Nissan XTerra Forum banner

Power problem on first gen UPDATE 3/13/23

3K views 23 replies 5 participants last post by  Satito 
I can offer something better than that, and it's free! Download the FSMs for your model year and you'll get not only the wiring diagrams, but all the other stuff you need to know as well.


Oh, and congratulations on the new-to-you rig, and kudos on keeping up on the maintenance!
 
In simple terms, you turn the key, then the PNP (park/neutral position) relay passes the power to the starter solenoid, which spins it up.

On vehicles with SECU (smart entrance control unit), there is an additional relay that can allow or prevent the engine from starting. It does this by disabling the PNP.

The only wires you need to worry about take a fairly straight path to the starter.

On my 2004 V6 non-SC VG33E the wiring may be different, so please compare what follows with the diagram for your vehicle.

The first wire is the obvious battery cable.
Second is the Black/Red wire from the PNP to the solenoid. If you energize this wire, the starter should spin.
Third is the Black/Yellow wire from the key to the PNP. If the PNP is energized, it passes power out to the B/R wire above.

There is a 40A fuse that feeds the key, a 10A fuse for the PNP, and another 10A fuse for the SECU (if equipped).

You also want to be sure that your grounds are clean and tight, as always.

Here's a handy chart of the wire colors used by Nissan.
 
Satito, you are a saint. To remove a potential point of failure I removed the quick connects and replaced them with basic tinned copper terminals. Inside of the insulation on the negative cable itself there is quite a bit of green powdery corrosion that appears to run its entirety. While it doesn’t appear to be preventing a decent connection at either the terminal or the body I have some extra battery cable/lugs lying around so I may just make a new negative.
I haven’t watched that video yet, however I was just out at the car pulling the center console plastics off to get ready to dig into it and when I went to pull the carpet out of my way from up under both the driver and passenger side foot wells (whatever that area is actually called) both sides had a surprisingly decent amount of moisture on both the carpet and the padding underneath it. I’m guessing that wherever the hell that water came from it is likely the cause of my problem?
That cable is the poster child for needing to be replaced!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top