2013 370z electrical system locked? Car is completely dead!

Guitarded

Hello,

I've got an issue I'm not sure about... I'm not too mechanically savvy, just a Z owner. 2013 370z touring package (automatic). I came out of the store today, tried to open hatch, nothing. Tried to use fob to open door, nothing. opened fob, got manual key out, opened door, tried push button start, nothing. Tried turning on headlights, dome lights, hazards, still nothing. Figured battery is dead, called service, tried to jump, nothing. Tested battery, it's fine. noticed that the brake lights still worked when stepping on brake pedal, but pedal feels different... like its depressed to the floor. I tried inserting fob into provided slot (not sure of tech term) nothing. The car is essentially dead. can't get it out of gear, can't do anything, just had it towed home. I read some things about steering lock issues, but seems 2013 should not have that anymore. Any ideas? could it just be a bad fob? (I only have one fob) Is my alarm system stuck disabling everything? I need to get towed to dealer now (I'm out of warranty) and I'm hoping this is not going to cost my first born to repair, so I'd like to go in knowing what to expect, or what to tell them.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Lunar-Eclipse

Have you tried to reset the electrical system by disconnecting the battery and pressing the brakes to drain the system? Then reconnect.

Guitarded

How long pressing brake will this take... how will I know when its reset?
what would cause this to need to be done... if this works, do I need to look at why?

SouthArk370Z

Sometimes it's obvious to the eye that a fuse/link is blown, sometimes not. Use a continuity checker or ohmmeter to be sure.

Five to ten seconds (maybe less). You won't know for sure unless you measure the voltage at the ECM, but ten seconds should be more than enough.

Who knows? Could be a once-in-a-lifetime computer glitch; could be a bad ECM; could be a short somewhere;...

__________________
Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub
Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

Memphis370Z

Did you check to see if the battery in the key fob is dead? This may not be the issue, since you said you tried starting the car with the key inserted in to the "fobgina." Also, did you see any information displayed on the far left dash gauge when you were trying to start it? Did the car recognize the key when you put it in the key port?

Here's a post that mentions a few threads you might want to check out - Car won't Start:(

Good luck and let us know what you find out from the dealership. I'm interested to know the issue, as well as the solution.

Guitarded

there were no lights on anywhere on dash... no recognition of fob

Guitarded

No I have not. Will try first thing in the morning. What would cause this so suddenly out of the blue?

Guitarded

Well...IT'S FIXED!!

I disconnected battery cable, looked to see if anything looked obviously wrong to my untrained eye...pressed brake pedal down for 20 sec or so, checked fuses near battery... wiggled fiddled and pressed them down firmly. put cable back on, and the alarm horn sounded the second it touched the terminal... what a beautiful sound that was. pressed fob button and it stopped. sat in car and it fired right up! HOLIDAY WEEKEND SAVED! Not sure exactly what it was still, or if there is a problem that needs further looking into, but I'm on the road again for now... will be getting it checked out this week for sure.

Thanks to all of you for all your input and solutions, this forum is AWESOME!

SouthArk370Z

I have to agree.

There is also a lot of stuff that, as a base member, you don't get to see. TPTB were nice enough to make sure base members have access to all of the technical stuff but some of the social/fun stuff is limited to paid members. Click the "Premium Membership" link at the top of every page for more info. The decals alone are worth the price of admission, IMNSHO.
And then there's all that help-support-the-site-that-helped-you-out stuff.

__________________
Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub
Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

Guitarded

will definitely be looking into premium...who doesn't love stickers! I do love my Z, get compliments on the midnight blue all the time. Folks who don't know much about cars always think its some expensive high end car. When I tell them I paid 30g they are floored. Gotta love the poor man's Porsche! I think the body lines and curves are way sexier than a Porsche anyway!

Trips

Glad to hear it was a simple fix!






Hats off to everyone helping out a fellow member.

__________________

onzedge

You have been visited by the Nissan/Datsun Gremlin.

Having driven them for more than 39 years, I can tell you that I am no stranger to unexplained catastrophic electrical failures that appear from nowhere and disappear the same way.

__________________

Koni|Swift|Michelin|Motordyne|Berk|RJM Performance|Gates|SPL|Motul|Technafit|Ate Super Blue|Hawk
Tommy Kaira|Momo|Optima|Hella|Hotchkis|Red Line|ZSpeed|Stillen|B&M|H&R

SouthArk370Z

Glad you got it fixed.

Did you see any whitish stuff on the battery posts or connectors? It sounds like the battery post/connector that you removed may have had some corrosion that was causing a high resistance connection. Removing/replacing the connector cleaned off enough corrosion to make a good connection.

If you think corrosion may have been the problem, remove both connectors, clean terminals and connectors with a wire brush until all corrosion is removed, then put a VERY LIGHT coat of bulb grease on the mating surfaces before reassembling. Check for corrosion during your periodic inspections.

If your windows or other electrical items are acting up, search this site for "window reset", &c.

__________________
Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub
Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

Guitarded

Terminals were clean as a whistle...I think either the electrical system reset with brake pedal worked, or one of the fuses near the battery was loose. I'm still stumped as to why everything was dead except brake lights. they were literally the only thing that worked... not even dome lights... very strange indeed

SouthArk370Z

The FSM has schematics and most of what you need to know to troubleshoot and repair anything on your Z. See link in my sig.

If you are sure that the battery posts/connectors were not the problem, I'd check the links and fuses (especially the ones that you handled) for corrosion. You may have gotten some water into that area.

__________________
Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub
Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma