No engine cranking or anything. Can't get that far. I put the key in the ignition and go to the ON position. The system checks and hums aren't there. My dash doesn't light up. The lights, horn, and locks work fine. It's not a problem with the clutch switch, because I would at least have some response from the car in the "ON" position at least, right?

 

Maybe the chip in your key got zapped. Try one of the other keys Nissan gave you.

 

It was one of the 12 different ignition fuses. It's not a separate, single fuse either. It's part of one of those "tetris" shaped fuses. Two ABS fuses are part of the same block. My parts department better have this in stock! Pics:





You can see the 40 amp fuse fried.

 

Fuses generally blow for a reason. You'd better find the short before sticking another of those odd fuses in and watching it blow too.

 

There's a chip inside our keys? So the only way to get a duplicate key is through nissan?

 

Wear and tear? How would I even go about finding a short in the ignition system?

 

Yes, and it has to be trained to your particular BCU (Body Control Computer) using the dealer's Consult II tool. So don't lose your keys, new ones are expensive.

 

Use a multimeter to read the resistance from the equipment side of the fuse block to chassis. It should be more than 2.9 ohms. If it is less, it will blow another fuse.

If it is less, you're going to have to start unplugging circuits until the short is relieved. The last thing you unplug will be what's shorted.

If you have the shop manual with the wiring diagram, you can go about this in a logical manner. If you don't, the first things I'd unplug would be the ignition harness, and then the ECU. The unitary ignition modules draw a lot of current, and would be the most likely circuits connected to this fuse which could have failed and caused the fuse to blow. The ECU is the other major possibility.

After that, it could be a wire whose insulation has rubbed through and allowed a harness wire to short to the body. That could be a bear to find.

 

Thank you all for your Ideal. When I checked the battery again it was dead. So I bought a new one and it started right up. Damn shame Auto Zone doesn't know how to tell if a battery is bad.

 

That was going to be my suggestion, actually mine was going to be " try jump starting it"