My Electical system fails

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12apennachi
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon May 23, 2011 4:09 pm

My Electical system fails

Postby 12apennachi » Mon May 23, 2011 4:16 pm

I Have The 4WD SE Pathfinder, Year 1997. Everything Mechanical Is Fine But I Have An Electrical Problem. Once Or Twice A Week I Will Go To Start It, Letting It Rest On ON For A Few Seconds Before Starting It, As I Always Do, but when I go to start it, the System Goes Blank. No Lights On The Dash, No Headlights, Nothing. Even If I Take Out The Key And Put It Back In I Get No Power. I Even Tried Locking And Unlocking The Doors With The Remote Key, And Nothing Happens. This Started Happening After Replacing My Alternator, Which May Have Something To Do With It. Any Suggestions Would Be Apreciated, Thank You In Advance.

EDIT: To get it back to normal I took the battery terminals off and let the system reset and she fired up fine.


fleurys
Posts: 288
Joined: Tue May 12, 2009 5:03 am
Location: Ste-Catherine, QC
Contact:

Postby fleurys » Mon May 23, 2011 4:21 pm

check if the ground cable on your alty is tight.. check your battery pole for bad contact or 'vert de gris' (french word for corrosion)...

next time it happens, open the hood and measure you voltage on the cables (not the pole) to see what;s going on....

12apennachi
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon May 23, 2011 4:09 pm

Postby 12apennachi » Mon May 23, 2011 4:34 pm

Thanks for the quick reply I will check the alty ground cable first, smart thinking man!

EDIT: Ok, I checked all the cables going to the alternator, and they are all tight, especially the big fat ground, it is bolted on with a brand new nut. Just got a new battery so the terminals were clean. I will keep my voltmeter in my car for the next time it happens, and you said to take the cables off of the battery and then measure the voltage between them? Or am I just confused?

fleurys
Posts: 288
Joined: Tue May 12, 2009 5:03 am
Location: Ste-Catherine, QC
Contact:

Postby fleurys » Mon May 23, 2011 6:16 pm

no no.. check the voltage by touching the cables... not the poles.... just to make sure you're having power through them... then if you do, you could assume something else, like where you put your key (can't recall the english name...key hole, or keysocket ??)...

Maybe a good time to look at the wiring diagram ....

edit : This is what I found in the fsm :
WITH A/T
NASC0004S01
Power is supplied at all times
I to ignition switch terminal 1
I through 40A fusible link (letter e, located in the fuse and fusible link box).
With the ignition switch in the ON or START position, power is supplied through 10A fuse [No. 18, located in
the fuse block (J/B)].
I to park/neutral position relay terminal 1.
Also, with the ignition switch in the START position, power is supplied
I from ignition switch terminal 5
I to park/neutral position relay terminal 6.
With the selector lever in the P or N position, ground is supplied
I to park/neutral position relay terminal 2 through the park/neutral position switch.
Then park/neutral position relay is energized and power is supplied
I from park/neutral position relay terminal 7
I to terminal 2 of the starter motor windings.
The starter motor plunger closes and provides a closed circuit between the battery and starter motor. The
starter motor is grounded to the engine block. With power and ground supplied, cranking occurs and the engine
starts.



SO, next time it happens, try putting your gear selector to Neutral instead of park.... just to see if it has anything to do with the park-neutral relay..

good luck and let us know if you find anything..

12apennachi
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon May 23, 2011 4:09 pm

Postby 12apennachi » Wed May 25, 2011 5:38 pm

Your last post was a huge help (I hope). I noticed the ground cable from the starter to the enginer block was pretty corroded, I tested the voltage there and had to scratch the surface to get a reading. I took it off and steel-wooled all parts and it hasn't happened (yet, please knock on wood for me). I will be back if it happens again but you have been a huge help, thanks so much


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