Hi community,

Last night I purchased my second Altima SSS. Here in Australia, they are called the Bluebird.

I was lucky because I got the car relatively cheap, there are a few minor issues (which I have Googled) but I cannot seem to find any answers. Also, the last time I had a SSS was around ten years ago, so my memory is failing me. So perhaps I can ask my questions here please.

When I picked up the car, there was a part of the dashboard that was not illuminated; this was the area near the air con and environmental controls. I cannot remember from my previous car whether this area does have lights or not. I have also read that there is a fuse for this (but nobody states which one in the fuse box). As soon as I know, I will check. Finally, before I purchased this car, the previous owner spent a lot of time away from home. As a result, he was always detaching and re-attaching the battery. Would this not cause fuses to blow also?

Hope that somebody in this forum can help me. I will post some photos soon; I'm lucky because the car is in good condition.

Many thanks,

Andrew.

In the US, the 1998 Altima I drove had no lights in the climate control panel. The gearshift for the automatic transmission and the gauge cluster were the only illuminated dash sections. Connecting and disconnecting the battery should not damage anything. However, connecting the battery backwards can blow the fusible links under the hood. I once blew the main fusible link, and my door locks, windows and exterior lights stopped working. If one is bad, you can see it as a burned spot in the fuse visible through a window on the little casings on the fusible links.

Hi Timothy,

Thanks for the feedback. I checked over all of my fuses, and all were in good shape. I also read on another forum that the Australian supplied cars apparently have three small lights behind that console. I'm a bit reluctant to remove the console as I'm not much of a handyman. Had a chance to give the car a really good look over today; it is in much better condition than I originally thought. Tyre are about 80%, engine is very clean, no leakages anywhere, I just need to top up the coolant and the windscreen washer.

I'll try to find an auto electrician, because if there are bulbs behind that console, I would like to attempt to replace them with LEDs. Might also shop around today to see if I can find any HID headlights to suit my new baby.

Once again, thanks for everybody's help.

Andrew.

Item 10 in section BF-29 of document BF in the Altima Factory Service manual http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Altima/1994/
Should be the only part you have to remove to change the bulbs. In the US, many auto parts stores and hardware stores have the right led bulbs to replace most automotive bulbs. It looks like the A/C control panel is held in by metal snap-clips i instead of screws. Just pry it off carefully.