06 pathfinder dash lights stay on

[Rottingroadie]

I’m scratching my head on this one. When it rains my odometer. Gas gauge and oil pressure stay on in the dash. I have to disconnect the battery to not drain the battery. It goes back to normal about 24 hrs after rain. Now it rained here yesterday around noon and as of now it still won’t go off. I don’t know what to do. Scared if I take it to the dealer it will be really expensive. Anyone heard of this or any ideas what to check??

[mdmellott]

Due to the rain, my following answer may be all wet. The ignition switch module on my Pathfinder was faking out a bit over a year ago causing dash lights to stay on, sometimes, after I had turned it off and pulled the key. Sometimes, I couldn't even start the engine and nothing would turn on unless I played with the way I turned the key to start it. The slip-ring contacts in this ignition module are copper. There is a type of grease on the contacts that reduce friction and wear. However, over time and use, micro-particles of the copper contacts rub off, mix with the grease and prevent connections from contacting or create electrical connections when there should be none. The image in the following link is your ignition module, same as mine. https://www.quirkparts.com/oem-parts/ni ... 487500m010 I was too cheap to buy a new one so I took mine apart, cleaned up its insides, and got lucky that it fixed my issues. I bought a new one later because I knew the old one was worn out and I simply bought myself a little more time by cleaning it up and I didn't want it failing again unexpectedly.

You may be able to test whether your dashboard lights are getting power through this ignition module when the ignition is off. They should if the ignition switch is on but they should not if the switch is off. This module is easily accessed on the left side of your steering column, under the plastic covers, just opposite from the ignition switch key. After you remove the top and bottom covers, held together by 5 or 6 Philips screws in the bottom side, you can unplug the electrical connector from the ignition module. Assuming your dashboard lights are on and ignition switch is off before you do any of this and then the lights turn off when you unplug the connector, then your ignition switch module is worn out. If that does appear to be the case, you may be able to take it apart like I did to clean it up but I can't recommend it. None of this makes sense to me regarding the rain.

[Rottingroadie]

Thanks I will try that. The rain thing makes no sense to me either. Dash lights only stayed on when it rained. After a few hours it would be fine. It rained here Friday afternoon and now it’s Sunday and the dash lights still won’t go off. I will definitely try your suggestion. Appreciate it!

[Rottingroadie]

Took the ignition switch off and dash lights are still on

[mdmellott]

I have never been a fan of CAN bus electrical systems in vehicles. Too many micro-controllers and devices sharing the same wires makes it almost impossible to trace a short or open circuit to its source without a diagnostic system like Nissan's Consult II. I hardly know where to begin. In this case, all I can think of is to look at the component parts and harness connectors of the network that may be susceptible to getting wet when it rains, to see if there may be water getting where it should not be. Here's a long shot, because I really have no other ideas. In the '06 Pathfinder factory service manual LAN section, page 25, there is an overhead vehicle diagram showing three network components under the hood, positioned where they could possibly get wet if the hood seal was leaking, allowing water to drip onto their harness connectors. (see image in this link >>> https://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual ... 06/lan.pdf ) It's at least worth taking a look at before you have get more sophisticated help beyond my old-school ways.

[Rottingroadie]

Appreciate the advice!