Electrical Issues

[S14_kouki504]

Ok just a little background on the car. Its a 1998 240SX SE with about 188,000 miles on it. Runs ok lots of cosmetic repairs to do and a little bit of mechanical work. but it gets from a to b to c and back and the a/c works. So lately i have been having an issue of when it gets really hot outside my wipers and stereo cease to work. If the car sits in the shade for a few hours everything seems to work fine. any suggestions on the problem.

[Danial]

Heat seems to be causing wipers and stereo not to work? Somehow I think this has to be a different issue.

Both are purely electric components. I would trace the wires on both devices and see if there are any exposed sections. These cars have so many electrical issues that the heat could have nothing to do with it, more likely vibration or water would make an issue worse.

You said there are lots of cosmetic repairs, so i would also suggest checking any sections of harness run through your wheel wells, especially if you are lowered at all. My last 2 cars have had harnesses with hole worn in them

[S14_kouki504]

no exposed sections no harness damage. and its definitely an issue with the excessive heat because when its below 90 degree outside, the wipers and there stereo both work fine. It could be just the stereo that is causing the issue and it might be wired into the wipers. The guy i got the car from wasn't the brightness crayon in the pack.

[Danial]

hmmmm

Checked fuses?

I would definitely check the radio harness, i pulled my radio out in my s13 because it was blowing fuses weekly

[S14_kouki504]

yea i checked the fuses as well. all of them are good. we some wet weather here right now so when i get a chance this weekend i will pull the stereo out and see whats up

[RaNMaN]

check and make a good new metal to metal surface for your grounds. i would be suprised if doing that didn't fix the issue. heat expansion is proabably causing your loose ground connections to become looser. oh and use some dielectric grease on the ground connections to ward off corrosion in the future.

[S14_kouki504]

all of my ground connections are fine. if it would have been the ground connections i feel as though i would have more electrical issues than just the stereo and wipers

[Danial]

solid ground connections are one thing, but you may also have a short to ground, where some other powered wire is grounded to the chassis somehow. Often a wire is rubbed bare after years

Also, is your battery drawing any current?
"If you have a current draw, u obviously need to figure out what it is. Disconnect your positive battery terminal and install an ammeter in between and see how much the car is drawing, then start pulling fuses until you see your amperage go down to figure out whats causing the current draw"
-some guy

[S14_kouki504]

Not sure if i have solved the issue or not because it hasn't been as hot down here. I did manage to fix the wires under the steering wheel while i pulled out the crappy alarm which was wired all wrong to begin with. I haven't really had a problem with things not working since then. I will post back up in here if the problem rears its ugly head.

[AutechKouki]

Heat increases resistance.
Either you have corrosion on your grounds or inside your power/ ground wiring or connectors. Since you're in the south it's a high probability it's on the inside of the wiring, and yes it can corrode on the inside just like it does on battery posts.
If I was you I'd start by checking the fsm and find the wiring circuit shared by the items that are failing intermittently. If you find grounds take them off sand the connection and surface where it mounts. I'd also check resistance at the source and at the radio/ ac. Chances are the wiring with most resistance is your problem. Then just replace faulty wiring.
If fuses were the issue the radio would just not work. Problem is your wiring. Alarm misinstallation could have been an issue because one wire on there controls accessories.

[S14_kouki504]

so far i believe with the removal of the alarm and all of the wiring associated with the alarm, the problem has been resolved. still have radio issues but i believe that to be due to the headunit being old.

[S14_kouki504]

I have finally fixed my electrical issues with my car. the main cause of it all was a worn out tautly ignition switch.