Hey all, joined last week, but now my week old 2000 xterra is dead in my driveway. Couple other posts on the site like this, but no one ever posted a solution. Anyone have an idea?

My xterra, had it warming up in the morning, shut it off since I was running behind. Went back out and nothing, no clicks, droans, nothing, not even dash lights (scangauge turns on, but stalls at connecting... screen). All I get is the door ajar beep and interior lighting, no radio, no headlights, no start. Thought maybe alarm malfunction, hotwired to bypass, nothing...then fuses...all good under hood and inside, then thought starter or alt was bad, pulled both, starter tested bad, replaced. Still no start. Maybe battery?..Nope that was good. Thought maybe wires...replaced negative wire and positive to starter this evening. Still nothing. Anything else I'm missing or at this point start pulling switches and see if they melted or is this going to be a dead ECU or?

Ugh and Thanks,

On the bright side....new shrock sliders, new tail-light guards, neoprene seat covers and cargo protector look great sitting there.

this happened to my 89 civic long ago, i just changed out the main fuse and it worked fine. i've heard you gotta change out the main relay as well. i dont know about the xterra's though might be the same thing, just look.

Are there fuseable links on the 1st gen X's at the battery? I'd just start there with a computer safe test light and work your way back. That's the only common link to all those things that are dead that I can think of, because all those things you mentioned are on different circuits.

thanks for the replies thus far...I could always use more ideas though so keep them coming! One other weird quirk, if I turn the headlight switch on I get no headlights, but I do get all the dash lights (non responsive of course).

Do you have power to the fuse box?

punch the gear shift forward.

I know this doesn't explain the no headlights thing but...

Neutral safety switch problem?

My Maxima does that sometimes - just wiggle the shifter and it will start right up.

Dunno if you have automatic though.

Could it have anything to do with the chips in the ignition key?
If for some reason the chip was damaged would the X still crank or does the computer shut everything down?
You certainly hit all the major points I would have thought to check aside from the horrible thought of the main computer going kaput.

Weird but i was goin to say battery terminals are loose or all gunked up.

Could it have anything to do with the chips in the ignition key?
If for some reason the chip was damaged would the X still crank or does the computer shut everything down?
You certainly hit all the major points I would have thought to check aside from the horrible thought of the main computer going kaput.

1st gens don't have chipped keys.

My first thought would be ignition switch, but that doesn't explain why the headlights don't work or if you hot wired it and still doesn't work.

I would agree with Creepy on the fusible link IF the xterra has one. I fried mine on my blazer and it wouldn't start for nothing but the interior lights worked oddly enough. A cheap $5 fix for the new link but a PITA to change on the blazer.

any news on this problem yet? (from the owner)

After two and a half days of playing and getting bloody, the X is ALIVE!!! A guy can't say the car is his until he bleeds undernear when tearing stuff apart right? Anyways, it looks like sometime after I checked the first round and putting in the starter the ignition fusible link blew (little 40A one). Got that replaced and the X started right up. It did spit out 4 different codes, but I imagine that is the computer resetting itself.


THANKS EVERYONE!

NICE!! Congrats!

Awesome man! That's great news!

[QUOTE=Destro;99785]1st gens don't have chipped keys.[QUOTE]

some do, and some don't

so you think it was just that fuse that was busted?

And not to hijack his thread, but I would certainly bet that the First gen S/C ones have chips in them.

Good, I'm glad you're up and running again.

I'll gladly let you hijack, since the car is running again :) For my fix, I think the solenoid on the starter went bad and must have blown the fusable link at the same time (when I checked it first, it was severely oxidized and I cleaned it) and then when I hooked up the new starter, the fuse must have finished itself off. I probably pissed off the neighborhood too, this morning, when I replaced the fuse, because as soon as I did, the alarm went off (since the car was hotwired still) and kept going off until I fixed the ignition and alarm wires.

And not to hijack his thread, but I would certainly bet that the First gen S/C ones have chips in them.


I wouldn't make that bet. There is no rhyme or reason for X's that do or do not. My buddy's S/C did not have a chip.

To the OP, I am glad that you got it running again!

I wouldn't make that bet. There is no rhyme or reason for X's that do or do not. My buddy's S/C did not have a chip.

To the OP, I am glad that you got it running again!


HIJACK!!!

I belive only the canadian models came with chipped keys as far as first gens go.