electrical problems need help fast

[slakker]

Ok this is the stupidest thing ever and I cant figure it out. Day 1: Headlight start acting crazy, going up and down when they should be in the down position, progress to where the passenger side is stuck up and I had to disconnect the driver so iot would stop moving.

Day 2: Heater blower shuts off with no cause, comes on about 4 hrs later, goes back off. Now it works fine

Radio and Blower for heater wont shut off when the key is removed, must turn off manually.

Day 3: Car wont start, no starter movement whatsoever. Power to starter is fine. All interior lights work, windows work, lights turn on and off when I ask them to, dash lights up and difital guages come on, but no starter.

What could this elect. problem be. Whatever it is it had to fry the starter solenoid. I checked all engine grounds and they are fine. I believe that the battery is draining really slowly, but cant really tell due to all this crap going on. Could it be the ignition switch, I cant think of how to test or take off. I have a 89 e and a 90 de, the 89 is the car I am speaking of so If there is anything I can swap to test, please let mo know. If the car is bum started ftrom dropping the clutch, it runs fine, except for the crazy headlights, and the erratic blower. Please help I have an important meeting to go to on saturday and only have that morning to figure it out. Any help is greatly appreciated

[slakker]

come on I reall need help. This is the most frustrating thing in the world.

[NISTECH]

you should be able to swap the electrical portion of the ignition switch between the 2 cars. I believe it is held on with a small philips screw. the ignition lock cyl will stay on the coloum on both cars only the electrical needs to be swapped between the 2.

[slakker]

dO YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS COULD CAUSE ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS. Do you agree that it is weird, After racking my brain I cannot think of what could possibly link all of these problems together. The ignition still shouldn't control the headlight motors or the running of the heater after startup or am I wrong. Should I believe that anything is possible when it comes to electrical. Thank you nistech for the help, if you have anymore please help. You were the one I was relieing on to help me the most.

[NISTECH]

yes the ignition switch can cause an oray of problems in your electrical system. with failures like this though you also want to look closely at any aftermarket devices you have and their connections. I cant tell you how many bad things I have seen happen do to poor wiring of aftermarket devices. In late 2000 I seen a 2000 xterra burnt out under the dash due to poor wiring of an ignition kill device. it was ugly ,whole dash harness and some plastic trim peices needed replacement.

[slakker]

Thanks nistech, Ill check on that right away. The only aftermarket electrical are an ignition coil and the battery relocation to the trunk. Ive been checking my grounds and the power throughout my power cord and it all looks pretty good. Everything else works fine. The ignition does sound like it could be the only thing that could cause such an array of disaster. keep racking your brain for me it is my baby and my only car. Is there an electrical device that controls your interior accessories after you turn of the key. Because I know that when I used to turn the car off it would take a second or so for the heater to shut off and the digital gauge to go out. Well thanks again.

[NISTECH]

no once you shut the key off all accesories should shut down.

[slakker]

welln the ignition switch isnt the problem. I switched it from my other 240 and the same end result. I am going to switch the starters and see if that helps tomorrow. Anymore suggestions nistech

[NISTECH]

if your starter has power to the black small wire when you turn the key to the start position it is dead and needs replacement as you have figured. as far as all your other probs I am beginning to thing you have a relay problem somewhere when the relay engauges it creates a short in another circuit. and untill you turn them off manually. now when you shut your radio and your blower off manually after the key is shut off does it stay off as long as the key is off? meaning if you try to turn it back on it doesnt come back on until the key is turned on again.

[slakker]

NO IT WILL COME BACK ON IF I MANUALLY TURN THEM BACK ON. I AM GOING TO RETEST THE STARTER AT THE SMALL WIRE AND REPLACE IF IT IS BAD. NEVERTHELESS I AM WORRIED THAT AFTER REPLACING WHATEVER THE PROBLEM IS ITLL COOK THIS STARTER TOO. I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING THOUGH MY BABY IS JUST COLLECTING FROST AND MISSING ALL THE GOOD SNOW. PLUS I HAVE NO OTHER WORKING VEHICLE......MY PATHFINDER IS ALMOST PUT BACK TOGETHER AFTER MY GIRLFRIEND SMASHED IT INTO A 83 BUICK AND MY TOYOTA PASEO BLEW ITS 5TH MOTOR AND MY WARRANTY GUY IS GIVING ME CRAP. THIS ISNT A VERY GOOD CAR MONTH FOR ME, SO MY WORDS ARE ALL THAT FRUSTRATION I JUST MENTIONED REVERSED INTO BEAUTIFUL APPRECIATION FOR ALL YOUR HELP. THANKS

[NISTECH]

you have a short somewhere if those components are all staying active with the key out of the ignition. and its a short to power. did you do something to your car and after doing so all this came about??

[slakker]

The only thing i can remember is sliding sideways across walmarts parking lot. The slide lasted about 10 seconds and when the vibration from the tires moving from snow and contacting wet cement made the heater go out for a moment. Then it came back on. Then it shut back off. Do you know of any way I can test for the short and where to begin looking

[slakker]

I was confsed on how the starter worked, but I think I figured it out by rereading your last post. The big wire is the power coming from the battery. Is it grounded through its frame and the small black wire triggers the solenoid. If i run a hot wire from the battery to the thick wire connecting the solenoid and the starter itself and connect the ground to the small wire with the connector. The starter works. The starter is out of the car right now. Since the thick wire that goes to the solenoid from the battery is always hot, then can I test the small black wire that comes out of the harness of wires for power when the ignition is in the run position. If I were to get no power there then I know it is not the starter, but a connection somewhere else.

[NISTECH]

ok hook a hot wire to the point where the battery attaches to the solonoid. hook you negitave to the body of the starter preferrably where the bolt holes are to mount it. then run a jumper from your hot lead to the spade connector where the small black wire attaches. the starter shoul engauge the second you touch your jumper to that spade.

that spade is what your ingnition switch sends power to to start the car.

[slakker]

THIS WILL THEN CONFIRM THE CORRECT OPERATION OF BOTH THE STARTER AND SOLENOID, CORRECT. i HAVE A FEELING THAT IT WILL WORK.........WELL I JUST TESTED IT AND IT DOES WORK. THE STARTER IS FINE, SHOULD I BYPASS THE IGNITION SWITCH (AS MUCH AS ID HATE TO) OR IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE I CAN DO. THESE THREE PROBLEMS HAVE TO BE LINKED SO WHERE DO I LOOK.

[slakker]

I have bypassed the ignition by running a hot wire from the battery and patching into the black wire. I have them secured under my dash. So all I have to do is touch them together. I still need to find out what the problem is because the heater still doesnt work and I seen my wipers doing erratic things tonight for no reason and with the ignition off. Where can I begin to look, where do all these components come together

[NISTECH]

you have possibly 2 problems here. you may have a bad clutch switch or a bad inhibit relay causeing your no start. the other problem will be very hard to trace with out a FSM. you need diag to find the common conection point of these circuits. but its obvious you have battery voltage supplied to the circuits instead of ignition voltage. also recheck your wiring to your aftermarket ignition coil. and look over your battery relocation wiring real good.

[slakker]

This whole time I was looking in fear of the stupid clutch pedal switch. that would be too easy adn for the reason of my chosen ignorance.....this will be the problem. I will swap them between cars to test its worthiness. where exactly is that relay you spoke of. The inhibit relay. I will get a factory fsm and read it like a bible.

[slakker]

p.s. When I tested the black wire that triggers the starter it was dead. No continuity when the key is to start.

[slakker]

What relay shuts off all the accesories after the key is shut off??????