# '95 Altima blowing fuses - Please help



## Jason Passons (Aug 11, 2005)

Hi. I have a 95 Altima that has been a terrific car except for this one problem. This has been going on for over a year at least and nobody has been able to track the problem down. Not a single mechanic or even the dealership I took it to. What happens is the car blows the fuse that works the instrument panel/gauges. IE: the speedometer, lights, etc. If I drive the car like this, it runs the battery down and I get stranded causing me to buy fuses in bulk and keep them with me for when this happens. About 3 weeks ago, it got worse to the point that it blows a fuse everytime I start the car which basically makes it un-driveable. I mainly blow fuses when starting the car.. It starts, the gauges move then flatline. Sometimes it happens when putting on my seat belt or even shutting the door but mainly its on start up.

I was looking on the internet and found this:

1993-97 Nissan Altima: Reliability
Automatic transmission: If the gauges quit working, the check-engine light comes on, or the transmission shifts harshly, then a wiring harness may be chafing on the top of the transmission under the battery tray or the instrument-wiring harness is chafing on the airbag-harness support bracket. (1995)

Does this sound like it could be the cause of my problems? I'm thinking of printing this and taking it to a dealership and seeing if they could fix it once and for all. I'm of two minds on this since this has been a year of frustration and I've been looking at buying a newer used car recently and have gotten excited at the idea. Still, if the car can be fixed, I'd like to do that and save the money. The site I found estimates that the transmission could run $900 to fix.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I'm hoping to get the car to the dealership tomorrow. Thank you.
Jason


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## jserrano (Oct 27, 2004)

Dude, you failed to mention the EXACT fuse you are talking about. Is it fuse #25 which is 10A? The second fuse from the bottom of the left hand side of the fusebox??

That fuse powers,

1. The speedometer
2. Shift backlight
3. Cruise control
4. Automatic Transmission
5. PNP/SW
6. Check Engine light
7. Anti-lock brakes
8. Air bag
9. Time Control Unit
10. Alternator Charge light
11. Daytime Running lights
12. Warning

It doesn't seem like it is a dead short because you can start the car. It is probably something overloading the 10A circuit. You could try disconnecting power to one or more of the above circuits and see if you can start without overloading the fuse. Maybe you have a light that is the wrong type of going bad.


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## Jason Passons (Aug 11, 2005)

Yes, its the 2nd fuse from the bottom on the left side. I could possibly disconnect power to those circuits to check it out, only problem is that the fuse doesn't always blow when I start the car. It seems to now, but in the past it hasn't always. I could go months without blowing one, then suddenly I could blow 10 in one day. I'll keep this in mind. Thanks for the help.


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## SC_tbfd (Jul 19, 2004)

I'm most definitely no expert and I hate electrical problems but it seems to me that you probably have an intermittent short that is blowing the fuse. That fits with the chaffing problem you talk about. It also seems to me that fixing the wire harness with electrical tape and zip ties would be the solution, not any $900 transmission repair. look round under the battery tray and around the airbag-harness support bracket (wherever that is) and see if you can spot worn sheathing or insulation on the wire harness.


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## Jason Passons (Aug 11, 2005)

Its good to know that the information I found may actually be the cause of my problem. Checking under the battery tray is easy enough but like you said.. Wheres the airbag harness support bracket?  I don't know all that much about cars to know where this would be. Thanks for the help. I'll check this out.


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## comosaydice (Jan 12, 2010)

Having same problems, anyone able to best advise how to go about testing the items listed?
1. The speedometer
2. Shift backlight
3. Cruise control
4. Automatic Transmission
5. PNP/SW
6. Check Engine light
7. Anti-lock brakes
8. Air bag
9. Time Control Unit
10. Alternator Charge light
11. Daytime Running lights
12. Warning

Some of them look easy enough, take out light/unplug harness, drive around, see if the fuse blows, if it does cross it off the list....with others I have no idea how to go about testing. If anyone can help me out with which ones might be best to test first, and how to go about testing, it would be greatly appreciated!


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## pulsar86 (Aug 13, 2009)

You might have another wire and the wire supplying power to the instruments coming into contact and causing a short, trace along the wiring from the fuse to the instruments and it you should find it.


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