Stranded! Engine Stopped Dead, No "Ignition"

Discuss (and cuss) the Nissan LD-series OHC Six diesel engine, popularly available in the US in 1981-83 Datsun/Nissan Maxima Sedans & Wagons.

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Carimbo
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Stranded! Engine Stopped Dead, No "Ignition"

#1

Post by Carimbo »

1982 diesel sedan, stalled (coincidentally?) the instant I switched on the factory radio.

Lights & horn work, and of course, "Key-is-in-the-ignition" voice will repeat forever, but turning the ignition key has almost no effect. I say almost because sometimes the Acc. position will provide 12.2VDC read from the cig. lighter. Switching to Run position and the volts fade, measured from the cig. lighter. Sometimes switching the ignition back'n'forth can get the accessory relay to (weakly?) click, but that's about it. No radio, no warning lights, chimes, or other solenoid clicks.

Battery + to ground reads 13VDC. Batt. terminals tight and clean.

Starter runs if I hotwire it.

Thought it could be the ignition switch but removing the blue connector that mates to it and jumpering the appropriate terminals also has no effect.

Good 13VDC on both sides of the 3 fusible links, and the connections on the bottom side of the terminal appear sound.

Fuses in the fuse panel are good.

My hunch is that there is a problem in the wires from the ign. switch to the relays, or a faulty relay that is sapping power.

Is there an organized way I can test, or workaround temporarily? Didn't see anything appropriate to this situation in the FSM.

Thanks,
glenlloyd
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Location: Des Moines, Iowa

#2

Post by glenlloyd »

If you can hotwire the starter and get it to crank the engine then all you should have to do is provide plus current to the pump stop solenoid. That should enable you to run the engine. I don't recall what the connector on the stop solenoid is in this cas but it might be a spade terminal or a threaded stud...don't know.

This is simply off the top of my head but it seems to me that this should get you home if you're stranded. I wouldn't drive this way for long however. Also, to shut the car down you have to pull the jumper to the stop solenoid.

Sorta sounds like my Dodge van last summer when the pot metal tang inside the ignition switch broke off and it wouldn't physically pull the switch into the start position. I could sometimes get it into the ON position where dash lights came on but no further.

Sorry to hear about your dilema, and good luck!

steve a
97 Jetta TDI, 86 VW Golf D
89 VW Fox diesel, 92 MB 300SD W140

gir - won't the sploding hurt?
zim - silence!
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asavage
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Re: Stranded! Engine Stopped Dead, No "Ignition"

#3

Post by asavage »

Carimbo wrote:Thought it could be the ignition switch but removing the blue connector that mates to it and jumpering the appropriate terminals also has no effect.

Good 13VDC on both sides of the 3 fusible links, and the connections on the bottom side of the terminal appear sound.

My hunch is that there is a problem in the wires from the ign. switch to the relays, or a faulty relay that is sapping power.
Unscrew the lower plastic housing around the Ign switch.

Check the voltage at the white wire on the back of the Ign switch, with the harness plugged in to the switch and the switch in the "ON" position. You can use a straightened paper clip to probe the back of the connector. With the key "OFF", you'll see battery voltage (usually) but I'll bet that with the key "ON", it'll be a lot lower. If so, you have the same problem I had in this post: insufficient power to the switch, due to a break in the main wiring harness.
Last edited by asavage 18 years ago, edited 3 times in total.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
Carimbo
Posts: 467
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Re: Stranded! Engine Stopped Dead, No "Ignition"

#4

Post by Carimbo »

asavage wrote:Check the voltage at the white wire on the back of the Ign switch, with the harness plugged in to the switch and the switch in the "ON" position. You can use a straightened paper clip to probe the back of the connector. With the key "OFF", you'll see battery voltage (usually) but I'll bet that with the key "ON", it'll be a lot lower. If so, you have the same problem I had in this post: insufficient power to the switch.
BINGO! Thank you, it was an easy check, and temp. fix (till the weather and time constraints are more favorable) was to run a wire thru the firewall from that supply terminal on the ign. switch connector to the fused side of the center terminal on the triple fusible link capsule.

Most likely a symptom of corroded wiring in the wireloom near the same position you found. Looked like just in front of the brake hydraulic manifold block? Trying to get an educated guess as to where to cut into it.
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asavage
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#5

Post by asavage »

Yeah, you need to cut the top of the main harness from just behind the fuel filter area to the branch that goes up to the relays & fusilble links, about 8" total. Use a sharp utility knife and just split the top of the harness. You have to unbolt the fuel filter and bailing-wire it toward the engine (leaving its hoses connected). At least I did. You really need to split the entire harness top, because you can't dig around in there with only a 3" hole. And unless you're a better person than I, you can't solder the three wires well down there. For one thing, you'll find that the wires themselves are corroded a couple of inches up, so you'll be pruning them back. I put in about 14" of extra 12ga wire, and tackled the repair that way, then folded the excess back into the loom when I zip-tied the loom back over the wires.

After soldering, I used silicone sealant over the soldered junction, then shrink-wrapped over that. Messy but waterproof.

Warning: your workaround may work now, but that connection that dies in the harness also feeds power to the starter relay, and at some point the key will still turn on the glow & dash lights, but won't operate the starter. At that point, another workaround would be to run a wire from the center fusible link to the back of the starter relay, but by the time you've done that you may as well have just repaired the broken junction in the harness.

[edit: Duh! You already did this feed wire to starter relay last summer.]

Knowing where to cut and repair is the hard work, the actual repair isn't that bad. Unless you haven't taken your car to a car wash recently -- I keep my engine bays pretty clean, and that's an easy area of the bay to wash at a do-it-yourself car wash, prior to working on it. Just don't get carried away at directing pressurized water at the underside of the relays panel.

Any grease/dirt you remove via the car wash or other method, is grease/dirt you won't be wearing and trying to get out of your clothing when you do the repair..

I wonder how many of the dead diesel Maximas in junkyards are there because of shredded IP belts and this corroded wire harness junction?
Last edited by asavage 18 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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asavage
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#6

Post by asavage »

This post was moved to this new thread, to facilitate linking to the FAQ.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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