# Electrical woes continue



## ichpen (Dec 19, 2004)

*Electrical woes continue & some transmission quirks*

Hey all,

93 Maxima.

Another electrical challenge at hand now.

As of 2 days ago it seems that depressing the brake pedal will kill the indoor dash lights (when headlights are on). 

Ordinarily I would consider this a nice little feature but it makes driving at night quite interesting when being tailed by a police cruiser and you don't know what speed you're doing without hitting the brake pedal.

Exterior lights seem unaffected by this.

I'm thinking possible bad ground, but where to check is the issue?!?

Another thing, transmission on occasion has slipped and can be a little rough and/or slow to respond. Some times I have to nudge the gear selector down a little for it to engage Drive. Anyone tried/can recommend any of the transmission additives that are on sale just to alleviate the problems a little?!? Not looking at expensive repairs if possible. 


Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

Check the wiring at your tail lights. the bulb sockets are known to melt over time and short out against each other. if it's blown the dash light fuse, then when you hit the brake pedal, it may be going backward through the tail light filaments and lighting the dash lights...

so check the tail light sockets. pull all the bulbs out, inspect the sockets, and see what happens to your dash lights while they're out.


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## ichpen (Dec 19, 2004)

Matt93SE said:


> Check the wiring at your tail lights. the bulb sockets are known to melt over time and short out against each other. if it's blown the dash light fuse, then when you hit the brake pedal, it may be going backward through the tail light filaments and lighting the dash lights...
> 
> so check the tail light sockets. pull all the bulbs out, inspect the sockets, and see what happens to your dash lights while they're out.


Great, thanks Matt. Any place I can get an owners manual and/or a fuse diagram for this car (it was not provided for me when I bought it).


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## royson345 (Jan 14, 2005)

I have the same problem in my 89 Max. When I shift from park to drive, I sumtime have to shimmy the gear selector around to get it into gear, it's a real annoyance because sometimes I'll think I'm in D and I rev the engine and it doesn't go anywhere, or sometimes I'll step on the gas and it'll pop into gear and my car will take off. Almost cause a couple fender benders because of it.

Just a thought, is it possible to convert my max from an auto tranni to a 5 speed manual? If so, about how much would I be looking at to spend?


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

that's auto shifter bushings... absolutely nothing related to the problem at hand.

plan to spend about $1000 on the parts to convert auto to 5 spd. it's mentioned several times on this forum.

ichpen, go to autozone.com and click on repair info. you'll find all kinds of stuff in there and might even find wiring diagrams for the car.
honestly, I don't think you'll need it. just pull the tail lights apart and look for damage.
you can replace the sockets for about $3 each at a local parts store. the dealer will want about $90 for the whole assembly.


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## royson345 (Jan 14, 2005)

Is that if I have a dealer do the installation or if I do it myself? I doubt I have the knowledge or the resources to do the transformation myself.

I wanted a 5 speed when I was looking for a car so I planned on maybe making it a 5 speed in the future.


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

A dealer won't touch this. you may find a local import performance shop willing to tackle the job, but not many other people will. If you plan to pay someone to do it, add another $1000 to the bill.


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## royson345 (Jan 14, 2005)

What parts would I need to get this done? Am I talking about multiple components that need to be changed or just a few?


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=359019&highlight=tranny+swap


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