I'm hoping to find some advice on an electrical issue. I've had a few gremlins in the system for a while and they started at the same time as this buzzing noise. So today I tracked it down to the footwell next to the fuse box.... see here: https://youtu.be/Fb2DyJeQffA I believe this plug is the ignition relay? Can someone confirm? Does anyone know what I need to do to fix this? ust a quick footnote to this thread.....not sure of it's relevance if any. I noticed that the buzzing doesn't start immediately. Car needs to be running for a minute or two before it starts happening. Also have some dash lights flickering on and off when I rev the engine, and when it drops to idle again they fade out again. [yt]Fb2DyJeQffA[/yt]
Thats what the gremlins sound like! Hey Briz F....a...r....k............Mate! That's the sound an actual gremlin makes! Do you have a consult connector plugged in? What dash lights specifically come on? (or is it all of them?) Its an easy connector to remove, so the first thing to do is to remove the connector and spray with electrical contact cleaner and reseat it. Whilst I think the problem is downstream it will only take a minute and should be the first step (if you haven't already) Whilst your there - there should be a number near the connector or plug that will confirm its identity. I can't seem to find the colour codes for the wiring colours to confirm my suspicions, so won't say anything yet in order to prevent any confusion and will look later when I have more time. (do you know where the colour codes are for the FSM - ) Experience tells me that the sound is from a resistance problem downstream of that connector, but its always prudent to check the actual connector first and reseat it. Cheers JC
LOL....yeah he's a nasty little one as far as gremlins go!. I'll have a look for that number tomorrow. But just to update, I have removed the plug and the terminals all look clean etc. When it is making the noise you can feel the vibration through the connector.......what's immediately behind the connector? Also I do have ECUtalk in the car so the the consult plug is being used. No error codes showing up though. Actually the DET sensor error code was showing but I've bypassed it now and it's cleared.
Remove the trim panel & remove the mounting bolts securing the fuse panel, you'll find relays in there. If you can identify the colours of the wires in the plug, then you'll have a better chance of identifying the circuit & what they are attached to on a diagram.
Its not the connector you hear the nosie from! Been thinking about your issue - if there's a person who I have ever wanted to help - its you! You have had nothing but gremlins with your Z I can not confirm that the connector is to the ignition relay (in the stupid electrical section of the FSM) but I think your right........(would be great to get it confirmed though) These issues are confusing at best, so I will not try to add to your confusion but try to explain some things to clear any confusion When I said resistance issue I wasn't referring to wiring resistance but a device resistance issue at the end of the wiring. Think of it like this - You have a hose near running water with a funnel at the end which amplifies the sound of water so you hear it clearly even though its far away. When a device like a relay is playing up or has an issue from something involving resistance, the resonating sound can travel along the wiring and is amplified at the connector and this is the noise you are hearing which strangely sounds like it is coming from the connector itself, but it is not. The ignition relay coil will be somewhere somehow connected to the alternator itself (without looking at the FSM for an hour to confirm - lol) The sound you hear is almost certainly related to the alternator (via the relay but definitely related to the alternator even if only through some wiring from it) and so your first quick pinpoint tests should be the following since they are easy! 1. I was asking about the consult plug - not for codes - but because it can also be the problem if there is an issue with it or the connector! Remove the consult connector plug first and see if the issue goes away. Leave it out whilst you do the following tests as well! 2. Check your alternator belt to make sure its not loose and as per the FSM's specs (10kg with X deflection). It may be slipping at lower RPM and this would explain the dash lights. It may be loose enough to slip but still tight enough to get some charge at a higher RPM, the relay is then getting some power but not enough and switching takes place continuously or relays the pulse current which your then hearing at the end of the wiring at the connector. (the signal will be pulsed as the Alternator sends a pulse signal whether AC or DC and if you think your confused - then imagine what your ECU thinks! Hence this is the official noise of what a Gremlin sounds like when at work 3. The next easy quick pinpoint test step is to replace the relay with the same type from a different location - then check to see if the noise is present or that the items you changed the relay with that you replaced are still working fine. Hope this is not confusing to you, in an otherwise confusing situation. There are more in depth tests such as checking noise suppressors but these ones are easy and will take only a few minutes. Not the definitive answer we are looking for (confirmation of the connector) but I hope this helps in someway. Wish you were near Coffs! We would get this all sorted once and for all! Good luck with the tests - hoping we get somewhere with the above! Regards JC :zlove::zlove::zlove:
Could it be your 'bulb check relay' I did a bit of a search of old posts and found this; As I originally suspected it was a faulty relay causing the buzz noise from under the dash. The specific relay in this case plugs into the back of the fuse block near the accelerator pedal and is called the "bulb check relay" it powers the "stop and tail" check light on the dash. The only clue that led me to this relay was that sometimes the "stop and tail" check light would flicker when the buzz noise started. Wiring diagrams and locations of the bulb check relay for a 2+0 can be found on pages EL-45, EL-46, EL-145, EL-158 and EL-159 of the maintenance manual. There are six relays that plug into the back of the fuse block. The bulb check relay is located on the top row and closest to the back of the car on a RHD vehicle (the maintenance manual is for a LHD vehicle in my case). This is a difficult relay to change and requires that the accelerator pedal is partly removed so you can partly remove the fuse block and most of its plugs. The bulb check relay can be removed buy firmly pulling it out, there are no clips holding it in. It is smaller than any other relays I have seen on the zed and has no part number on it. After doing a bit of research I have decided to leave the bulb check relay out. I also believe it was causing extra electrical load during failure as the alternator belt would sometimes slip a little when the buzz stopped (this might have been an effect rather than a cause of the belt slip). One guy on TT net blamed a whole range of problems on a faulty bulb check relay including: HICAS, brake, and the 'tail light out' warning lights randomly lighting up. Idle problem - high idle coming to a stop with a slow settle A/C - compressor clutch not working normally Warm start problem Safety boost - car stuck in safety boost HICAS - not working properly http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300z...---solved.html (http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300...ilight-bulb-warning-dash-lights---solved.html) Hope that helps, certainly looked to be in exactly the spot you were pointing to in the clip. Cheers, Andy.
Now it all makes sense! That's very insightful "Handy" Andy! You must be on a different year FSM to me as the numbers don't match mine. I think your right in that it is a "relay" and "alternator signal" related as per my previous post but it doesn't match up with the connector Briz is talking about. But looking at the schematics - I note the bulb check relay is also in the direct line charging system circuit off the alternator and that resonating alternator signal is strong rather than off a back signal of the alternator such as the ignition coil relay which is the connector he is pointing to. (M82 to E110 etc.) So what this means Brisz in simple terms (if you put the two together) - and why its so confusing to me also in the block schematics (nothing is matching up such as M82 or E110 or the colour and quantities of wiring), is because it may sound like the signal is coming from the connector but its actually not - the relay behind the block is so close your just feeling the vibration and noise from it but its actually a relay nearby that's a problem - or a problem downstream from that relay (hopefully not) and nothing to do with that connector. So disregard my first post and head straight to the relay as Andy suggests - as it all makes electrical sense now and why that connector has been hard to confirm in any page in the FSM Normally it will be a relay with this issue (one or two pins are worn), but it can be downstream of this also, in the form of one of the wires having an issue. This would explain why Andy was getting current draw before and removed it (his issue was with the wiring to the relay and not actual the relay itself - remember this is in the direct charging system circuit). I myself tend to fix any issues and keep all relays - but that side is your call. I suggest testing the relay with a multimeter or another relay of the same type and if your problem is fixed - keep it that way, if not you will then need to decide which wire is at fault to that relay ( you can test there as per the FSM with a multi meter to find which wire specifically - if its not the relay itself) or remove the bulb check relay altogether (and have no bulb check) Sorry for the bum steer Briz - you had me concentrating on the connector since you said the noise come from there (even though it wasn't making sense - lol) :bash: :rofl: Well done Andy - I think you just solved this relay gremlin or at least got him to the wire gremlin problem, saving lots of time. Happy days are coming briz......:zlove: Regards all JC The connector is the M82
quick question: what causes a relay to "buzz" A electromechanical device, under normal circumstances energises and closes contacts till the coil energy is turned off. The buzzing would be a rapid on/off. Replacing the relay with a good working one from another car would be a way to eliminate the relay as being faulty. If this does not work then tracing the wiring circuits attached of the "faulty" relay to the attached components. The other guys are probably more helpful than I could be.
That's great info Andy, thank you very much. I've had a closer look and no longer think it has anything to do with the connector (as JC mentioned I think the vibrations are just being transmitted through that plug because its at the top and most likely closest to the dodgey relay. Next job is to remove that fuse panel and get that relay out. Now that I think about it, it was the same time this problem started I also had to adjust my idle as it started stalling when coming down from revs. Hopefully this will fix a few issues at once. Here is a short video of my lights going on and off. It accurs with revs and sometimes (strangely) with turning the steering wheel... [yt]9hWmNO6WHMk[/yt]
Getting there....! After an extended gymnastics workout I managed to free up the fuse panel/board enough to get in behind it. Had to remove the accelerator pedal and unplug all of the looms entering the panel before I could twist it enough to get a look behind. I could then just get a screw driver in there and lever off the closest relay to the "buzzing connector". After getting it all back together I can report a win,.....and a couple of losses. So there is a massive difference in the cars performance. Seem this issue must have been causing multiple issues. It now idles better and pulls off the line much stronger. Previously I had to slightly feather the throttle and make sure revs were strong otherwise it would stall. Now it just pulls smoothly away. Also boost is back?!?! Bit of a slippery road today but easily broke traction in third gear (never could have happened before and caught me by surprise a bit). No buzzing. No flickering dash lights. No indicators..... No boost gauge..... So now I just have to recover the losses Here is the relay I removed.
Final post - Solution found! Ok to finish off this thread with a happy note....problem found and fixed. The "bulb check relay" was NOT the problem. For anyone in the future that has this problem I'm going to post up a summary of the symptoms as they were many and varied!. Symptoms: ? A loud buzz coming from the relays behind the fusebox at the driver's feet (bulb check relay). Fades in with revs. Noise only happens between 1k and 2.5k rpm. ? HICAS dash warning light on, and one other next to it. ? AC compressor won?t come on. ? Performance issues ? very low on power. ? Stock boost gauge not working properly. ? Idling issues (as if idle control unit wasn't working to catch idle drop). This problem evolved over time. Started with warning lights fading in and out but at the end they were just staying on. Buzzing from relay also stopped after a while. Boost gauge worked intermittently for a while and eventually stop working completely. Related video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb2DyJeQffA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hWmNO6WHMk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jMqh-OHnSI Solution: Believe it or not this turned out to be a single fuse (10A)! It's called the "Ignition Engine Cont" fuse and is found in the engine bay. See here: https://goo.gl/photos/jU2pvBKVKx3iyWP79 Once we replaced this fuse all of the above issues were immediately resolved.
Well done ABZ. I wondered for a long while how you got on with that. I have that photo tagged and saved for future reference
