've got a floater.

My car never had an alarm. I'm pretty sure they're only for the dome light/door open chime. But thanks for looking out for me, I'm sort of glad theres no alarm, it'll make for less hassle when i want to put my own in.

SInce disconnecting the switch (rear passenger) I haven't had any problems. I think it was the water causing that part of my problems. I figure I'll just remove the two back switches since they're not really necessary anyways and get rid of the wiring once I get around to taking apart the insides.

As for the other info, thanks a bunch I'm anxious to see what another car turns up as results. I have yet to see another 2nd Gen Maxima since I got mine while driving, so finding cars to check against isn't that easy, and the different answers I've received have me only more confused as to where the problem is..

 

All of the 2nd gen Maximas came with the alarm system, whether you've got a floater or not. I've got a floater too and it's got the security system.

The only thing that the floaters don't have are the power antenna override switch and the voice system.

Maybe someone disconnected your security system. The box for it is in the trunk, in between the speakers. Or maybe your security light is burnt out or something.

Assuming the driver's side door sensor works (ie the dome light comes on when you open the door), you should be able to test the system. Turn on the car. Next, turn off the car and take out the key, open the door and shut it. Then lock the car. The security light should come on. Even if it doesn't, wait about a minute, then pull the lock up from the inside (don't use the electric switch, you have to manually pull it up). Then go ahead and open the door. If the system works, the lights should be flashing and the horn should be blaring. You have to put the key in the door and lock and unlock it to shut the system down.

-C-

 

How do I tell if mine is a floater? I had heard about the voice system and was wondering why I didnt have it.

 

Well a good way to tell if you have a floater is first...do a search...I dunno how many times this has been brought up. Anyway, good way to tell if you have a floater is one, you don't have a voice warning system, and second, you don't have an antenna overide switch.

S

 

Didn't I just post the ways you could tell if you had a floater?



-C-

 

Fair enough, let me rephrase. Where would the antenna override switch be?

 

Left hand side of the of the radio.

S

 

ok I'm lost.....what exactly is a "floater"? I'm pretty sure this one has nothing to do with Mexican food....

Dan
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It means your car can float.....didn't you know that? :P

Anyone have the link to the place that had the write up on floaters?
Probably should post it.

S

 

Due to US Trade Regulations that went into effect in the early to mid 80's, foreign auto makers, especially the Japanese companies, were limited in how many cars they could import into the US. This was an attempt to boost the sales of US made vehicles.

Luckily for us, the crafty Japanese found a loophole around this arrangement. They shipped a lot of cars and trucks, including Maximas, to other countries, such as South America & Canada. These cars were then brought into the US. These cars are called floaters, as they were intended for US soil, but had to get here through a round about means. These models, therefore, do not have the voice warning system, as b1tch1n' betty only spoke English, which was not the dominant language in the countries meant to receive them.

My car is obviously a Canadian model, as when I look at the emmissions stick under the hood, it is in French. There are some cars marked in Spanish, as they were routed through South America.

 

On the left of the steering (right of the radio) there's a blank plate where the antenna override should be.

on the left of the steering wheel I have a dimmer switch for the dash, cruise control master switch, and another "blank plate" where the security light should be.


Under the back deck, there is only one module, and it is for the keyless entry. In the Haynes manual, it shows me where the security module should be, but it's not there, and there are no connectors just hanging there, nor has the wiring been modified there in any way.


I've tried all the ways of arming the system, and haven't been able to get it to go off, finally deciding that there never was an alarm on this car.

If it helps, It's a Canadian model. In the Haynes manual I have wherever it says "theft warning doohicky" It also says (U.S.A. models) beside it.

 

My bet is that the owner before you had an aftermarket alarm in the car and removed the stock on. Then removed the aftermarket alarm. I would explain why don't have one.

S

 

You should still have had the alarm system. It wasn't dealer equipped, it was factory equipped, and not an option. As for being a Canadian model, that's not it, either, as mine is also Canadian, and it has it.

The only options here would be, either as Maximase86 said, that it was fully removed for the purpose of installing an aftermarket unit, that was later removed, or maybe this was a specially ordered vehicle - perhaps meant for fleet service.