Rain Has Killed My M35

[m35stagea]

Well after the flash flooding in my area last night and the sheer amount of water everywhere the stagea has gone nuts.

Abs warning lights a/t check 4wd warning light rpm and most of the dash is out. Can't control wipers blinkers headlights. Engine appears to run fine.

Gearbox started banging through gears. Obviously it appears there is some junction box for many sensors that has been water logged. Question is where the hell is it so I can dry it and seal it?

I have left the car running in the garage to see if the heat would get rid of the water from where ever it is but no luck.

Stuck without car

[Daleo]

It could be water related, but most random electrical are related to dying batteries in the M35.

Even with a full 12.7 volts charging into mine; when the battery was dying, it was throwing all sorts of random airbag & CEL alarms. Even though it started fine and ran fine this was an issue. Replaced battery; no more issues.

Check the battery under load when starting, this is the only time you can really see how they're performing.

[m35stagea]

Cheers, i will test buti sitll think its the water its 100% identical to this..

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1455e0

[Daleo]

Best of luck, hope you get it sorted quickly.

[m35stagea]

Just need someone to know where this junction box is so i can seal it and dry it out... Cause i have no clue.

[PN-Mad]

AT and engine ECU are in the passengers footwell, you'll need to get the glove box out. BCM (body control module) I'm not quite sure, but I think its somewhere behind the gear shifter / arm rest. Someone else will firm that one up.

Was your car submerged?

Make sure you disconnect the battery before mucking around.

[Hadouken]

have you checked to see if there is any water in your fuse boxes?

How about you just go and look everywhere for water. A car isnt that big and if there is water somewhere you will find it

[m35stagea]

I just drove through some puddles...

Everything is effected from blinkers dash headlights turn on and off i cant control anything. basically nothing seems to be working or is intermittent. It wasnt anything i would call ridiculous. It just rained heavy and drove through some deepish puddles.

As someone said on that other forum that the stagea uses a data bus to send signals so if that gets water in it. Then you have to wait for it to dry out. Im not going to go pulling the car apart looking for something i dont even know what it looks like that will just piss me off more.

[zei20l]

BCM is in the drivers kick panel

ECU and TCU you already have the locations

I have a full wiring harness for an M35 except the engine bay loom

if youre in sydney im happy to lend out parts

[m35stagea]

Thanks I assumed i was looking for something in the engine bay or bhehind a guard where all the sensors met.. But in the actual car itself? I doubt water could of gotten to that.

[rssubaru]

I would check battery terminals. Mine was cranking over slow the other day. Cleaned terminals now it's spot on .

[gleeson]

i had the same thing happen to me a year ago and i think it was ecu,i took it to an auto elec and he fixed it.he said that it started to get coroded inside.now we dont go out when it rains

[m35stagea]

Seems hard to believe.. its inside the car. An outside junciton with a fuarked seal seems more plausible to me.

Ill wait till tomorrow. Did you read the link above? I posted

[PN-Mad]

You do know that is not the same car in the link, yeah? Its an Infiniti M35- a sedan sold in the US.

Same sort of basic architecture, but it still is a different car.

http://www.netcarshow.com/infiniti/2006-m35/800x600/wallpaper_07.htm

All of the main electronic control units are inside the car cabin. 2 main points that the loom comes through is near the ABS unit, and behind the battery area, under the black plastic. You could also check your grounding points.

[m35stagea]

Yes realise that but im just trying to think of the most logical explanation and that one fits my situaiton to a T. That plus the car was driven for 10km in the rain. I find it hard to believe that it somehow flooded the inside of the car.

I have done worse in my s12 gazelle that thing had the computer on the floor with no carpet and holes in the floor 10cm off the ground. Let alone this big white cow.

So before i go ripping apart the glove box ect im going to trace the loom and earths ect. Its going to be something simple/small or chances are tomorrow morning it will be fine because its dried out...

[PN-Mad]

If the BCM is in the drivers kick panel, that is quite close to the wheel arch, and there would be a large amount of water around that area if your plowing through puddles/heavy rain. Trans ECU is in exactly the same place except on the other side. Is possible that the drain holes are blocked up with gunk.

Wipers, lights, blinkers, dashlight, all controled via the BCM.

Auto trans, well, thats controlled by the trans ecu...

Exactly your issues - the engine ECU is seperate- and you've said the engine runs fine...

Realise what I'm getting at...?

Let us know how you go.

[m35stagea]

If the BCM is in the drivers kick panel, that is quite close to the wheel arch, and there would be a large amount of water around that area if your plowing through puddles/heavy rain. Trans ECU is in exactly the same place except on the other side. Is possible that the drain holes are blocked up with gunk.

Wipers, lights, blinkers, dashlight, all controled via the BCM.

Auto trans, well, thats controlled by the trans ecu...

Exactly your issues - the engine ECU is seperate- and you've said the engine runs fine...

Realise what I'm getting at...?

Let us know how you go.

Yeah mate i do...

This is my first car with all this sort of crap... And i was hoping that nissan had made this boat a little more waterproof then it appears to be!

Thanks for your help ill get cranking in the morning and go to work with the hair dryer ect .

Appreciate it.

How are you finding the shift kit btw?

Edited April 19, 2012 by m35stagea

[PN-Mad]

Oh, another thing just to let you know to help you out... If the car doesn't start, don't crank and crank and crank it. The starter motors are a little fragile to cranking forever (they get hot quick), and are not cheap.

Shift kit is great. Mine is a bit different to yours, as I have a different trans set up to the Series one cars from the start, but there are lots and lots of series one guys that are very happy with the kit. Firms up the shift, still smooth on low power upchanges. PM "jetwreck" if your interested in it- but he generally does group buys from the states with the kit(ie might have to wait for a little while).

[Commsman]

If you want to get the hair dryer out, take the battery compartment cover off (just a few plastic clips) & behind the battery is a couple of main fuse boxes. They just happen to be under the windshield & maybe there a drain hole that is blocked that could make that area wetter than normal. It's not what I'd call the most likely cause (battery is number one as I've experienced strange things when my battery was low, same as Dale), but if you've eliminated battery then look there as an easy place to start.

[m35stagea]

Started this morning no problems must of dried out! Hoorah..

Its better then the mx62 i used to have that puddles = car doesnt go at all