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So, I have been trying to track down the most elusive problem with my Z yet. I was driving along one day, when my climate control system went out for a while. Of course it was in the middle of the summer, and I was in Atlanta. Well, being in Atlanta, I hit a gigantic pothole, and as I was starting to cuss the road quality, I realized that the jarring had actually gotten my climate control back up and running. It was short lived, though, as it went on and off intermittently over the next week or so despite my attempts to find the problem.
I work two part-time jobs and am a full-time student, so I put off the repair until I had more time and drove my beater Ford Ranger a lot more than usual. Well, now I actually have some time to put into diagnosis and repair on my problem, but I am not having any luck so far.Here are the problems. I have no power to:
windshield wiper switch, windshield washer switch, climate control switches and climate control display, power mirror adjustment controls, power mirror defrost switch, rear window washer switch, cigarette lighter outlet, rear wiper switch, and reverse lights activation switch. Because these switches are all in a common area (right control pod cluster and center console area) I assumed a bad ground or a power supply wire had been clipped. However, the illumination that comes on when the headlights are on works in my climate control and wiper controls in my right pod, the ashtray light comes on as well, and my handbrake indicator switch is triggering the corresponding dash light when it is engaged. Also, my hazards switch is working properly. I assumed that they would share a common ground, or even a common power wire, but this seems to tell my my assumption is dead wrong. I am fairly good with mechanical tasks, but electrical work is not particularly my strong point, and the wiring schematic in the factory service manual is a bit intimidating. Do any of these problems point towards a particular path of troubleshooting? Here are the things I have checked: All harnesses (that I can find) appear to be perfect. All fuses have been inspected and replaced, both in the in-car fuse panel and under the hood. All relays have been replaced with known working ones with no improvement. As the car sits, it is not safe to drive while it is raining. Rain-X actually makes the wipers almost unnecessary as long as I keep the applications regular, but the inability to defrost the windshield means the car stays at home when it rains. I would consider taking the car to a professional and parting with some of my hard earned money, but my experience with most mechanics (including the dealership) when it comes to the z32 is that they have never worked on one in their life, and I know a lot more about the car than they do. I just wish I had a clue about deciphering wiring schematics and chasing wiring issues on the z32. Any ideas of where to go next would be greatly appreciated.
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