I feel for you guys up north and the Midwest with this brutal winter. Down here in South Texas it's never gotten to or below freezing yet which is highly unusual. I think our low temp so far was 34...

 

 

Right in front of the ABS valve block/brake master cylinder there is a black plastic box that has 3 harnesses going into it. That's the ABS relay, disconnect your battery, pump the brakes, disconnect the 3 electrical harnesses. Now comes the tricky part, actually getting it to pop out of the clip that's holding it to the chassis, it's really tight quarters but you can get a screwdriver in there to release the snap and it lifts straight up. It's REALLY tight, no joke, I wouldn't blame folks for simply breaking it off of the mounting tab and reattaching the new ones with zip ties.

That relay was used on practically every Nissan vehicle for 15 years so you can easily source a new one from a junkyard, some have a slightly different location of the mounting tab but they all work, if you end up with one that has the mount tab shifted to the right it will be hugging the sheet metal on the other side, no big deal. Worst case if you don't like that just tie wrap around it back onto the mounting tab, it won't go anywhere.

 

Thank you! We had the same issue as all have described. Lights came on, Motor running even after the key was removed. We disconnected the battery, and that stopped the motor, and left it overnight. The car is back to normal today. Historical code is C1111. Drove around for a while, no issues. Tested ABS in the snow..worked. Is it possible this is a one time fluke, or just replace the relay assuming it is on it's way out?

 

It's a common failure item unfortunately but you probably have about a year before it's 100% not functioning. Next time it won't stop buzzing just tap on the plastic housing with something solid like a ratchet and it usually frees up the contact. The most important thing is to listen for it when you exit the vehicle, if it stays locked it can eventually cook the ABS motor on the ABS valve block which is significantly more difficult and expensive to replace.

 

How do I remove that relay????????

 

Unplug the harnesses, depress the tab on the backside and lift straight up, it's a pain. Use a small screwdriver to get the locking tab depressed, look on the new relay and you'll see exactly where it's at.

Wear gloves, the metal hanger on that fender well is super sharp.

 

I suppose if you had to you could just break the thing off and use double adhesive tap and tie wraps to hold the new one down. It's a serious motherF to get that thing off

 

you are awesome! thank you so much for your help.

 

This is the BEST thread on this problem that I've come across. Thanks for posting!

There is so much mystery out there and people telling you to replace this, that, and the other thing...especially dealer service depts who do nothing but charge you $1,000 for replacements of parts you don't need and the problem returns.

Short term fix I found based on this YouTube video: https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-cou...g-noise-2.html

I'm 3 for 3 with this temporary fix WITHOUT having to disconnect the battery.
1. Start the car
2. Drive it hard left in a circle, using the brakes once or twice (I always go left but may not matter)
3. Pump usually stops. If not, repeat steps 1-3
4. When pump stops running but lights still on, turn off engine and restart. lights should clear after a few seconds
5. Press the VDC button a few times to make sure it is now functional on/off

Temporary, but gets me by in a pinch. I also keep a 10mm wrench in the glove box for emergency situations in case it doesn't work and need to disconnect the battery. I'll be replacing the relay asap now that it's winter in the midwest.

 

so do i hit the side of the box or the top with a screwdriver

 

Either, it's just a housing for the relay inside. Don't hit the wiring harnesses.

See post 20 about vehicles that use the same relay, you should be able to find one of those locally at a pick-n-pull so you can salvage the relay from it. Just take a good picture of your existing relay with the harnesses unplugged so you can verify it'll work.

 

Yes, Just wack it with a screwdriver or hammer. I used a socket wrench and smacked it and the noise stopped. I had turned the car off and ABS was still turned on, smacked it, then it turned off.

 

There's a moving part inside it called an "electrically held contactor" it's basically like the light switch inside your house but rather than you turning it on and off with your hand the car can do it by powering an electromagnet. Contactors wear out over time and they can start to stick into place and even when the car "lets go of the switch" it will still be locked into place until you bang on it using a completely scientific method called "percussive maintenance".

 

I had all of the aforementioned problems, And using the percussive maintenance method worked perfectly the lights remained on until I drove it about 10 ft and they went off... I will start looking for a new relay but it's good to find answers that keep you on the road until it arrives thank you so much!