I have a Nissan Sentra 1997 GXE with a weird problem that's been going on.

So what happened was that the car had shut down on me while driving, so i took the battery to Auto-Zone and charged it and the car started up fine. when we got it back home my dad took the pulse off the battery and the car had turned off, so we thought the alternator was bad so we got it replaced but even when we put that in the car it still did the same thing.

Also my car's instrument cluster is not working at all Speed,Temp,Gas nothing on the cluster working... so i checked the fuses to find a fuse blown its called the 10A METER fuse but even tho i replaced it more then 5 times it blows every time!?......

What is going on with this car?! someone please help me!?

sounds like you have a short in one or more of the wires coming out of your guages/cluster. That could also account for drawing out all the power out of the battery. Check above wires for any corrosion or exposure to something metalic or touching other wires.

I have removed the cluster from the car and tried it that way and the fuse still blow so its nothing wrong with the cluster...

(I also have no reverse lights due to the METER fuse)

If you look at this picture here that someone gave me it shows what the METER fuse controls.



Also no other fuses are broken that i know of besides the 10A METER fuse.

Looks like the fuse is used for a lot of things but since you mentioned the reverse lights, check the housing for any water and check the wires/contacts while you're there.

Just to post this I had a Auto Repair shop read for any codes these was the 2 codes that appeared.

Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid = P1550Vehicle Speed Sensor = P0500

Does the "Vehicle Speed Sensor" has anything to do with the meter fuse blowing? it is connected to it.

Does the "Vehicle Speed Sensor" has anything to do with the meter fuse blowing? it is connected to it.

Disconnect the wiring harness on the VSS and then put a fuse in and see what happens???
Modified by Faja at 10:39 PM 9/22/2009

Okay so we took the VSS off the car and put a 10 amp fuse in the METER slot, connected the battery and turned the key to ACC and the fuse did not blow.

So today we bought a new VSS from Auto-Zone ($40) and then put it in the car but when we turn the key into ACC the fuse blow out this time?!

Why did it not blow when we removed the VSS but when we put one in it blows? (Also either way the cluster has yet to stay on.)

Anyone can help us out here?...

check the wiring harness that connects to the VSS possibly something is shorting in there when you plug it in???

Edit: when you disconnect the VSS, you say the guages still don't work, correct? Did you check the reverse lights also while the VSS was off? It definitely sounds like you have a short somewhere but I can't really say where...
Modified by Faja at 9:37 PM 9/24/2009

I did not think about checking the reverse lights when the VSS was off but i know that the fuse did not blow out when i turned the key into ACC.

I just checked the reverse lights with the new VSS on the car and i still do not have no reverse lights and the left light is very dark not bright like the left side.

JetOneTV wrote:I just checked the reverse lights with the new VSS on the car and i still do not have no reverse lights and the left light is very dark not bright like the left side.

The new VSS is connected or not?

Update: The brake light is on even when the brake is not being pressed down.

Also its not the bulb because i switched sides and one side is darker then the other side.

(Also yes the new VSS is on the car.)

and the meter fuse is not blown now?

Faja wrote:and the meter fuse is not blown now?

The fuse did blow after we installed the new VSS.

Then by dad tried something else and used a "20Amp" fuse and it killed that one just like the 10 amp fuse.

OK, it looks like you have a short somewhere. Check the wire harness that connects to the VSS, you might have to remove the wires and put them back in properly. Reconnect and see if the fuse blows again.

If it blows, trace the wires from that wire harness and see where it goes, check for any stripping, loose connections or if something else is connected to them. Try to get to the point where you can connect the VSS and not blow the fuse, we'll worry about the cluster and backup lights after or it might all be related.

Okay so I have a short?

If I do why did the fuse not blow when we removed the VSS, but then when we installed another VSS it blows??

It's not the VSS, it might be the connector that you're attaching to the VSS

Hm... since I'm not a electrician, how much would Nissan & a Auto Repair shop charge for a fix for this?

Also if its the wire/connector to the VSS, why is the brake light staying on when not pressed? and the right hand light not as bright as the left side... (no its not the bulb because i switched them and no difference.)

Here's what i believe everything is connected to that METER 10 A Fuse

LKUP -BACK/L - Rear Combination Lamp (LH and RH)A/T,RE - A/T Fluid Temperature Sensor, Overdrive Control Switch, A/T Control UnitA/T,RL - Shield Wire (Throttle Position Sensor), ECMMETER - Combination Meter (All meters and turn signal lamps)WARN - Brake Fluid Level Switch, Washer Fluid Level Switch, Fuel Tnak Gauge Unit, Seat Belt SwitchVSS - Part of ClusterSRS - Air Bag Diagnosis Sensor Unit, Front Door Switch LHASCD - Part of Cluster, Inhibitor Switch, ASCD Control Unit, Hold Relay, and Main SwitchABS - ABS Control Unit, ABS Relay Box, Shield Wire (All Wheels)DTRL - Daytime Light Control UnitMIL/DL - Data Link Connector For Consult and GSTCHARGE - Generator

I agree, I'm not an electrician either. Might be better to have someone look at it. Not sure of pricing but at least now you have some information that you can show him to try to narrow down the issue. Someone with a trained eye could probably pinpoint the problem in no time.

CAN you tell me what your solution was please?

9 years later?............