PSA. Wiring on these cars are getting brittle [05, and older]........
07-06-2018, 04:08 PM
#1
PSA. Wiring on these cars are getting brittle [05, and older]........
I don't have a Z, but rather an 05 Altima with the 3.5DE engine.
Last Dec the 24th my engine died while we were driving around looking a Christmas lights.
So, it was a big ordeal for me to finally figure out the problem for which I won't derail the thread by getting into all of that, but I did find something I thought worthwhile to pass on.
I had a U1000 code which can be a mess to track down the source of the code.
So, I had to pull the dash, and diagnostic check all of the CAN wiring/connections as well as every single wire behind the dash [while I was at it].
All of the insulation on the wiring inside the car/under the dash was fine as well as the connections.
As I moved on under the hood, I found that when checking the wiring that almost all of the insulation on the wiring at the injectors connector were almost all gone, and there were only a few strands of wiring actually coming out of the connector.
Then I noticed that when moving wires around to check the conns that the insulation would crack if the wiring was even slightly bent. I replaced all of the bad wiring at the connectors, and was VERY CAREFUL when moving the wiring harness in general.
So the point I'm making here is that I've seen this before. Many times car companies swap vendors that make various part, ie wiring harnesses. So in some cars the wiring might last a lifetime [I have several 65-67 Mustangs that still have the factory wiring under the dash, and its all in good, working condition, go figure.
However, on an old 1980 Mustang I still own, the wiring when I got the car was approx ten years old, but the insulation was almost like WAX!!! The insulation would just crumble right off just rubbing it with your fingers. But, on two 86 Mustangs I owned the wiring on both cars were in great shape, so Ford must have changed the vendor where they had their wiring made sometime between 1980-1986.
So, I don't know if the Altima's and Z's got the same vendors for the wiring, but I thought I would post this so you guys could check, as we all know wiring issues can be a pain to diagnose, and repair.
Go out, and find a small gauge ground under the hood, and try to bend it back upon itself. If the insulation is in good shape it shouldn't crack, but if it does [of course replace it on your the wire you just tested] you might want to take extreme care when working on anything that requires under the hood wiring or moving the whole harness.
Good luck.
Last Dec the 24th my engine died while we were driving around looking a Christmas lights.
So, it was a big ordeal for me to finally figure out the problem for which I won't derail the thread by getting into all of that, but I did find something I thought worthwhile to pass on.
I had a U1000 code which can be a mess to track down the source of the code.
So, I had to pull the dash, and diagnostic check all of the CAN wiring/connections as well as every single wire behind the dash [while I was at it].
All of the insulation on the wiring inside the car/under the dash was fine as well as the connections.
As I moved on under the hood, I found that when checking the wiring that almost all of the insulation on the wiring at the injectors connector were almost all gone, and there were only a few strands of wiring actually coming out of the connector.
Then I noticed that when moving wires around to check the conns that the insulation would crack if the wiring was even slightly bent. I replaced all of the bad wiring at the connectors, and was VERY CAREFUL when moving the wiring harness in general.
So the point I'm making here is that I've seen this before. Many times car companies swap vendors that make various part, ie wiring harnesses. So in some cars the wiring might last a lifetime [I have several 65-67 Mustangs that still have the factory wiring under the dash, and its all in good, working condition, go figure.
However, on an old 1980 Mustang I still own, the wiring when I got the car was approx ten years old, but the insulation was almost like WAX!!! The insulation would just crumble right off just rubbing it with your fingers. But, on two 86 Mustangs I owned the wiring on both cars were in great shape, so Ford must have changed the vendor where they had their wiring made sometime between 1980-1986.
So, I don't know if the Altima's and Z's got the same vendors for the wiring, but I thought I would post this so you guys could check, as we all know wiring issues can be a pain to diagnose, and repair.
Go out, and find a small gauge ground under the hood, and try to bend it back upon itself. If the insulation is in good shape it shouldn't crack, but if it does [of course replace it on your the wire you just tested] you might want to take extreme care when working on anything that requires under the hood wiring or moving the whole harness.
Good luck.
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bboysteele
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