Goofy electrical glitch in Nissan Altima...

[Indy_Guy_77]

2006 Nissan Altima SE V-6, 5 spd auto, 108k miles

Yesterday afternoon, as I started up the car to begin my arduous commute home, the dash lights / radio would not come on.

Gage needles worked just fine, as did the "special" lights within the dash (sinals, open door, seatbelt, cruise-control, etc)

But the small LED display that shows the odo, trip, MPG, distance remaining, OT, etc wasn't working. Neither was the main back light behind the dash.

About 30 mins into my 40 min drive home, it started to flicker back to life. I could absolutely positively here a "clicking" sound coming from the fuse panel inside the car (under steering wheel, towards the door).

I got home and examined many fuses, including the one controlling the radio - all fuses were still intact.

This morning when I started the car - all was well. All stayed well along my commute to work.

I suppose it's possible that the fuse had somehow worked a bit loose over 108k miles and my checking it and reinstalling it has rectified things. (I didn't notice any corrosion on the fuse nor the socket)

So: Things to possibly look for should this crap happen again?

 

[rgrimm01]

My Cherokee Sport does something similar. The dash will go dead then come right back to life. I have been told by owners of the same type of vehicle that it is moisture on the electrical contacts and is somewhat common or at the very least not unheard of with the Cherokees.

This phenomena does not concern me as I only drive it to/from work and rarely appears. It does not seem to bother anything as long as driving sans speedometer and the rest of the gauges for a few minutes is not a concern.

Disclaimer: I am not a mechanic and your problem may be different and affect the driving characteristics of your vehicle in adverse and dangerous ways. Always consult a professional...

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

My Cherokee Sport does something similar. The dash will go dead then come right back to life. I have been told by owners of the same type of vehicle that it is moisture on the electrical contacts and is somewhat common or at the very least not unheard of with the Cherokees.

This phenomena does not concern me as I only drive it to/from work and rarely appears. It does not seem to bother anything as long as driving sans speedometer and the rest of the gauges for a few minutes is not a concern.

Disclaimer: I am not a mechanic and your problem may be different and affect the driving characteristics of your vehicle in adverse and dangerous ways. Always consult a professional...

So...thanks for nothin'!

No signs of any moisture what-so-ever in the interior or exterior fuse boxes. The one in the engine compartment sits VERY close to the block. It's hot enough in/around there that moisture wouldn't last very long. Haven't had any issues with the windscreen/window/sunroof, either. Shouldn't be leaking any water that could somehow infiltrate. If I'd recently had the windshield replaced, I could see how that could allow some intrusion (as that happened on another vehicle of mine in the past).

Also: forgot to add: recently had the spark plugs changed. This involved removing the upper intake manifold to get to them, then replacing the gasket and then reinstalling the manifold. There doesn't seem to be any way THAT should've caused any issues like happened yesterday.

 

[Arm America]

A weak battery may cause funny electrical glitches on dash lights, speedo/tack, etc.
As the battery re-charges, things can return to normal.

Most retail auto places will provide a battery test for free.

Not saying thats your problem, electrical issues can be difficult to locate.

Good Luck, hope its something simple.

 

[FWP9MM]

Check your ground wires and look for corrosion on your battery terminals.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Battery is about a year old...

Looked at it yesterday as in the engine compartment to get access to that fuse box in there. Battery looks good.

Wouldn't hurt to have it tested. THIS car "eats" batteries - 1 about every two years. *sigh*

Reiteration: the analog gages/needles worked just fine. Tach, speedo, temp, I fuel all worked as normal. They just weren't back-lit.

 

[VUPDblue]

have you tried uncoiled rice?

 

[threefiftyfour]

I would guess you have a lighting control module that is trying to die. The sound you heard was likely a relay opening and closing. Is the brightness control a dial you turn or a button you push?

 

[Arm America]

Not to rain on your parade but it being a 2006, I suspected the orginal battery being weak, causing electrical glitches. If the car is eating batteries, you have something else going on and can expect your problems to only get worse.
Been there, done that!

 

[Mr. Habib]

Battery is about a year old...

Looked at it yesterday as in the engine compartment to get access to that fuse box in there. Battery looks good.

Wouldn't hurt to have it tested. THIS car "eats" batteries - 1 about every two years. *sigh*

Reiteration: the analog gages/needles worked just fine. Tach, speedo, temp, I fuel all worked as normal. They just weren't back-lit.

This may be a clue. Get your charging system checked along with the battery. As someone else mentioned, it could also be a bad ground or connection in the dash or instrument cluster.

 

[BogWalker]

Don'tcha just love all of this technology? These computers and electric systems just break down all too often for my liking.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

have you tried uncoiled rice?

Being a "Japanese car", the thing absolutely loves uncoiled rice!

I would guess you have a lighting control module that is trying to die. The sound you heard was likely a relay opening and closing. Is the brightness control a dial you turn or a button you push?

It's a dial that rotates up and down. And I did figure it was some kind of relay.

Not to rain on your parade but it being a 2006, I suspected the orginal battery being weak, causing electrical glitches. If the car is eating batteries, you have something else going on and can expect your problems to only get worse.
Been there, done that!

Awesome!

this is the battery currently in there: Duralast/Battery (24F-DL) | 2006 Nissan/Datsun Altima 6 Cylinders B 3.5L SFI DOHC | AutoZone.com

Being the V-6 VQ engine, it's "high compression" and asks for premium fuel.

Hi compression = need high cold cranking amps, correct?

This may be a clue. Get your charging system checked along with the battery. As someone else mentioned, it could also be a bad ground or connection in the dash or instrument cluster.

Charging system is pretty basic - alternator and battery...that's about it?

We've had several () batteries tested over the years - but I don't remember anything about the alternator. Would an alternator be indicative?

Or perhaps this goofy dash issue is separate from the battery issue all together.

Electrical issues with cars are the worst! And this isn't even a British car!

*sigh*

 

[eldirector]

Knowing nothing about that car in particular....

Very likely a loose/bad ground. In many cars, the dash lighting is all grounded to a single wire connection near the fuse panel. If it is loose or corroded, it may very well do exactly as you describe. I have had more than one older vehicle do the very same.

Googling "Nissan Altima Dash Lights" gets a ton of hits with several fixes. The dimmer switch is mentioned several times, as is a loose ground.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Bah. Google. Then THEY would know I have a 2006 Altima!

Besides, this is more fun.

 

[OneBadV8]

is the key switch loose? When the car is started can you wiggle the key in different directions and have it act up?

I've known a few vehicles that present as an electrical issue that was hard to diagnose and ended up being the key switch.