PLEASE Help ! strange issues

[navarad40perth]

Hi guys,

I have a D40 2008 Navara im having a strange fault please see sequence below..

Intermittently when car has been driven i attempt to start it and..

1. Cooling fan comes on ( as if engine is hot )
2. Headlights and Park lights come on ( switched off on dash )
3. Engine will not turn over
4. Windscreen wipers will not work when this is happening
5. Indicators will work externally but not on the dash..

After about 5 minutes the fan stops and the car will turn over ( but not start )

After about another 5 minutes the car starts as normal

Other issues that are happening are the dash dies whilst driving the tacho and speedo drop to zero then spring back when this happens the ABS and the Park Brake light flash on for a mili second

please help us find this issue

 

[Iceman]

I am sure others more in the know than i be will be along soon but i would start by re doing the earth connections to the ECU and the dash. Bad earths cause all sotrs of strange electrical problems.

 

[user 10312]

Could be a BCM issue but earths would be good place to start.

 

[Old.Tony]

^ Yep, pay attention to the earth points. Early D40s had a poor earth on the ECU, which is on the side of the engine bay (there's a pic with an arrow pointing to it in my garage). The earth point needs cleaning, the ECU needs to be reattached and then spray some gunk over it to seal it and reduce the chance of corrosion.

The BCM could be at fault too. While the BCM doesn't control the starter, it can inhibit the starter, and the BCM controls all of the other items you've mentioned. This module is under the dash on the right hand side between the steering column and the centre console (that's where mine is, anyway). Check the plug. Look for any damage to the wires. Grab a wire with an alligator clip on each end and temporarily add an earth to the stereo by clipping the stereo housing with one end and to one of the dash mount bolts with the other.

 

[navarad40perth]

cheers guys we are still investigating we have already cleaned the ECU earth that all seemed clean and ok I found a manual on the D40 and we have noted that the D40 goes into a FAIL SAFE Mode not limp mode when the CAN ( internal vehicle communications ) loose sync or drop out this causes the lights to come on , cooling fan to startup on high and the windscreen wipers to be on the last setting before the vehicle lost internal comms, this is obviously for saftey and engine damage reasons as the car doesnt know if the lights were on (could be during the night ) and or what the temp of the engine is as the comms are gone, we are attempting to replace the ignition relay we are hoping this is failing causing the electrical to drop out hence dropping the needles on the dash and causing an electrical com dropout making the ECU dump into FAIL SAFE... I will keep you posted I will know very soon

 

[user 10312]

Ok! Thanks for the follow up of your problem and yes keep us posted if you can. This sort of thread is a very valuable resource for any poor bugger in the future who has similar problems.

Welcome to the forum mate! Good contribution on the second post.

 

[navarad40perth]

hi guys, cheers Tony,OK update we removed all plugs on BCM can cleaned removed and replaced all relays from the IPDM under the bonnet ( where the ignition relay is located ) thought this would cure all but no luck, there was a main unit in pasengers quarter panel that we removed plugs and cleaned did all the usual removed all plugs and cleaned even the CPU unit.. nothing changed.. strange thing is with indicator on and doing a hard right turn round a roundabout triggers the issue the indicator drops out ( dash only still working externally ) the needles drop to zero then spring back but the indicators on the dash dont restart if you quickly turn the key to ACC and back to IGN before it stalls this restarts the CPU and the indicators return ( on dash ) after a few left and right turns the issue seems worse doing a right turn which is confusing the crap out of me .. im assuming its a loose connection somewhere thats cutting power to something causing the CAN to drop out - I was lucky enough to have my mechanic leave his computer diagnostic machine here it doesnt give me much insite but the main error is a CAN error so something is dropping coms.. I had the RR ABS speed sensor changed the day before this happened but im assuming this is purely coincidental .. so nothing changed .. very frustrated at the moment

 

[Old.Tony]

Definitely sounds like electrical gremlin!

We've had a couple of reports of people with intermittent (and unexplainable) problems who changed their starter battery and it resolved the issue. Battery had enough charge in it to start the car, it would erratically have too low a power to keep the ECU going so odd things happened.

You could try borrowing another starter battery (preferably a near-new one, it should have 700CCA or better).

If that resolves the issue, it'd then be prudent to check the alternator output. Some people have head bearing/pulley issues with their D40 alternators.

 

[navarad40perth]

thanks Tony.. will try that and see how we go.. will update after

 

[navarad40perth]

you wont believe this I have a r51 pathfinder that has symptoms of elctronic issues the tach jumped up 1000 RPM and wouldnt reset until I took the battery off... VDC lights on dash now surley I cant be the only bastard in Australia with a nissan doing weird electonic things... I spoke with nissan who were like talking to pieces of toast they had no idea they didnt even know the D40 went into failsafe mode when comms dropped out... seriously and this was the service manager!.. anyway some guy today told me there could be a unit inside the cluster that could be faulting im not feeling confident about that either .. I will try and find a used cluster online and try that resetting battery does nothing check voltages its fine... still in a dark hole with no light

 

[Old.Tony]

The battery might initially test fine, but it's when it's running that it's important. Check the voltage while the engine is cranking over - it shouldn't fall below 10V. If it does, there's internal cell damage and may be the cause of a myriad of unexplainable problems.

Another possibility is damage to the CAN system somewhere. Perhaps a trip through salt water (or salty water, or salted ground that's kicked up followed by a rainy day) has left something in the wiring that has either caused corrosion or made a new electrical path. Remember that salt in water is Sodium and Chlorine which ionise in solution to Na+ and Cl- and form an electrolyte (the name for a fluid that conducts electricity).

A close inspection of the IPDM/ER (box behind the battery) would be valuable, as would removing the ECU (driver's side sidewall of the engine bay, pic in my garage showing the location although I suspect you've been there before). Once removed, try cleaning the connecting fingers of both the ECU and the connecting plug with a soft white eraser if they look cleanish, or a light emery paper if they look like there's signs of water/corrosion.

The only other thing I can think of is physical damage. The CAN is just a bunch of wires and they can be crushed, overheated, bent etc. Trying to brutally force stuff through the firewall just above your accelerator is a common thing, but also carries the risk of that brutality finding some effect on the rest of the wiring in there. Needs a good looking-at, and that's where an inspection camera will help if you have access to one.

 

[cookie_86]

same issue

hi everyone. im having the exact same problems with my stepdads 2010 st-x YD25. has anyone found the solution to these problems?
very desperate as this is his income maker.
thanks

 

[Old.Tony]

To start with, check the battery's voltage in the morning before starting, and the charging voltage after starting the engine. First one should be 12.4-12.6V, second one 14.4-14.6V. This will tell you if the battery and alternator are doing the right thing. These have a major impact on the rest of the system.

Then it's probably time to start popping fuses/relays and checking contacts. There are three places in the engine bay.

1) The distribution box behind the battery
2) The distribution box beside the ABS unit (sort of between the ABS unit and the turbocharger)
3) The power management unit behind the box in 2). This last one has clips you need to hold away from the box and then lift the box out of its cradle. It's not easy, mine was stuck (had to change a headlamp fuse). You hold the tab away, lift that corner, repeat for the other 3 tabs too. Don't use excessive force on the tabs. A torch will show you how they work, don't break them.

That's a start and doesn't cost anything. A small wire brush the size of a toothbrush is very handy to give contacts a clean.

 

[cookie_86]

no worries thanks for that info.
i replaced the front hubs 2 weeks ago and tested the leads today but they're ok.
fuses are all ok as i have checked all boxs. but still wondering about some raleys.
i swapped out my cluster with his but still the same thing
it works fine for about 10km then plays up. so im also chasing earth leads.
bloody headache haha

 

[Regie]

Hi guys,

I have a D40 2008 Navara im having a strange fault please see sequence below..

Intermittently when car has been driven i attempt to start it and..

1. Cooling fan comes on ( as if engine is hot )
2. Headlights and Park lights come on ( switched off on dash )
3. Engine will not turn over
4. Windscreen wipers will not work when this is happening
5. Indicators will work externally but not on the dash..

After about 5 minutes the fan stops and the car will turn over ( but not start )

After about another 5 minutes the car starts as normal

Other issues that are happening are the dash dies whilst driving the tacho and speedo drop to zero then spring back when this happens the ABS and the Park Brake light flash on for a mili second

please help us find this issue

I have same issues seeing this is a few years old has anyone found what the issue is?

 

[Regie]

hi everyone. im having the exact same problems with my stepdads 2010 st-x YD25. has anyone found the solution to these problems?
very desperate as this is his income maker.
thanks

Did you find what was causong the issue? I have similar issues

 

[bods]

I would be looking at earths more than anything else. Make sure the ecu and bcm are earthed well. Bad earth's are very hard to diagnose, but easy to fix. Disconnect them and give the panel they attach to a good clean with a wire brush or dremel or something to get the panel back to bare metal, then coat it with protectant to stop corrosion.

 

[Regie]

I would be looking at earths more than anything else. Make sure the ecu and bcm are earthed well. Bad earth's are very hard to diagnose, but easy to fix. Disconnect them and give the panel they attach to a good clean with a wire brush or dremel or something to get the panel back to bare metal, then coat it with protectant to stop corrosion.

Yep done all you mentioned and even my auto electrician couldn't resolve the problem. Thats why I have asked the original poster how they fixed their issues.

 

[bods]

Ah right, fair enough. Not sure you'll get a reply but good luck.

 

[Regie]

Fingers crossed