oberly233

ok here's the deal...i have an 02 pathy that i bought back in nov 05...it has alittle over 45,000 miles on it....anyway, about a month ago i noticed that when i would push in the break my clock light would dim and my shifter made a clicking sound...i didn't think anything of it cause the problem went away...so today i started up my car and the same thing happened...again i thought it was no big deal, until my shifter locked up and now it will not unlock when i press in the brake pedal...they only way i can unlock it is manually with a screw driver...not only that but when i turn on my left turn signal or my flashers all my interior lights will blink off and on in sync with my blinkers...obviously i'm having some sort of electrical problem...any suggestions...the car is certified by nissan, but i don't think electrical would be covered, so i'm trying to figure out the best way to go about this...also i'm wondering, could an electrical problem be causing my shifter to be permenently locked?....

smassey321

My guess is a bad ground. The clock and shifter may share a ground which is simply loose. I have seen these caused by a bad install of a aftermarket alarm or stereo. Do you have a trailer hitch? Hitch wiring could also be the cause.

Zilverado

Ahhh! Electrical gremlins at work...

Short answer - - YES!

Long Answer...

Yeah, it sounds like it's a ground or short somewhere. Assuming this is an automatic transmission, the "click" you hear when pushing the brake pedal is the safety switch that "unlocks" the shifter and allows you to move the shifter out of park and into the drive positions only after applying the brake. The switch for this should be located on or near the brake pedal lever. Just put your head down near the floor (with a light) and you'll see the switch. The button is activated when you push the brake pedal - - you'll see it.

Since this is one component that is not working at all, maybe start your bad wiring search there.

I wish I could suggest an easy fix, but electrical issues can sometimes be a bit tricky to solve. They usually end up being a simple thing (i.e. bare wire, bad ground, etc.) but finding them can be a bear...

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

__________________
Zilverado
1992 Pathfinder V6-SE 4wd

oberly233

yes i do have a hitch installed...i got it installed when i bought the car and the dealer installed the hitch and the wires themselves....i might just go and unhook the trailer wires and see if this fixes the problem or not...i hoping its something i can fix myself....cause the dealer wants like 100 bucks just to look at the thing....the stereo and everything else is factory standard...i'll check the hitch wiring...thanks for the suggestions