New 240sx, faulty wiring strikes again - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

AceEaston · 08-11-2010, 09:22 AM

Hello,

I recently purchased another Nissan 240sx and like most I see somewhere along the line some douche bag decided it would be a good idea to wire up a system and fuck everything up electrically. Well, when I first bought the car it needed an alternator fuse. The previous owner thought it was the alternator but I knew it was the fuse from how he described it, sure enough that fuse started the car.

Since then the car won't start unless you press the clutch switch and repeatedly turn the key until it cranks which becomes very tiring or you pop the clutch which is much easier obviously. The car has a brand new starter and I tested it, it's good. A friend of mine had this EXACT same issue; one day, he went through some stray wires from an old system they had hooked up. He disconnected a stray wire from his battery terminal and just like that the car fired up every time and no longer had the issue. I've searched for stray wires myself and can't find anything that would prevent the car from starting.

Yesterday I went around the corner to put some gas in the car. When I walked out of the gas station I smelled something burning and noticed traces of smoke coming from under the hood. I immediately popped the hood and to my surprise a small flame had combusted via some wires located by my factory air intake. I immediately put the fire out and discovered there was no damage done other than the ends of the wires being fried and a small trace of melted plastic (harmless) by my heatshield. At any rate I was reluctant to start the car so I rolled it downhill and coasted most of the way home, popped the clutch and drove it uphill to my house and parked it, checked the wires, they seemed fine.

Today I was going to get the car looked at. I put some electrical tape around the burnt wires to ensure they wouldn't short out again. I rolled it downhill, same as always, went to pop the clutch and failed three times. I got to the bottom of the hill and said "fuck it" and parked the car in a safe place next to the curb. I hooked up jumper cables to ensure it wasn't the battery (the hot sun was messing with my thinking a bit, of course it wasn't battery related). I got the car to turn over once but it wouldn't crank, and giving it gas did nothing.

If anyone can provide ANY feedback on this I'd appreciate it very much as it is a dream car and I don't want to see it go up in flames. Can send pics upon request.

Thanks.

japslapsilvia · 08-11-2010, 09:42 AM

from what u describe about not cranking, i would check the clutch interlock relay..as for the fire what wires were burnt?

also what motor is in the car?

AceEaston · 08-11-2010, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by japslapsilvia

from what u describe about not cranking, i would check the clutch interlock relay..as for the fire what wires were burnt?

also what motor is in the car?

I'll run outside and take a picture of them, I'll admit I don't know what wires they are exactly. The car is a 1992 240sx (non-hatch) the engine is from a 1996 and is a KA24-DE with around 65k miles on it.

AceEaston · 08-11-2010, 10:02 AM

Alright, in picture A. you see the engine bay. Circled in yellow/green you see the general area the wires are located. In picture B. the wires themselves are circled in yellow. These are the wires that shorted out and combusted. The blue circle represents small traces of residue that was burned as a result of the combustion. The final picture (picture C.) represents an up-close image of the wires themselves.

A.

AceEaston · 08-11-2010, 10:10 AM

B.

C.

AceEaston · 08-11-2010, 10:33 AM

Any additional help would be greatly appreciated.

08-11-2010, 09:22 AM	#1
AceEaston Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Augusta, GA Posts: 7 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	New 240sx, faulty wiring strikes again Hello, I recently purchased another Nissan 240sx and like most I see somewhere along the line some douche bag decided it would be a good idea to wire up a system and fuck everything up electrically. Well, when I first bought the car it needed an alternator fuse. The previous owner thought it was the alternator but I knew it was the fuse from how he described it, sure enough that fuse started the car. Since then the car won't start unless you press the clutch switch and repeatedly turn the key until it cranks which becomes very tiring or you pop the clutch which is much easier obviously. The car has a brand new starter and I tested it, it's good. A friend of mine had this EXACT same issue; one day, he went through some stray wires from an old system they had hooked up. He disconnected a stray wire from his battery terminal and just like that the car fired up every time and no longer had the issue. I've searched for stray wires myself and can't find anything that would prevent the car from starting. Yesterday I went around the corner to put some gas in the car. When I walked out of the gas station I smelled something burning and noticed traces of smoke coming from under the hood. I immediately popped the hood and to my surprise a small flame had combusted via some wires located by my factory air intake. I immediately put the fire out and discovered there was no damage done other than the ends of the wires being fried and a small trace of melted plastic (harmless) by my heatshield. At any rate I was reluctant to start the car so I rolled it downhill and coasted most of the way home, popped the clutch and drove it uphill to my house and parked it, checked the wires, they seemed fine. Today I was going to get the car looked at. I put some electrical tape around the burnt wires to ensure they wouldn't short out again. I rolled it downhill, same as always, went to pop the clutch and failed three times. I got to the bottom of the hill and said "fuck it" and parked the car in a safe place next to the curb. I hooked up jumper cables to ensure it wasn't the battery (the hot sun was messing with my thinking a bit, of course it wasn't battery related). I got the car to turn over once but it wouldn't crank, and giving it gas did nothing. If anyone can provide ANY feedback on this I'd appreciate it very much as it is a dream car and I don't want to see it go up in flames. Can send pics upon request. Thanks.

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08-11-2010, 10:02 AM	#4
AceEaston Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Augusta, GA Posts: 7 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Alright, in picture A. you see the engine bay. Circled in yellow/green you see the general area the wires are located. In picture B. the wires themselves are circled in yellow. These are the wires that shorted out and combusted. The blue circle represents small traces of residue that was burned as a result of the combustion. The final picture (picture C.) represents an up-close image of the wires themselves. A.

08-11-2010, 10:10 AM	#5
AceEaston Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Augusta, GA Posts: 7 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	B. C.

08-11-2010, 10:33 AM	#6
AceEaston Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Augusta, GA Posts: 7 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Any additional help would be greatly appreciated.