[MunchMan]

Following some bad YouTube advice while installing wiring for an electric brake controller (don't worry, no RV, my utility trailer just happens to have a braking axle, which helps me not slide through wet intersections when it's loaded with firewood), I cut into a big rubber grommet above the driver's left foot to try to sneak a wire through. I sliced too deep and snipped a blue wire (not light blue, not dark, not striped, just "blue"). Fairly important wire: half my taillights are now out (left body and right hatch), along with the driver seat heat/cooling, blind spot warnings, trip computer lights off, and environmental lights at full brightness.

I'd just splice the wire back together, but it's WAY up in there, no slack to play with, hard to reach with even a couple extended fingers, and only an 18- or 20-gauge size. Without taking a bunch of stuff out on either end (like the entire dashboard), I can't see where it terminates. I asked Nissan USA for help with where it terminates so I could run my own wire; they referred me to my local dealer, who never responded. I called Nissan USA hoping to find an engineer to look it up; no can do. Dealer said they couldn't release that information, and I wasn't going to pay $200 for them to say "yeah we can't fix that". On a whim, I asked the to quote replacing that main wiring harness; that's $2400 (plus tax). I have the shop manual on CD, but the answer to what's on either end of that wire is NOT obvious.

So I need one of two things: either a tool to reach up in there and splice onto a wire with one simple motion (think extra-long needle nose pliers that magically bite into and attach another wire) or the information on how to bypass that wire. No problem paying a few hundred to fix my mistake, especially that means I end up with a cool new tool, but not flipping thousands to the dealer. Looking forward to hearing your expertise, maybe a few jokes too (already got the "fix it yourself and save" from my wife ).

 

[Cryogenix1]

A picture of the problem wire would be very helpful. So you cut through the wire cleanly so there are no dangling copper strands? Possibly, you could use a BBQ lighter and melt off a bit of the casing at both ends of the wire to expose some copper. Then take a plastic butt splice connector (whatever it's called...refer to pic) with two fingers and slide in one end at a time, then use long needle-nose pliers to crimp both ends to hold the wire in place.

If lacking the room to crimp that coupler, possibly you could fill both ends with some kind of "metal" glue that stays pliable and will then dry like metal. So, both ends are stuffed with "stuff" then you slide on the coupler and try to push the wires in as far as you can, then let the stuff harden and hope for the best.

Any chance of getting a soldering tip up there to place a drop between the two cut ends to fuse them together? Then use a piece of plastic and a BBQ lighter to melt a casing over it.

Those are my first thoughts... I'll update it I think of anything else.

 

[Cryogenix1]

You could also take a thin paperclip (or a finish nail or brad) and cut a 1/2" length (making sure that each end has a sharp angle) and then use your needle-nose pliers to jam/slide one end into one end of the wire (I'm talking sliding the "piece" into the opened wire face so it's running lengthwise with the existing wires), then do the same with the other end, and now you've bridged both wires with a piece of metal that should be okay. Then just wrap a piece of electrical tape over it or melt a plastic sleeve over it.

 

[YoGeorge]

Both suggestions above are good if you can manage them. There are also piercing wire splice connectors that remind me of the connectors for lamp cord plugs and inline switches. If you can pull the wires to overlap a bit, it'll be a one time squeeze. If you don't have enough wire length, use 2 connectors with an inch or two of additional (blue) wire bridging the gap. These don't involve heat or tape, and are self insulating to a degree.

Amazon.com : wire splice connectors

 

[Pilgrim]

I'd look in the repair manual https://www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals and if I can identify the wire, and as you suggest, bypass it far enough away from the cut that I could reach the wires. That may or may not work, depending on the length of the wire.

 

[MunchMan]

Thx for all your suggestions! I'll get a pic up tomorrow. Merry Christmas!

 

[Cryogenix1]

Those Quick-Snap splice connectors would be nice if you have the room to close them securely. If there's room it might be easy to piece together a semi-lengthy U-shaped splice connection ahead of time, then hold onto that and use your needle-nose pliers to pull down and manipulate one end of the cut wire into the quick snap connector at one end of the "U" then close it, slip the other end on and close it.

 

[MunchMan]

Here's a few pics, the first close in, the second showing the e-brake on the left and the footbrake on the right, the third out a little wider for more context. I was laying on my back when I took these, so I could also be backwards on the description . It's a big black grommet/boot mostly hidden behind sound insulation, above the driver's left foot.

Thanks again for all your suggestions. Merry Christmas!

 

[Cryogenix1]

I realize it's probably more confining than the pictures show, but it looks like you can get a simple, spring-loaded wire stripper up there to expose about 1/4" of wire on both sides to accept a number of plastic connectors/splicers. From what I'm seeing, I'd take a good length of same-size wire (if you have some lying around), and attach a butt splice to each end, then just angle down one end of the blue wire at a time and slip it into the butt splice and crimp it. As I mentioned before, make your pre-made wire long so you can more easily get it up there and manipulate it into place, and to help keep it out of the way of whatever you're using to crimp the connector. Probably easier said than done, I know.

That being said, if there was such a thing as solder glue, I'd put a drop on one end of the blue wire and then abut and hold the other end to it until it cured.

If you don't have wire lying around, the simpliest solution, I think, would be to expose a little wire on both ends (even if that means having to use an X-Acto knife to carefully carve away at the wire jacket) then slip a butt splice connector onto each side and crimp things down.

For testing purposes, to make sure everything works once that blue wire is reconnected, you could again take a long paperclip, unbend it so it's straight, then bend it in half so the ends meet (to form a V) then use pliers to bend each end to a 90-degree angle (forming a Van Halen-like 'V". Then that will act like something of a spring or tensioner against the cut wires where you'll slip the bent ends of the paperclip against the exposed ends of the blue wire. It should hold in place long enough for you to test out your system.

 

[ValiantCM]

Though I had something, wrote post, then tried to delete after seeing it wouldn't help, but couldn't delete, so here is a message saying why there is nothing to see here in my post.
Apologies.

 

[canuckguy]

Your fog lights should only go on with low beams. They're meant to have a cutting low and wide beam for fog. High beams would defeat them. Most people don't understand their intent and use. You should check all of your lights and many other things as part of maintenance. Your manual is you friend more so that forums.

 

[canuckguy]

Your fog lights should only go on with low beams. They're meant to have a cutting low and wide beam for fog. High beams would defeat them. Most people don't understand their intent and use. You should check all of your lights and many other things as part of maintenance. Your manual is you friend more so that forums.

Sorry posted in wrong post. Please ignore.

 

[I need coffee]

Below are the instructions for removing the lower instrument panel from the service manual (see the "Instrument Panel" file): https://www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals. I would seriously consider removing it to see how much space is freed up before resorting to unconventional repair methods--you just need to be able to get both hands in there, and if you can, I think you may have a good shot at repairing the wire with a traditional butt connector (albeit with some difficulty).

You may also want to consider peeling back some more insulation to see if there are any nearby wiring harness fasteners that you can remove/cut to give the harness some more wiggle and perhaps increase accessibility.

 

[MunchMan]

Below are the instructions for removing the lower instrument panel from the service manual (see the "Instrument Panel" file): https://www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals. I would seriously consider removing it to see how much space is freed up before resorting to unconventional repair methods--you just need to be able to get both hands in there, and if you can, I think you may have a good shot at repairing the wire with a traditional butt connector (albeit with some difficulty).

You may also want to consider peeling back some more insulation to see if there are any nearby wiring harness fasteners that you can remove/cut to give the harness some more wiggle and perhaps increase accessibility.

View attachment 54498

That's very helpful, thx!

 

[MKUltra]

That's very helpful, thx!

I'd say this is the most sound advice and diagram. As most have found out factory wiring harnesses are also clipped every few feet I to sheet metal tabs. Getting deeper access to the next inline clip, should free up some "slack" to get the length you need to bring these two ends together. Time and patience and not doing more to complicate the unintentional cut will be imperative. Visualize what you need to do as you get further into it rather than getting impatient and rushing and you should be fine.

Good luck!

 

[MunchMan]

Many many thanks to everyone who commented here. The diagram showing the dashboard removal was instrumental in motivating me to start digging in and getting access. With that left cover and lower dash gone and the e-brake unbolted and moved just an inch, I had enough room to get a plier up in there and tug either end of the cut wires enough to get 1/4" of overlap. Now that I could also get one hand in from the side and one from the bottom, I was able to cut the insulation off the ends with a utility knife (finger still healing from that) and use two index fingers to wrap the wires together. Forget taping them up, I'm afraid it pull them apart again . Tail lights are back, interior lighting working again, and I'm assuming everything else is back too (seat heaters are a different issues, I think; driver's is still out). Extra happy that everything I needed for this repair was just your advice, my simple hand tools, and the determination and never-give-up-ed-ness God gave me. Thanks again to all of you, and best of results in your Murano quests.

P.S. If anyone knows how to trick a 2015 into staying in full AWD over 15 mph, I'd love to know .

 

[MuranoSL2003]

P.S. If anyone knows how to trick a 2015 into staying in full AWD over 15 mph, I'd love to know .

By design, it's not a full time awd system, it has no center differential... It does kick in at higher speeds under certain circumstances per the owner's manual, but within the limits of the design...

The 1st gen Murano's had an AWD lock button for lower speeds. I only tried it a few times in snow, and experienced severe understeer due to it not having a center differential... The 3rd gens are of the same design, but they eliminated the AWD lock function.

 

[Pilgrim]

P.S. If anyone knows how to trick a 2015 into staying in full AWD over 15 mph, I'd love to know .

Bad idea, unless you want to destroy your transfer case. It's not designed for that service...and the transfer case is the weakest link in the Murano AWD system,