Hey guys,
So as it turns out, Pathfinders don't like cold weather. When the temp gets below freezing, all hell breaks loose with mine.
One of those things is my rear hatch. Every time it gets below freezing, the rear hatch fuse blows and I can't understand why. I have to open the hatch window, reach in and open the hatch with the inside emergency latch.
I have an '08, so I have the electronic latch with the close-assist feature (where you simply lay the door down against the latch and a motor takes over).
Thoughts?
Rear hatch not opening (fuse blows)
Moderator: volvite
There is a button under there where the latch would be. When you push it, you can hear a motor releasing the hatch lock mechanism... and then the hatch opens.
To the right of that is a mechanical latch for the glass. On the interior side of the hatch, hidden behind a removable cover, is a mechanical emergency latch that opens the whole hatch from the inside of the car.
To the right of that is a mechanical latch for the glass. On the interior side of the hatch, hidden behind a removable cover, is a mechanical emergency latch that opens the whole hatch from the inside of the car.
Sounds like you getting a short in the door wiring each time there is a freeze. Most likely an uninsulated connection shorting out as ice builds ups allowing the hot wire to ground out and blow the fuse. Okay that was the easy part, hard part will be finding that short. I would start at the rear hatch and work forward until you find the bad connection.
check all connections (per Calicajun) for that circuit, and especially for a bad ground
if you can access the motor that activates the lock, you might try heating it up with a hair dryer or heat gun to see if it makes any difference
also, you say that "One of those things is my rear hatch."
what else is not functioning?
if you can access the motor that activates the lock, you might try heating it up with a hair dryer or heat gun to see if it makes any difference
also, you say that "One of those things is my rear hatch."
what else is not functioning?
Thanks a lot for the input, guys! Sounds like I'll be disassembling the car from the rear forward in the Spring! Ugh.
I'm also wondering if the motor in that mechanism could be bad and the cold is creating enough resistance that it struggles enough to blow the fuse. You know how everything electric in a car slows down in the cold (power windows, crank of the starter, sunroof, etc.)?
@eieio: This is the only electrical thing that goes haywire in the cold so far. Other non-electrical things are rough transmission shifting, ridiculously hard suspension, LCD screen brightness and a whole bunch of creaking sounds coming from the floorboard. Most of these things clear up once the car warms up.
I'm also wondering if the motor in that mechanism could be bad and the cold is creating enough resistance that it struggles enough to blow the fuse. You know how everything electric in a car slows down in the cold (power windows, crank of the starter, sunroof, etc.)?
@eieio: This is the only electrical thing that goes haywire in the cold so far. Other non-electrical things are rough transmission shifting, ridiculously hard suspension, LCD screen brightness and a whole bunch of creaking sounds coming from the floorboard. Most of these things clear up once the car warms up.
hence the hair dryer or heat gun recommendation to warm it up a bit (as a diagnostic step)DanJetta wrote:I'm also wondering if the motor in that mechanism could be bad and the cold is creating enough resistance that it struggles enough to blow the fuse. You know how everything electric in a car slows down in the cold (power windows, crank of the starter, sunroof, etc.)?
A guy at Courtesy gave me part number 90330-R51001. But when I look at the diagram, it says it's for 2005-2010 Pathfinders. '05-'07 Pathfinders don't have the actuator. I couldn't find it on their site, which is ueber-confusing, anyway. Is this the correct item?
@ eieio: I talked to a Nissan tech who said the same thing as tlee_20... that these are a common fail item and he sees them more and more as the '08+ are aging. I also replaced the fuse and can hear the motor struggling.
@ eieio: I talked to a Nissan tech who said the same thing as tlee_20... that these are a common fail item and he sees them more and more as the '08+ are aging. I also replaced the fuse and can hear the motor struggling.
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