xniz

Hey all..I got a 2004 Nissan 350z . The electrical components are backfeeding and shorting in and out all throughout the car. current issues:

window switch activated and put the windows down on me when i turned the ignition on (while it was raining) . unhooked the switch and jumped the motors to put the windows back up .

the VDC off and SLIP light is stuck on . button is not working either .

the passenger seat switch stopped working on me and decided to come back and start working again.

the bose amp has been shorting in and out since i got the car .

the tail lights all around the car are buzzing and flickering when illuminating .

when I first got the car, the car was slow starting (one morning it wouldnt crank at all) and we had to install a new engine ground wire under the hood (after it backfed into the fuse for the ECM while blowing that fuse. thankfully didnt blow the ECM) .

i think the current electrical issues are going to be ground related. i suspect the car was wrecked and sat for a while before I bought it, as it was repaired and repainted before i bought the car .

EDIT: under the hood is extremely clean and the wire harness did not look corroded last time i checked. the cables looked fine .

any advice on how to go about troubleshooting would be nice. im going to break out the multimeter later and also go buy some more grounding cables to replace the other grounds under the hood that were not previously replaced.

ive got about $7000 into the car since february . the car is in excellent condition as ive done work on the entire car to make it reliable (new starter. suspension, rotors, sensors, etc) . sadly if i cant fix this, ill probably only be able to resell it for $3500-4000 with the issues it currently has. i really dont want to do this but will if needed



EDIT: after doing more research, the issues is more than likely ground related or the BCM has fried (or a combination of both) . will be home in a few hours to troubleshoot. hopefully it ends up being just the ground or fuse etc and not the BCM

blknblk

iTrader: (8)

Wow you have a lot going on. I wish I could tell you exactly where the issue is. Hopefully someone else has experienced the same issue as you. Here are some suggestions - Do a close and thorough inspection on your wiring and harnesses. Try and look for anything odd, not stock, or out of place. Who knows what was done prior to you purchasing the car. What I mean, for example, if there is electrical tape around a loom that is not the same color as the rest it might be worth digging into further. Look for melted wires or wire loom. Check all fuses to see if any are blown. The engine wiring harness has grounding wires that split out of the loom in multiple locations. Make sure they are all connected and connections are not corroded. Also try to determine when things start acting up. For example, does it only happen when the car is running? When its warmed up? When you are driving? What about then you operate things like lights, stereo, AC etc... Check for signs of moisture in connectors. With the car running, you can carefully go around your engine and wiggle the wiring harness etc.

zakmartin

I'd start by having a long conversation with the guy who sold you the car. Ask him what kind of accident it was involved in, EXACTLY where the damage occurred, how severe the damage was, etc. Tell him you're not making any judgments, you just want to know where to start looking for shorts, etc. Check you IPDM, have your ECU properly tested and THEN start going after grounds. Don't throw your money down a black hole by chasing ghosts.

xniz

Guys,

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ran through the entire car inside and outside. I tested all grounds and checked all exposed areas of the interior and engine wire harnesses for damage . Nothing.

So I decide to say screw it, took the car back to the guy I bought it from, as he is a local Z dealer.

We replaced the lightbulbs in the taillights. Seems they were modified at some point with LEDs. The LED's were flickering and backfeeding . Fixed by putting regular bulbs back in.

The VTS/BRAKE/SLIP light went off after filling the brake fluids back up (we had done front rotors/brake pads) and it was a bit low. I was unaware low brake fluid could cause VDC and SLIP light to come on and I didnt notice the BRAKE light on as I thought it was on for my emergency break being engaged.

I had the Z dealer's tech hook up his $5000 computer and also ran tests on the body control module and everything was working properly.

So, we replaced the window switch and my windows started working again, however, the driver side door window motor regulator is not working properly. When you open the driver door , the window goes down as it should a quarter inch, but when you closed the door, it does not go back up. Was told I need to pay the $150 to replace the motor/regulator.

For the broken BOSE AMP, we put a new AMP in as well. It seems like I just got a car with bad electrical components from where it sat too long.

We were unable to find any serious wiring issues or BCM issues. So I will keep replacing the components as they break and hope it goes well.

While looking through the car underneath, the entire rear end was replaced (hacked off and rewelded back on) based on what I see. But the rear end seems to be okay with the exception of some wobble in the driver-rear wheel. Im thinking thats gonna be related to my alignment as it is WAY off . I cant get the alignment until i get new camber bolts, as mine are seized. That will be fixed next weekend along with the 02 sensor.

All in all, the only thing broke on my Z right now is the 02 sensor, rear alignment, and the driver side window regulator . Im happy that I was able to get everything smoothed out. I ended up paying the Z tech $50 to go through the entire car and replace the BOSE amp and window switch.... I was pleased with the fee.

Thanks for all the tips and enjoy your Z's !!

blknblk

iTrader: (8)

Wow your car has been through a lot. Hope everything works out! BTW, I have some adjustable toe and camber bolts id sell for $15 plus shipping. If interested PM me.

zakmartin

Yeah, those cheap-assed Ebay LED lights will get you every time. Glad you were able to work through this with the seller. You're lucky he's not a schmuck.

Swaglife81

I wouldn't put alot of blame on the electronic issues because the car sat. My car sat a while and had a bad mechanic work on it, alot of stuff was broken and not installed right on mine. Various things like my fuse box had random fuses in it and that didn't match. Tabs broken on certain lights, etc. A car 10-15 years later could have had an amazing owner for 11 years and an idiot owned the car for 6 months. Aside from doing a Carfax report. Download a FSM for your year. The best thing you can ever do. I went over my whole car. Meter everything related to your issues. The Service Manual tells you what to do and how to do it aside from normal check engine lights. Like a certain sensor should read .3 to .7 with key on, than .5 to .9 with car started, etc. Let's say that sensor read perfect with key on but was off .5 volts with car started. Just to give an example. By doing stuff like this is what points to other things or clears some things as ok. So many car owners depend on if the lights aren't on and the car is running it's perfect. Obviously you aren't one of those types but eventually with the factory service manual you can get these issues dialed in the actual problem and clear sensors, modules, wiring. Relays usually go bad before wiring. All the grounds are listed in the manual. All the engine side grounds are easily accessible under the hood. I cleaned all my grounds and installed a hidden 4 wire grounding kit when I had my issues

ScottiePerez

trtl3

I've been having this same exact issue after swapping my engine. i know its been 2 years but im so lost right now. did you ever find a fix?