My '86 Nissan Laurel LD28

#46

Well it's been a long time since my last post here.
This summer I wanted to replace the car due to very high taxes ( around 900$ per year) which is very much compared to the salaries here ( about 400$ per month).

But I couldn't find any good replacement for the car, and I have to admit that I'm very attached to it ( love the ride, reliability).

So I decided to take the car back after sitting 4 months in the garage.
I only have to change the tie rod ends ( I still have the original ones on the car) and change the front strut bearings ( I've been able to buy only the bearings, no. 6302, just like the one from the PS pump pulley).

I have one question. My rear window defroster doesn't work. When I press the switch the light comes on in the dash, I have power at the rear window (checked with a 12v bulb).
I wonder, should there be some kind of relay for the defroster?

#47

The rear defroster is a set of heat wires running across the window on the inside? Can't remember if you have a station wagon or what. Anyway, if you have the heat wires, check for any tiny breaks or cuts which would prevent the current from flowing. Especially where the wires are connected to the car voltage at the edge of the window. If there are breaks, there may or may not be a fix. I've heard of conductive paints which you can paint on to the connect circuits, but don't know if it would carry the amount of current needed for your defroster. There also may be stick-on foil to bridge gaps.

I've never heard of an easy sure way to fix this type of defroster. Sorry.

Rufus

#48

Yes, I have those heat wires across the window, inside. I have the sedan.
There doesn't seem to be any breaks but I will look more carefully.
Yeah, I've heard that is not very simple to fix this kind of problem...

I asked about the relay because I heard that on most cars, when I press the defrost button there should be a click coming from it. But in my case there's no click, but the light in the dash comes on...

I will investigate this a bit more.

#49

> click..

I don't get a click and mine works (wagon). You might be able to test the voltage _on_ one of the pads on the window where the defroster connects to the wiring. IIRC there are larger areas of conductive foil near the "beginning" and the "end" of the defroster where you can check voltage with a sharp probe by gently touching the foil pad with the sharp tip w/out risking damaging one of the tiny wires. The ground for the test meter must be assured, of course. That is assuming you get good voltage when testing the car wiring back at the window...

Rufus

#50

defrost-
on the R31 skyline sister car to the C32 laurel
there is no relay.simple switch with a tell-tail light on the dash tee into the rear power supply wire.

common fault is melted conectors and poor earth

with a small test light you can check across the rear wiindow.no need too scratch into the paint.

conductive paint is easy to buy.pepair kit[liquid paint] are made in many colours.ford product in australia is the same colour and easy to buy.

#51

Thanks Dave, I've been waiting for an answer from you too

I really appreciate all your help.

That grounding thing would be my guess, since the defrosting is not working at all. On my other car, I have a lot of broken lines on the rear windows but a few of them are still working. So I kinda get a half defrosted window:)
Probably it should act the same on the Nissan.

However, I will come back with news after my investigation.

#52

Well, I had no luck solving the defrosting issue, I checked the cables and there seems to be ok ( power coming on one side and earth on the other side).

But lately I have an annoying problem with the multifunction switch: with the lowbeam on, moving the stick up for the signal light (right) makes the highbeam to come on on the right side. I hope this is somehow related to the problem found on the Maxima.

#53

I think our host Al may have posted about that switch and included pictures. Might try "multi function" or something like that and sift through the hits.

Rufus

#54

C32-R31-Z31-D12-patrol etc 1984-1992 ish.similar switchs.my skyline patrol D21 has square lever i think laurel is round like silvia.

ive had problems with some cars having non standard wiring-pop up headlight on silvia have extra switch contact for the lid motor control that on others is used with cruise control circuit.

headlight switch contacts is in the section thats bolted to the steering.

headlight section is seporate to wiper switch unlike the early 80'S nissan.
if you are carfull-little heat-the switch can be pulled apart. and repaired if you have others to use as parts.

early 90's switches also use some common parts just the plugs and the shape of the lever are different.

headlight hi-low beam are switched be 4 contacts in the multifunction switch.these dont last forever as the current is too much and plastic bits get worn stopping contacts from opening.best to replace with changeover relays at the lights and use the swicth to operate the low volt relay circuit.

my auto light R31 skyline has 6 relay system but also runs power through the switch.designed by work experience aprentice.euro cars have auto lights and daylight running lights.these are also operate in a silly method.

#55

Thanks for the info Dave.
I have another multifunction switch from a C31 Laurel. It looks the same but it has a different connector. But probably I can use it for parts.

#56

Well, the procedure's likely detailed in the FSM - a good investment for any car and especially one 25+ years old. Mines out in the car out in the 10F. night at the moment but when I go out again in a day or two I'll take a look. Seems I did that already. IIRC you loosen up the running light bezels and then remove the front fascia around the head light. One of the screws is pretty hard to see and needs a long phillips screw driver to be forced by the edge to reach it; it's where you think it ought to be but you have force the driver in to get to it. A good halogen flashlight helps to see in those crevices and crannys.

Rufus

#57

I'm coming back with a problem I also had last winter. It's about a sound coming from the engine, I really don't know how to describe it.
It usually happens with the engine still cold,under load, but a few times it happened with the engine warmed up.
I managed to reproduce the sound once while under the bonnet and the sound seems to be coming from the top of the engine, I can hear it through the rocker cover near the radiator.
I don't know if it's an injector knock. I started the engine earlier and it's very cold here now, about -15 degrees Celsius ( 5 degrees Fahrenheit).
It started pretty good but there was large amount of white smoke for ~1 minute, smelling like unburnt fuel.

I recorded a video, I hope it can be helpful. If you have any ideas, please let me know.
Thank you in advance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzeiP6JXCU8

#58

I'm not sure but I think I have a problem with the CSD. On cold starts ( especially below 0 degrees Celsius) I have feeling that the engine revs a bit too high. It's between 1400 and 1600 rpm on the tach and it takes like 2 minutes to settle down to 1000. In the past it never used to go above 1200 rpm, I noticed this new behavior this winter.

I understood that CSD also advances the timing. It this true? Also, is there some kind of water temp sensor to tell the CSD how much to rev the engine?

Does somebody know more about this?

#59

kossak wrote:I'm not sure but I think I have a problem with the CSD. On cold starts ( especially below 0 degrees Celsius) I have feeling that the engine revs a bit too high. It's between 1400 and 1600 rpm on the tach . . .

That does seem like quite a bit too much.

I understood that CSD also advances the timing. It this true?

Yes. It advances the timing, but only for the low RPM range. See this post for a lot of generic technical information from Bosch on the CSD. The thread is in the SD forum, but the VE IPs are all very similar.

Also, is there some kind of water temp sensor to tell the CSD how much to rev the engine?

Well, sorta.
It's a mechanical wax pellet, exactly like the thermostat for the cooling system. It's not a sophisticated mechanism. It *is* adjustable, but you aren't supposed to ever have to adjust it.

#60

Thanks for the info Al.

I'm trying to find a connection between this possible CSD issue and the strange knocking/popping sound that comes from the engine sometimes.

My guess is that maybe the CSD sometimes gets stuck and causes that popping sound because of the advanced timing. I don't know if this is possible, it's just an uneducated guess.

I'm thinking if there's a possibility to temporary disable the CSD to do some testing.

What is worrying me is that there's an obvious difference in the way the engine sounds on hot days and cold days ( even with the engine fully warmed).

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