Climate Control/Radio Repair DIY
 

03 sedan, nissan audio part numer: PN-2459, here's the schematic:

http://elektrotanya.com/clarion_pn24.../download.html

I had the dreaded climate control/radio problem, where my climate was stuck and nothing was working, climate buttons, radio, or anything.

The problem was on the power supply. The board had this weird burnt colour, and three resistors were literally sitting up. I wish I had my camera to take pictures. They were surface mount, and I guess from so much heat they got de-soldered, it was soldered on one side, and it was sitting like a good 4mm up on the other, and the other two you could tell there was no connection to the PCB pad, it was R508 (75 Ohm 1/8W), R509, R510 (22 Ohm 1/8w)

If you open it up, these resistors are bigger then all the other resistors. It's only three of them. If you know how to solder it's extremely simple, just clean with acetone, or alcohol, and resolder them, and it works like a charm.

Whatever I suspected that could make a cold joint (these boards are manufactured on a machine, and very little solder is used for the components), I added more solder.

I am about to wait and see if it's gonna continue to work, but I think this is simple, and with little electronics knowledge it can be fixed. This is why they charge 150-300 to fix this very simple problem.

I hope this helps!

Here's the location on the board:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T...o/unleddsd.png

Thanks for the tip. I have been thinking that the problem is from too much heat on the radio.

I now have a Sony after-market radio and whenever I use the heat in the winter blowing at my feet that Sony gets so hot that I will burn my finger touching it.

That area behind the radio must be getting way too hot for the factory radio and eventually it breaks.

I still have the factory radio in my garage, it's in pieces, but maybe I can checked it now and fix it.

Actually is probably something else too. The radios had been known to drain the battery.
If I didn't drive for a couple of days I couldn't start the car because the battery was dead.

As soon as I got rid of the OEM radio, that never happened again even after one month not driving the car.

Thank you! I've had exactly the same problem. The lights and controls on my 2003 G35 sedan would come and go, but it started in the summer so I assumed it was heat related. When it happened in the middle of the winter without signs of improving, I broke. One of the 22 Ohm resistors was disconnected. Re-soldering fixed it, at least for now. CD changer is still inoperable - the typical CD ERR F0.
Those resistors are tiny. One will need a steady hand and a sharp soldering iron.

id like to try this out however im not quite certain how to access the power supply. ive tried the ribbon cutting trick because i have my display/radio buttons intermittently stop working (AC controls work fine). so i know how to remove my dash and separate the stereo from the finisher board, however from that point on, im not sure what to do. any help will be appreciated!

EDIT: also, is this fix applicable to the Bose units or non-Bose?

I encountered the battery drain issue as well.

My AC controls are working perfectly. It appears to be an intermittent battery drain issue for me.

I took apart the dash and took the audio system out. I will be taking it apart tonight.

Updating here: https://g35driver.com/forums/audio-v...ow-what-3.html

Original Poster - @equillibrium - EXCELLENT FIND! This is 99% positively the problem with my '03 G35 coupe, Bose. I have the standard prob where the A/C temp cant be changed, and stereo is dead. I actually found a few months ago if you disconnect the middle ribbon cable going between the tape and CD units, it disables the CD, and everything else works fine.

I came across your post, and being an avid electronics guy and good at soldering, I checked those surface-mount resistors, and BAM, you're dead on: R508, R509, and R510 are loose. very light pressure on them from the side reveals that although they look okay, they're actually desoldered. I'll be doing this repair in the next day or two, and will post back. Here's a picture of the 3 SMR's in question.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/65122009/bose01.jpg

;) glad i could help. Soldier might not hold long tho I had to redo after a few months then just went aftermarket with the ugly metra kit. Everything's perfect since!

Have a look at the video I posted in the other thread. It might shed a bit more light

good work @quanttrom, how has that repair worked for you? I see your YouTube video is from about 3 weeks ago; let us know how your Bose unit has been working.

I went ahead and reflowed those 3 surface-mount resistors in question in my picture earlier, and also went ahead and hit all of the SMR's on that board of that size that I could hit, since there easily could be a cold solder joint in one of them. As @quanttrom suggests in his video on the topic of pick-and-place automated circuit building, they may have had an incorrect heat profile when they originally built these (extremely likely they did, since the DOA rate on these is through the roof), so I figured I would hit all of these in one pass.

So far so good. my CD player is back to normal, I went for a drive this evening, about an hour, and no strange behavior at all.

I'll update in a few days, or sooner if anything goes sideways before then.

@quanttrom, let us know how yours is working? It seems like you're going down a different path with replacing the 5v voltage regulator, I'm wondering how that is coming along.

It has been working like a charm ! No issues whatsoever !
Btw, I didn't replace the 5V regulator, I just replaced the R509 and R510 resistors with a single high wattage resistor. The circuit remains largely unchanged.

On a second though and reviewing the schematic I would say that this issue is largely because of improper corner case design. Specifically high heat dissipation combined with high ambient temperatures and I don't think it's related to improper solder mask/reflow job. It just looks like it is..

TL; DL : Re-flowing is NOT enough to ensure long term reliability and durability and keep the unit working for long. It's more of a temporary band-aid solution.

try swapping out the 2 resistors with this single resistor and this might provide for a longer term fix:

http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...FCT-ND/3029262

The 11 ohm version would be a better fit but it seems to be a non-stock part.

Would it be enough to just add a heatsink to those resistors before the radio fails? or is the flow through them, whether they've failed or not, going to be responsible for other failed parts?

Putting a heatsink on those resistors would be difficult because the pins are exposed on the top side. If you put a conductive heatsink you will short them effectively removing the resistors out of the circuit.
If you find a NON electrically conductive heatsink you have yourself a long-term solution !!

I doubt other parts will be affected by the failure of the resistors. The radio just looses power and fails pretty much. When R509 R510 fail it is possible that it puts extra stress on the 75 ohm resistor (R508) until it cannot handle it and de-solders itself as well !

My understanding of the overall problem is, we are not dealing with a component itself failing, or excessive heat of said component, but rather failure of the solder joint of surface-mount components (albeit that failure may be caused by heat).

That being said, my feeling is a heat sink is not the answer. At this point in the repair discovery process, I am of the opinion that fixing the solder joint itself is the long-term solution. In my case, I opted to re-flow the existing joints and add additional solder to make the joint more robust.

It looks like the re-soldering of the resistors has fixed my failed CD player issue, however it has uncovered another: I am now having problems with my battery draining down in roughly 24 hours. I was barely able to start my car today. I read thru some other threads, including one where our friend @Quanttrom has some posts and seems to have some familiarity with this issue, and it looks like the Bose radio is the culprit for that issue as well.

I plugged my battery in to a tender, and pulled the 15 amp radio fuse under the hood (After setting my A/C to a good temp, since it locks out those controls!), and we'll see how she does. I'm going to get the battery fully charged, and we're going out to dinner tonight, then we're headed out on vacation for 8 days, so I'll see if I come back to a totally dead battery or not, with the fuse removed.

For the sake of continuity in this thread, I will continue this particular discussion in the more appropriate thread focused on the parasitic battery draining issue, and leave this thread for the repair of the radio. The other thread on the battery topic is here:
https://g35driver.com/forums/audio-v...-now-what.html

Dead climate controls and stereo here too on my 03 Sedan. Been this way for 3 months.
I replaced my finisher board a few days ago, power came back on for 5-10 min, then all was dead again.
Wish I had seen this post before I spent $100 on the board.
Pulled the deck again today and did the re solder job, had the deck put back together and re installed in 2 hrs.
All works fine now with my stereo and climate controls.
Some pretty smart folks here for sure, thanks again.

TBark

how do I know where to tap in a single resistor to replace the pair?

for reference purposes:

the 75ohm resistors should be something like this. Order a bunch.
http://www.digikey.com/product-detai....0FCT-ND/89252

Order 10 or so of those as well. You will need only 2 but with the price break and all it's worth it to have extras.
http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...2ECT-ND/203294

Thus just happened to my 03 G coupe last night. Very informative. Haven't done any recent soldering but not intimidated by this and would be down to try it. Beats the alternative if buying a JDM DD and a new head unit.

I just did this fix. Have yet to reinstall. Thank you to all that contributed.

Im considering getting rid of the tape player and adding my own AUX input. The schematic is on page 30 of the clarion schematic. Basically I would sever traces leading to pins 7, 9 of the HA12216F chip, and I would solder the 3.5 leads to TP-R, TP-L, and A-GND.

Thoughts?

I would suggest connecting to the wires coming from the read head, leaving the rest of the tape player unchanged. It's much easier than trying to connect directly on the board. I don't know if there's some sort of function in the chip that is detecting the presence of other parts of the tape deck which makes it available as a selectable source or not the way that it checks for the presence of the satellite adapter. :dunno:

what is the read head? you lost me there. The tape player wont function without a physical device in there, so Im just going to put a gutted tape in there

ok...I just put it in and tested...boooo...

Now it makes a loud beep when I insert the keys. Maybe this is progress? No idea. Screen still doesnt come up and headunit controls are still useless

note: several harnesses are unplugged as I havent reinstalled all the interior parts that I needed to take out originally not sure if that matters.

Read head is the bit that touches the cassette tape:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_YuwAEG4uTGg/TU...0/IMG_1870.JPG

There should be 3 wires coming off of it - ground, left and right.

Nice, will look into that further once I get my bose unit to work. Any idea on my latest symptoms? Is it ok to power the car up with the radio removed btw?

For anyone wondering, my problem was that the console finisher ribbon cable got disconnected while I was installing the radio. I reconnected it (Didnt even have to remove the console) and it works perfectly!

so successful repair !? :)

yessir

HVAC & Radio issues
 

So I have tried everything on here from checking fuses, a/c sensor and even taking the HU out and disconnecting the ribbon cable that connects from the cd player to the HU itself and no luck. I originally took it apart to try to solder the pieces suggested in this article but there was nothing wrong with them they were not burnt or unsoldered so if there are any other quick fixes could someone please help me lol :dunno:


TB35

FYI my resistors looked fine too. They even measured fine. Once I pried at them with some tweezers, they came right off though. I would take another look if I were you, and replace them regardless.

Best info ever
 

This is by far the best info I have ever seen to fix an electronic issue. It was accurate and had excellent details. I was able to fix my mother in laws radio in under 1 hour. This was after the dealer wanted to change the radio and control board at her expense because her car was made 2 months after the service bullitin would cover. Used parts on eBay are really overpriced for a 10 year old car.

I never sign up for forums because I usually seek info but don't have much to offer. I created this account because of how impressed and appreciative I was of the info. Thank you to the contributors.

Equilibrium,

I am truly grateful for the fix with this problem. I also want to thank jbishop and quanttrom for the added help. You have all saved me a great deal of money with this. I completed this fix about an hour ago and sure enough it was R509 being loose that may have contributed to my radio being dead and my climate control being nonresponsive and stuck on 75. My radio and climate control is now functional (I really needed it to be working now that the temp is dropping). I do have a cd changer error which was present months before the unit died. For all of those that will attempt this fix make sure you have proper tools. Soldering in such a tight spot was a huge PITA.

I am trading my 2004 G35 in for a new sedan and I was deathly afraid of the value being dramatically reduced because of this issue. So far I have experienced just about every common problem with this model. Door locks stop working (still not fixed and don't think I will), clock light blown (ordering new one), window motor going bad (ordering new one), bad/warped rotors (have new ones in my trunk just need to put them on), Radio/ climate control not working (fixed), engine burning oil (not going to fix).

I have had the most fun with this car than any other car I have owned. But life has led me on a different course and it's time to move on. When I bought my car I was single, no kids, owned a motorcycle, and half owner of a boat. I was the text book bachelor. Seven years later and today I have a son, engaged, sold the bike and my half of the boat.

I have an older model sedan but I want something new and the G35 coupe will be a good trade in as she is very clean cosmetically. It's the other aforementioned problems that had me concerned.

Sorry if this is long winded. I registered just to show my appreciation.

Again, thank you all for the wealth of knowledge and help on this forum.

Gcouper

Yeah, holy crap this post is amazing. I came back to the forums to ask if anybody had any ideas for my totally WACKY issue of radio and climate control panel being off, while steering controls still worked for the radio. I never imagined that there'd be a fix this detailed that actually worked! You guys are amazing. Thanks a ton.

PS: Yeah, my resistors looked fine too. I'm pretty sure R509 was OK, but R510 and R508 were up on one side...imperceptably by sight. R508 didn't move either, but testing across one side and then over to the next trace line indicated it was disconnected. I hit all 3 just to be safe, said my prayers, and it's all working!

I registered to report that this fix worked for me, too. Thanks guys for posting this!! Mine was an 03 G35 sedan with the Bose system. :JAMIN:

My sons car has exactly the same problem .Took stereo apart and r508 fell off when I just touched with screwdriver.Would like to find a solution that eliminates all 3 resistors .They are so tiny that are hard to resolder .Do you have a solution that would do this and be able to resolder new single hi watt resistor at points that are easier to resolder on circuit?

g35 radio ac control
 

We have exactly the same problem on our G35 coupe as experienced with others.I took apart the radio and located the 3 resistors .R508 fell off the board after just probing with tip of small screwdriver.R509 and R510 seem ok.
Wonder if any of you can show how to bypass all 3 resistors with 1 hi watt (or 2 ) in locations that have better soldering locations such as C515 and C511.From reading through the thread it seems that some have used I resistor however the R508 is so tiny I am afraid of frying the board and ruining it at this point as the solder joints are only surface mount on the printed circuit?
Help much appreciated.

Time for me to chime in, I took the center console apart. Got the unit out and apart, got a buddy to solder the resistors back. (R508-R509-R510) and now my AC buttons actually work the AC correctly, my tape player is working and my radio is working, only problem I've had still is that my CD player is still non functional. When I bought the car used I put a cd in within the first 5minutes and it ate it, do I need to manually remove the cd from the cd drive some how, for the player to begin working? I thought once I got the board fixed I would be able to hit the eject cd button and it would work but I guess not.

Anyone have any info or know how from experience on if I need to take it apart again and take the cd out manually, so it can work, Or do I need to buy a new CD player?

Thanks for all the info everyone, very pleased I got it back together and stuff works. Just bummed on the cd still being screwed up.

Hopefully someone can help me again!

These radios are subject to both electrical failures (which includes, but is not limited to those resistors), mechanical failure of the CD changer mechanism, and also a good dose of failure of the CD laser/detection parts. You've experienced at least two of these so far.

Getting the old CDs out isn't trivial, but is possible, I've got a post/video that details the process: https://g35driver.com/forums/6546535-post1049.html

If it's still screwed up after that, get an auxiliary input (https://g35driver.com/forums/audio-v...ory-radio.html), and connect a portable media device to it, CDs don't belong in cars anymore.

Appreciate it man, I'll check into the aux input,(I've been using a tape that's got a cord coming out so I can plug in a iPod/iPhone). I totally agree with CDs being out dated I guess I'm still stuck and bummed about it not working since the day I got it lol (and wanna see it work) now that you said that, I may just forget about the CD player working haha! )Using what you said as reassurance in not caring about it) lol

Thank you so much for the information in this thread. I got the stuck A/C and dead stereo (except for the wheel controls) issue.. Didn't want to mess with checking/ re-soldering the resistors so ended up just disconnecting the ribbon cable between the CD and the Tape units. Worked like a charm, now A/C works fine and I have radio display. The CD player stopped working a long time ago because of a stuck CD so I don't really care about it anymore..

Hey guys,

Australian V35 owner here. Just had this aircon issue happen to me too.
Does anyone have any screenshots of which cable to disconnect? Im wanting to do this as a temporary fix until the double din kits are available.

I havent taken my dash apart yet, but would like to be prepared with information when i perform this on the weekend.

Is this ribbon easy to find? Do i have to take apart the tape/cd unit?

Any help would be greatly appriciated.

Cheers,

Question - I have the metra double dinn kit . and my ac controls stopped working. the board everyone is talking about... is that the board on the AC kit? or on the OEM radio/AC controls?

They discussed board is only part of the OEM radio. If your climate control is failing with the metra board installed, it's either a bad metra board, loose connection, or a much deeper problem with the climate control system.

sorry abou tthat, i looked through and couldnt find the part where it says oem radio. damm. ill call metra

This fix WORKS
 

I registered to tell you folks, or reassure those who may be doubters, that this fix works.

My son just bought a 2003 G35 sedan with the common radio dead\heater controls dead condition. Last night we pulled the dash apart and I re-soldered the questionable resistors. Tonight we put it all back together and everything works! My son is thrilled. I'm thrilled. I thank everyone on this board for the help by first of all, isolating the condition, and second, providing a fix. Unbelievable. I'm so grateful.

Anyway, next on my list is isolating and repairing the airbag light which is on all the time. Anyone have any ideas?


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/g35driv...95aad2c51c.jpg


Here's my son putting things back together. Notice all the displays working!


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/g35driv...1fb4a43a93.jpg


Radio working great


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/g35driv...67acd7277e.jpg

The airbag light is usually due to a poor connection in my experience. I resolved it by ziptying the connectors together and resetting it. (This is what they do at the dealer believe it or not, although they also add glue)

My airbag light was on intermittently for about a month, doing the reset by cycling the key worked to keep it coming back for over a year now. I didn't have to zip-tie or otherwise mess with the connection under the seat either.

Thanks for the replies. I should not have added the airbag light to this post. I'll repost that query elsewhere.