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Car Forum / Nissan / Nissan Maxima / April 2004

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Dim Clock Fix

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Bill G - 09 Apr 2004 05:51 GMT
As many of you have experienced, I too had a dim clock
on my 3rd Gen Max. I got several tips, and a few links to
sites to show me how to replace the capacitors.

But, it turns out the connector into the back of the clock
wasn't making good contact. All I had to do was
connect/disconnect it 6 or 8 times, and now the clock is as
bright as it should be. All the caps looked fine, so I left
them alone.

At least I got some practice taking the dashboard apart. It
needed a good cleaning anyway.

Bill G
'91 SE Auto
164K miles
BeeP - 10 Apr 2004 15:52 GMT
Hey Bill G, After all that work, don't you wish there was something
really wrong !?
I did that job and found cold solder joints, which were the problem -
easy fix per the websites.  Then went to the junkyard and pulled an
extra clock just in case for the future, never needed it.  The solder
joint thing was intermittent for a long time, then the clock went
dark.
My conclusion was the assembly line started with the clock, and then
they added all the necessary stuff around it to complete the car!
Good luck. (Had my 3rd Gen 167K miles, the body rusted out.)
Bob
95 SE Auto
89 SE Auto traded

> As many of you have experienced, I too had a dim clock
> on my 3rd Gen Max. I got several tips, and a few links to
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> '91 SE Auto
> 164K miles
Mikey - 13 Apr 2004 18:55 GMT
On Fri, 09 Apr 2004 00:51:33 -0400, "Bill G"

>At least I got some practice taking the dashboard apart.

How do you take it apart?
David Geesaman - 13 Apr 2004 19:40 GMT
Carefully.  There is a car stereo website that has a nice write-up on the
4th gen.
0) Disconnect the battery, and anti-theft code on your stereo if you have
one.
1) Pull the top panel (center vents & clock).  You can get a start by
inserting a flat screwdriver and prying the lower (closer) half away from
the dash to unclip the lower clips on each side.  Then pull it straight away
and slightly downward and it will undo the clips on top around the vents.
They are pretty stout, so be careful.
2) Pry up the shifter surround panel in the rear, carefully.  There is a
clip at each rear corner that unclip by pulling straight up.  Then lift the
rear half, and pull down/back from the dash to separate the top clips.
Unplug the lighter.  On my 5 speed, the shifter boot prevents you from
removing this panel, so I wrap it in a towel and maneuver it out of the way.
3) Undo the screw holding the left side of the ashtray, and pull it straight
back (there is a clip holding the right side).  Unplug the light and set it
aside.
4) Undo the 4 screws holding the DIN rack (2 top, 2 bottom).  Lift the rack
straight back, and pay attention to the plugs in back.

I've done it several times, and I have some suggestions.
- Use duct tape to cover the vinyl immediately surrounding the dash parts.
When you remove them, they will still have wires connected, and sharp
sheetmetal clips and frames.  The duct tape will save you from gouging your
dash as you undo the plugs.  Also having hand towels on hand helps because
you can slide the towel behind the newly pulled panel or wrap it up to cover
the sharp edges if the panel isn't worth fully unplugging.
- Use a flat prying tool with dull edges so you don't leave marks in the gap
around the panel.
- Always pull in the correct direction to pop the clips.  If you twist or
pull any of the clips funny you may break the clip, and you'll have a
squeaky dash for life.  My dash has no squeaks (fingers crossed) and it
probably won't if I don't break any clips.  If you have a digicam, take
pictures of the clips on each part so you can refresh your memory next time
you take the dash apart.

Dave

> On Fri, 09 Apr 2004 00:51:33 -0400, "Bill G"
>
> >At least I got some practice taking the dashboard apart.
>
> How do you take it apart?
David Geesaman - 13 Apr 2004 20:12 GMT
I dug through to find the original poster has a 3rd gen.  Oh well.

Dave

> Carefully.  There is a car stereo website that has a nice write-up on the
> 4th gen.
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
> >
> > How do you take it apart?
Bill G - 16 Apr 2004 04:26 GMT
I used the info on these pages.

http://www.4dsc.com/articles/interior/index.shtml

Bill G
'91 SE Auto
164K miles
 
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