xsi3rr4x

Hey guys. Iv got a 2004 350z completely stock...today I was driving around town until I realized all my lights in the dash were going off...abs, trc off, check engine...all of that... shortly after all of that I noticed that the car started smoking under the hood so thats when I decided to pull over and pop the hood. The smoke was coming from the cowl vents behind the engine bay after a short while of sitting around the horn started going off, so I disconnected the battery...I really dont have much of a clue of whats going on. Do any of you have an idea?

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Sounds like you have a serious electrical issue. Your description of the location of the smoke sounds like it could be coming from one of the relays located behind the battery on the PS. You'll also find the IPDM (intelligent power distribution module) back there and would be the first thing to check. Outside of that, I'd say this is enough to get your Z towed to the dealership and have an experienced tech run a Consult III to examine the problem.

xsi3rr4x

Iv got a tow dolly and am just now getting it home...definitely not taking it to the stealership lol...im mechanically inclined, I just dont know about common problems and such with these cars...hopefully its just that module that you mentioned...it would make sense that it burned out because all the lights came on first and then I saw the smoke and then shortly after the horn started blaring....I wont be able to work on it tonight but is there anything else I should look out for or check when I get the cowl uncovered

Syner

This is not a common problem...

xsi3rr4x

Well thats why I postrd here to find out of it was and to get some feedback on what it may be x.x

xsi3rr4x

Now that I think about it this could be related to an issue that I had been having with the car where I would go to start it up and the car wouldnt start, but if I turned the key off and waited about 30 seconds than it would start right up so it probably is some sort of relay or something that burnt up underneath that cowl

xsi3rr4x

Ok. I finally got around to checking it out...I checked the fuse box behind the battery and everything looked good besides the top fuse on the left side was melted..I removed it cleaned the slot up and replaced it...the slot wasnt in too bad of condition...I disconnected the horn relay so the horn wont be blaring when I connect the battery....so iv reconnected the battery and theirs no smoke. No crackling or anything..I checked the other fuses and the ends on them are mis colored or smokey so im going through and cleaning then up.....the car turns over but will not start....I connected my obd scanner and it just tells me no connection.....did my computer burn out? Is there any way for me to test it?

xsi3rr4x

Also when I turn the ignition switch on all the lights come on in the dash except for the check engine light...is this another sign that it could be a faulty ecu?

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

You're wasting your time trying to diagnose this yourself. The question is: why did the fuse get so badly overloaded in the first place? An Nissan tech with the latest CONSULT 3 has a better chance to figure it out and properly repair it.

xsi3rr4x

well the fuse probably got overloaded because the faulty ecu is constantly sending signal to everything...such as that fuse and the horn relay and to my engine fans which also cut on when I have the ignition switch on....Look guys I am not going to take it to the dealer...I'v already been ****ed by them before, its not going to happen again, I came to this forum to ask people that can help me narrow down the problem. I work on cars pretty regularly and while I never do run into many electrical issues, I do have a general knowledge of some of this stuff and believe I do have the ability to narrow it down and perform the repairs when it comes down to it.

xsi3rr4x

Oh and when I turn the ignition switch the throttle body doesnt open up either like its supposed to when you turn the key on.

KornerCarver

iTrader: (2)

You may not want to but I suspect you are going to have to take it to a dealer to get the problem sorted. You can guess and guess and never know what the real problem is. But hey, it's your car and if you want to let it sit there forever, please do so.

2000atlanticgt

iTrader: (5)

Umm, no....that makes absolutely no sense. The ECM is constantly sending/receiving signals when it is functioning normally.

Only way the fuse was overloaded was due to excessive amperage in a particular circuit. If you found only one fuse melted, I would start with that circuit and start checking the harness thoroughly for excessive resistance, shorts to ground, components on that circuit, etc. I would also not just visually check all of the other fuses but check continuity across them to make sure they are all good. If that much amperage/heat was sent through the IPDM I really doubt it is still ok.

I would also get it to a dealer (regardless of what you think you know), have them use the Consult 3 diagnostic tool to check and see what DTC might be stored or if there is any communication with the ECM or any other control units on CAN via the C3+ CAN diagnosis function.

xsi3rr4x

Ok guys, I'v started doing all sorts of test on the relays and rechecking fuses too...I noticed that I had missed checking the ignition switch/eccs fuse and that fuse is in fact blown..When I put a replacement fuse in and turn the key the check engine light does come on followed by the fuse blowing and the light going back off. So I decided to start digging into the wiring harness starting by taking out the IPDM. After removing the IPDM I seem to have found the problem of one of the wiring harnesses that connect to the IPDM is pretty burnt up, with exposed and melted wires.
Heres some pictures of the wire harness and where that harness plugged into in the IPDM




Ok My only problem now is that I need to remove this damn battery tray, but the 2 bottom bolts are corroded and I cant get a socket on them X.X, but it looks like I'll have some rewiring to take care of.
Unfortunately I'm leaving the country for vacation tomorrow so I likely wont be able to update this thread until after I get back, but I'll still be checking this thread....I'm not sure if maybe I'll have to find someones old wiring harness and rob that part of it off or if I'll be re-wiring it.

xsi3rr4x

well I got to looking over the wiring harness that plugs into the ipdm and all the way over to the headlights and all and it seems to be burnt throughout the whole entire harness. I'v got the whole harness loose except for when it goes into the firewall behind the drivers side dash and am stuck on getting the top part of the dash off (where the guage cluster is).

xsi3rr4x

I found a wiring harness on ebay thats used....Do I need to make sure the harness is from a convertible? Heres a link to the harness I found. I'm not sure if this harness would work with my convertible but if anyone knows that would be a great help.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/03-07-nissan...p=mtr#viTabs_0

F2CMaDMaXX

iTrader: (2)

I can't offer any assistance on this one, seems something shorted out pretty hard somewhere.
But i'm subbed for updates, i'd like to know how you get on with this.

xsi3rr4x

Thanks, well for those of you saying to take it to the dealer, I went to ask them about getting a wiring harness and they say they dont make them anymore for this car.....So I'm going to have to hunt one down and figure out which harness will interchange with myn. I'll update this post as I find out more info.

1prospect

Hey man, did you ever get it fixed? Trying to find your solution.

samsniss350z

Well whatever your problem is that wiring harness is well and truly kaput. You've not posted in a while and a few of us here are interested to know how you've got on, if you've solved the problem, found the parts you thought you needed, and dare i say it took a visit to the stealership.
Six weeks of silence, c'mon give us an update.