Cold weather issues with my DD...

570 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by speednick, Dec 18, 2010

chaosdrifter06

Discussion Starter · Dec 17, 2010

I've been driving my stanza lately and for the past 9 months its been here in New England, a few problems arose electrical wise:

The Right headlight refuses to turn on anymore. I tried replacing the bulb to no avail, even replacing the entire socket. But when I blink my lights the right one would eventually turn on. My guess is that it's the light switch itself. Anyone had this issue before? How hard is it to fix?

My check engine light is constantly on, but occasionally shuts off. I've grown accustomed to ignoring it. I've replaced all the ignition wires, spark plugs, oil, air filter, radiator, etc. After that, the engine light is still on. I'm guessing bad o2 sensor or fuel temp guage?

Occasionally my fuel tank would leak. It's not a hole in the actual tank I can already tell you that. When I park the car over the curb, it seems that the stress on the suspension would cause fuel to leak out. It would also leak on the occasional hard turn. A few drops once in a while. Cracked hose maybe? The leak originates near the left rear wheel, near the suspension.

As the weather got colder, my e-brake light would stay on after I disengage it. After the car warms up, the light goes off. The wheels aren't dragging so I know the e-brake is off.

All in all the car runs smooth. Peppy on the highway, a blast on the corners. Fuel mileage is about what it's supposed to be for stock. Mechanically, everything is running like clockwork. Is it possible that the wiring can be affected by cold weather hence my dash light jubilee? Just wanna make sure things are running alright before I start working on my S30 again.

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steve240Z73

· #2 · Dec 18, 2010

chaosdrifter06 said:
I've been driving my stanza lately and for the past 9 months its been here in New England, a few problems arose electrical wise:

The Right headlight refuses to turn on anymore. I tried replacing the bulb to no avail, even replacing the entire socket. But when I blink my lights the right one would eventually turn on. My guess is that it's the light switch itself. Anyone had this issue before? How hard is it to fix?

When you say "blink my lights", are you just turning on and off the lights at the combo switch, or are you going from low beam to high beam? Contacts within a switch can get dirty. Remove the cover from the steering column, and spray the inside of the offending switch with electrical contact cleaner. The preferred product by many on this board is Caig Deoxit. Contact cleaner is available at most any Radio Shack.

chaosdrifter06 said:
My check engine light is constantly on, but occasionally shuts off. I've grown accustomed to ignoring it. I've replaced all the ignition wires, spark plugs, oil, air filter, radiator, etc. After that, the engine light is still on. I'm guessing bad o2 sensor or fuel temp guage?

The next time it's on, get over to a parts place like Autozone or Advance Auto. Many parts places will let you borrow a code reader. After you get the code, research it. The solution could be as simple as getting a new gas cap.

chaosdrifter06 said:
Occasionally my fuel tank would leak. It's not a hole in the actual tank I can already tell you that. When I park the car over the curb, it seems that the stress on the suspension would cause fuel to leak out. It would also leak on the occasional hard turn. A few drops once in a while. Cracked hose maybe? The leak originates near the left rear wheel, near the suspension.

Are there any hoses near that area? Where is the fuel filler. A problem with the fuel filler hose could also cause the check engine light to come on.

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speednick

· #3 · Dec 18, 2010

Head lights are usually grounded locally. Just trace the harness back to the corroded ring terminal and rusty screw and replace both. The E-brake problem is probably just an adjustment on the pin switch under the handle. Sometime this light is also shared with a brake fluid level switch so check that at the master cylinder (low level or stuck float).
Nick

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