99 Altima, running lights stuck on

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JM - 13 Nov 2006 23:03 GMT

Hi all,

I've got a 99 Altima with a strange problem. The running lights suddenly
are lit dimly when I have them turned off at the turn signal / headlight
switch. They operate properly when I actually turn them on with the switch
however, and work fine when I turn on the hazards or lock the car with the
remote. Also, when this is happening the dash lights are on dimly, and
there is a small amount of smoke from the switch.. there is one contact on
the running/headlight slider inside the switch that was slightly burnt from
this.

I had a problem with the switch once before, where the signal light wouldn't
cancel properly after making a left turn, at which time I greased the moving
parts and put dielectric grease on all the contacts inside the switch, which
fixed the problem. Today I cleaned all the grease away and wiped everything
so it's clean, but the problem remains.

I'm going to try and test the switch with a meter and see if anything's
shorted, but is there anything else I should be looking at? Maybe a bad
connection or a short somewhere else, say at one of the bulbs or sockets?
Or maybe a relay somewhere is stuck?

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Chuck Tribolet - 13 Nov 2006 23:23 GMT

If there's smoke at the switch be VERY VERY careful. Any current flow high
enough to smoke something should blow a fuse way before there's smoke. The first
thing I would do is go through every fuse (and they aren't all on the fuse block --
you'll need access to a service manual) and make sure some idiot has installed
a larger fuse somewhere.

Your problem with failure to cancel was undoubtedly mechanical. It worked OK
after a right turn, and the differences are mechanical.

> Hi all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> I'm going to try and test the switch with a meter and see if anything's shorted, but is there anything else I should be looking
> at? Maybe a bad connection or a short somewhere else, say at one of the bulbs or sockets? Or maybe a relay somewhere is stuck?

Reply to this Message

JM - 14 Nov 2006 01:29 GMT

Well, it actually *was* cancelling after left turns, ie the lever was
returning to the neutral position, but there was still an electrical
connection happening that was causing the signals to blink at a higher rate
than normal. Maybe the slider inside was not quite returning to the off
position even though the lever had returned.

Anyway, I found the problem this time, one of the contacts that the
headlight slider runs over was making contact with another one that was
below it, partially but not totally insulated by some plastic... Last time
I had the thing apart I bent the edges of all the contacts down to try to
smooth out the switch, and I must have brought those two contacts too close
together. I separated them as well as I could tonight, and it seems fine..
if it continues to be an issue I'll just replace the switch; I'm just glad
the problem was there and not buried in the wiring somewhere!

Thanks for your reply!

PS, I will take a look at the fuses, because that was my thought also, it
should have blown a fuse if it was getting that hot... I'd much rather a
blown fuse than a melted dash...

> If there's smoke at the switch be VERY VERY careful. Any current flow
> high
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> OK
> after a right turn, and the differences are mechanical.

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