Marcel Roehrl

Hey,
I took my Z completly apart (every single piece you can think of) to weld in a complex rollcage and many more modifications.
Now I`m about to put everything back together and encountered some problems with the electronics.
I put in the whole cable tree, every important part (that is labeled with a star in the manual and is therefore a neccessary part for the IPDM E/R), I connected every single grounding cable (tripple checked everyone with the manual and connected all little ones that are not listed there) and made sure they have clear contact with the body. So far the engine (fuel pump etc.) is running good, gas, clutch, and brake pedal are working, ignition is working. Headlights work, taillights and brakelights work.
Sadly all instruments are not working, they do not even light up. Also the indicator, light and wiper controls dont work and the ac controls dont light up. The only thing that is lighting up is the esp button.
I measured that no power is reaching these devices. This is a bit strange, because everthing else is working and gets power (for example the ignigtion or abs sensor on the wheel which comes out of the same cable tree right next to the cables for the instruments). When I put the ignition on, the left indicator shines (rears not connected) continuously and after 2-3 seconds the head-, taillights and esp button lights up. The controls for the lights and indicator are doing nothing and the little bulb inside the control doesnt even light up.
I checked every fuse and replaced all relais. I also replaced the A/C control box/amp under the radio (because I`ve another Z that i can use parts from). I also tried to disconnect the battery for an hour and tried it again, but the instruments and wheel controls are not coming to life (although the engine is running).
The only parts that are not connected are the doors, airbags, airbag control units, abs (abs ecu is connected though), every audio part, interior lights and so on.
My diagnostic software found no errors, I`ll try to get my hands on an official one from nissan (CONSULT II).
I hope someone has some ideas, I dont think that some cables are damaged, but thats the only thing that I could think of right now.
Here are some pics of the car before I began to put it back together

zakmartin

Wow. Beautiful job on the build. It sounds like (and this is going to be a shot in the dark since you've had the entire car taken down to the bolts) your instrument cluster is fried. You should be able to initiate a command signal to the cluster (i.e., wiper control) once you hook it up to a bi-directional car computer. If the cluster or BCM is down (or fried or just not communicating,) then you're going to have the problems you're encountering.

Hooking the car up to a proper computer (Consult II, Snap-On, Autel, Launch... whatever.) will quickly tell you if you're getting a control signal between the ECU, BCM and instrument cluster. Since you've already gone through the IPDM and checked the grounds, and assuming you're not throwing any PIDs, then the cluster seems like the logical next step. Have it tested first though; I'd hate to see you throw money at something you didn't need.

Again, BEAUTIFUL job on the build. I hope you do a thread on it at some point. And I really hope that once it's running, you take it for a lap around the 'Gring and post a video.

Marcel Roehrl

Thank you, A ridiculous amount of hours are in this build.
The car is build for a racing series on the nordschleife, so there will be some videos.
I already have some recorded laps on youtube with far less mods.
I`m more active in a german forum, but I can make another build thread here.
Changing the BCM was next on my list, I hope my friend has no problem to lend me his one. But first I`m connecting a Consult II and try your steps.
What do you mean with PIDs?

zakmartin

It'd be great to see some of the Youtube videos you've already posted. You can link to them by clicking on the icon that looks like the planet with the chain under it in the Quick Reply window. Just post the YouTube link and it will pop up on your reply.

PID = Problem ID# (i.e., P0300, U1001, etc.) It's the code you pull from the code reader. If you can get your hands on a Consult II, which around here isn't an easy thing to do if you aren't with a dealership, then you'll be able to do most of the diagnostics from the computer.

Marcel Roehrl

Thanks again, I know a guy at my local nissan dealership so I hope it won`t be a problem.
I`ll create a thread about the build in the next few days.
Here is my most popular video, it`s a bit old and the setup is far from the current one:
You can find some information in the description of the video.

zakmartin

LOL! Dude, I watched that video back when you posted it. Good stuff!!

Marcel Roehrl

I got to try my friends BCM and everything was working again. After I put my BCM back in it was still working. Pretty strange, maybe a connector was loose or something, but it didn't seem that way. Anyway, thanks for the help, I'm glad it was so easy to fix.

zakmartin

Excellent, glad it worked. If the problem comes back, you could always try spritzing the BCM connectors with some DeoxIT to make sure that you get rid of any oxidation on the pins and check the pins themselves to make sure they're attached firmly to the wires.